A controversial traffic filter scheme in the centre of historic Oxford is being blamed for crippling businesses and creating severe gridlock, according to angry residents.
Some motorists said they were trapped in Oxford city centre for hours on Sunday, October 11, with car park staff reportedly handing out water as queues struggled to move.
The disruption followed a decision by Lib Dem-run Oxfordshire County Council to introduce the new traffic filters. Drivers who pass through six designated points without a permit face a £70 penalty.
Business leaders say the latest restrictions on motorists are ‘destroying’ Oxford’s commercial centre by sharply extending journey times and discouraging visitors.
Council chiefs, who say the scheme is intended to ‘reduce’ congestion, insisted that Sunday’s chaos was caused by the city’s Half Marathon.
One resident said: ‘No wonder there are so many shops boarded up in Oxford. It’s both too expensive and too difficult to travel into.’
The filters operate from 7am to 7pm for motorists passing through specified points on Thames Street, Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road and St Clement’s Street.
Drivers were caught in huge traffic jams around Oxford during a weekend of chaos
The traffic filters operate from 7am to 7pm at specific points on Thames Street, Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road and St Clement’s Street
The remaining two filters, on Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way, are active only during peak periods: from 7am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.
Drivers entering the restricted roads without a valid permit during those hours face a £70 fine, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.
Permits are available to residents, Blue Badge holders, unpaid carers, firefighters, car club members and approved driving instructors.
However, residents say traffic has become heavier and delays longer since the measures were introduced on September 28.
One mother said she was stuck inside the multi-storey car park at Westgate Shopping Centre for three hours with her two children, aged six and 10 months, because of the congestion.
‘Car park staff are handing out water to everyone who is stuck here, and are advising the city is gridlocked and we’ll apparently be stuck in the car park for at least the next few hours,’ Emily Strange, from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, said.
‘[Oxfordshire County Council’s] emergency highways phone line is conveniently closed, so this feels like the only way of possibly reaching someone from the council.’
Ms Strange said she had visited Oxford on the day of the Half Marathon in previous years but had ‘never experienced traffic like that’.
She said she was convinced the traffic filters had contributed to the disruption.
Elizabeth Jones wrote in the comments section of the Oxford Mail: ‘Oxford has had it; they build a brand new Westgate and within a decade make it almost impossible to access it.
‘It was built with a large car park underneath it? Why? Car drivers are being driven out of Oxford.’
One mother said she she was stranded for hours inside the Westgate Shopping Centre’s multi-storey car park on Sunday with her two young children, aged six and ten months (file photo)
LTNs were first introduced in the city in 2021 to prevent cars from taking shortcuts down residential streets (file photo)
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Oxford Bus Company also said it had suffered ‘a lot of disruption’ over the weekend.
A spokesman said: ‘The introduction of the traffic filters trial has coincided with various roadworks in Oxford, including the closure of Queen Street for resurfacing works outside the Westgate shopping centre and in Cowley.
‘This has unfortunately caused a lot of disruption to our services, and the timings of these works could have been better aligned.’
The traffic filters replace a ‘temporary’ Congestion Charge introduced in October last year that charged drivers £5 for using the same six roads.
The scheme is the latest in a series of traffic-reduction measures to affect Oxford residents, following the introduction of controversial low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs).
LTNs were first introduced in the city in 2021 and prevent cars from taking shortcuts down residential streets.
Locals previously branded them a ‘complete disaster’. One of their main critics is Florence Pugh’s father Clinton Pugh.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘They are deliberately destroying the economic hub of the Cowley Road area of the city.
‘There are 250 businesses here – most of them with English as a second language – I think they saw us as an easy target.
‘It will be like the Post Office scandal – eventually the truth will come out- we have been bullied, taken advantage of and we are all losing an absolute fortune.’
A spokesman for Oxfordshire County Council said: ‘Sunday was the Oxford Half Marathon, attended by 15,000 people.
‘The city centre and the Westgate car park were exceptionally busy, and road closures were in place until mid-afternoon.
‘Drivers with permits have the option of using the Thames Street exit from the car park as well as the Botley Road corridor.
‘Visitors also have the option of using our Park & Ride service with a combined ticket of only £3 which covers return bus travel for up to five people and 16 hours parking.
‘It is still early days in the traffic filter trial, and we will be monitoring the scheme’s impacts carefully.
‘This includes careful analysis of every junction along Botley Road, as well as considering other measures to ensure the network flows as well as it possibly can.’
A spokesman for Westgate Oxford added: ‘We recognise the importance of reducing congestion and improving connectivity across Oxford.
‘However, it’s increasingly clear that the traffic filters are having an impact on businesses in the city centre, particularly in the absence of major new investment in public transport alternatives.
‘During Sunday’s severe congestion, which was also affected by the half marathon and wider traffic conditions, we did all we could to support guests by providing water while they waited to exit.
‘We apologise to those who experienced delays, some of which were significant.
‘We’re keen to work with Oxfordshire County Council to monitor the impact of the scheme and ensure Oxford remains an accessible and thriving destination for residents, businesses and visitors.’
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