Sir – Oxford’s main bus operators claim that the County Council’s proposals to transfer the Queen Street bus-stops to Castle Street and St Aldates are unworkable.

They say instead that Queen Street could be fully pedestrianised by the end of 2010 and bus journeys in central Oxford reduced by 25 per cent through a new Bus Partnership, as allowed under the recent Transport Act. The county council have cast doubt on the realism of this time-scale and suggest that the bus companies are simply angling to keep the status quo for as long as possible.

The city council has been pressing for the full pedestrianisation of Queen Street for the past four years, and would be distressed to see rapid progress towards the Bus Partnership, with joint ticketing and integrated route planning, held up by time consuming wrangles around the current half-way house proposals.

We believe that the bus companies’ timetable should be thoroughly tested and assessed in the light of the known regulatory stance of the Transport Department. If it is realistic, we would want to work alongside our county council colleagues to secure within the year, the major improvements that it would bring to air quality, bus use of High Street, and journey times.

Bob Price, Leader, Oxford City Council