Measures to eradicate evening rush-hour tailbacks in Oxford caused by the A34 roadworks were today (THURS NOV 12) vetoed on safety grounds.

The northbound carriage- way of the major route is currently is closed to traffic between the Botley interchange and Peartree roundabout - causing misery for thousands of motorists.

The city's Woodstock and Banbury roads have been totally clogged by workers picking their way home at night, with some journeys taking five times as long. The crisis has caused havoc for bus companies too - with managers inundated with complaints about delays.

Richard Dix, the county council's chief engineer for highway maintenance, has suggested closing the A34 southbound at the roadworks instead, and reopening the northbound route in the next few days. This would help drivers going north to Kidlington, Bicester and Banbury.

He said: "People leaving the city would have a better chance of getting out.

"At the moment the closure is for traffic travelling north. People coming around the ring road on diverted routes are cutting off people trying to get out north."

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith also wants a northbound contraflow put in place. He said: "It's no exaggeration to say congestion is strangling our city. Things cannot be allowed to go on like this for the next four weeks. As the Christmas shopping picks up, Oxford will come to a total standstill.

"Buses are taking more than one hour to get into the centre from the outskirts. Shops and offices are being hit by the inability of staff to get to work. The diversion of traffic is bringing the Eastern by-pass to a complete halt.

"It must be costing a fortune and is certainly driving everyone round the bend. We need urgent action to sort out this mess." Mr Smith wants overflow parking at the park and rides and emergency bus priority measures too.

But following a meeting, the Highways Agency and the police rejected revising the A34 roadwork diversions - because it could cause southbound jams from the M40 motorway at Wendlebury right down to Peartree each morning.

An agency spokesman said: "There is nothing that can be done. The traffic management they have got at the moment was discussed several months ago.

"There is such a short distance between the works and the M40 there is a likelihood of traffic delays back to the motorway.

"Whatever you do you are displacing one problem to another area."

Mr Dix said the council had to go along with safety decisions made by the agency and police.

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