Delays to rush-hour traffic in Oxford due to a series of roadworks have been eased by the introduction of manually controlled temporary traffic lights.

Last week, it took bus commuters an hour and 20 minutes to travel five miles across the city during the morning and evening rush hours. The problem was caused by three sets of temporary traffic lights in Hollow Way, Cowley Road and High Street, during emergency repairs to gas mains.

"There's been a big improvement this week," said Andrew Beal, 44, whose journey between Blackbird Leys and Carfax normally takes 20 minutes. "Now that the lights in Cowley Road are being manually operated during busy times, the journey is taking only about 10 to 15 minutes longer."

While the repairs in Hollow Way are complete, Cowley Road will be affected until at least the middle of next month.

Resurfacing work is also going on in Abingdon Road.

David McKibbin, Oxfordshire County Council's head of transport, said: "We will continue to monitor the situation closely to guard against problems during the remainder of the work."