Passengers have joined forces to petition against a temporary weight restriction on a bridge across the Thames which has meant it can't be used by buses.

Donnington Bridge, which carries Donnington Bridge Road from Abingdon Road to Iffley Road, has had a temporary 7.5-tonne weight restriction on it since August.

Oxfordshire County Council imposed it with just a couple of days' notice as a precautionary measure due to a "significant risk of corroding cables".

But 375 locals have signed a petition saying alternative arrangements need to be put in place immediately.

Locals say they are 'completely stranded' without the 46 and ST1 (Image: Contributed/Change.org)

Oxford Bus Company has said it could do this but is waiting for funding from the county council.

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The petition states that the withdrawal of services along Donnington Bridge and the diversion of the 46 route away from Abingdon Road means people living on Donnington Bridge Road are "completely stranded without any bus service".

It also means that people "may be cut off from work, leisure, health, services for children and the elderly and affordable shopping if their requirements for these are in in Abingdon Road or Donnington Bridge Road".

It also impacts on those commuting on the ST1 route to Harwell from these areas, it says.

To reach destinations that were served by Donnington Bridge they now have to "pay twice" for a long detour journey into the city centre and out again.

"For those unable to walk those distances the alternative is being confined to home," the petition says, adding that with autumn and winter approaching "for many in the community struggling to heat homes the bus has provided a route to warm spaces such as libraries and community centres in Florence Park, Donnington and South Oxford".

The petition calls on Oxford Bus Company and Oxfordshire County Council to immediately make arrangements to enable the public transport links to continue.

It suggests a minibus serving the affected areas, with through ticketing and appropriate timetabling to link up with the usual routes, might be one solution.  

In addition it wants Oxfordshire County Council to "urgently" prioritise repairs to the bridge "in order not to prolong the difficulties being faced by our communities". 

Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways, has said the authority was conscious of the disruption the move would cause.

But the council said there was no timeline and the restriction will remain in place for many months.

(Image: Oxford Mail)

Oxford Bus Company said it was willing to provide a minibus but would require more funding to deliver it.

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Managing director Luke Marion said: “Since Oxfordshire County Council implemented the weight restriction, we’ve provided them with several costed alternative options and a request for funding to deliver them and are awaiting a response.

“For context historically the ST1 and 46 services were not commercially viable to operate, even when the bridge could be used, and we worked hard to secure funding to help maintain them to date.

“We’ve experienced a 7 per cent reduction in patronage on the services since the weight limit was imposed, however, we’re continuing to use the same vehicle and staffing resources on the services since the closure, which is a challenge to maintain economically.

“We’re open to the adding more resource and have identified some minibus vehicles in our fleet that could be used.

"However, we’d need funding support to deliver this, particularly as we have not been given a timeframe for when the restriction will be lifted.”