Cycling campaigners have called on Oxfordshire County Council to be “bold” in how it tackles congestion, as the city’s traffic woes reach what they describe as a “crisis point”.

Oxford’s campaign group Cyclox said it welcomed plans for a temporary congestion charge being discussed by the council, which would see motorists pay £5 to drive through certain roads at peak times, with exemptions for Blue Badge holders, carers, emergency vehicles, and local businesses.

Ian Loader, Cyclox chairman, said: “The council must be bold and make the city safe for cyclists, bus users and pedestrians, and that means reducing levels of road traffic.

“Cyclox will study the proposals put forward by the council and work closely with them to ensure that a congestion relief scheme not only improves bus services but also encourages active and sustainable travel.

“It is vital that any funds raised by the scheme are used wholly to support improved public transport and better cycling infrastructure.”

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Congestion charge (CC BY-NC 2.0 photosfing:Flickr)
Congestion charge (CC BY-NC 2 (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

Thalia Carr, campaigns leader at Cyclox, added: “The May local elections delivered a council with a clear mandate to tackle decades of car-dependency in the city and expand the transport options available to the city’s residents.

“We cannot build more roads to magic congestion away. The problem cannot wait until the traffic filters go in in late 2026. We need to find ways to encourage greater use of buses and active travel now.”

She warned that if congestion problems are left alone, “the city will grind to a halt under the weight of car traffic”. 

The proposed charge would apply every day from 7am to 7pm on Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, Thames Street and St Clement’s Street, and Monday to Saturday on Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way. It would end when the delayed traffic filter trial starts in 2026, after the expected reopening of Botley Road.

Oxford Mail reports that the council’s cabinet is due to discuss the scheme next Tuesday (June 17) and will be asked to approve a six-week public consultation, starting June 23. The scheme could be implemented as soon as autumn 2025.

Oxford cycling city sign defaced
Oxford cycling city sign defaced (Image Credit: Tom Seaward/Twitter)

Robin Tucker, co-chair of the Coalition for Health Streets and Active Travel (CoHSAT), said: “We at CoHSAT are glad to see the new council using their mandate and ingenuity to tackle the long-standing problem of traffic congestion in Oxford, and proposing this innovative solution.

“We’re pleased that people and organisations will have six weeks to review the new proposals, and after more than a decade to think, this is the time for anyone to suggest alternatives to fix the traffic problem.

“If the temporary congestion charge proposal does go ahead, by late 2027, we would have a view of the effects of ‘doing nothing’, a congestion charge, and experimental traffic filters, so a decision could be based on what worked best.”

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While some campaigners have welcomed the congestion charge as a chance to reduce car-dependency and encourage more cycling and walking, the plans come against a backdrop of heated debates in Oxford, particularly regarding 20mph speed limits.

According to the Oxford Bus Company, implementing the speed limits would make bus travel “less attractive” and increase congestion. Last month, managing director Luke Marion argued that journey times for bus passengers would rise if 20mph limits were extended beyond busy areas.

20mph sign
20mph sign (Image Credit: Albert Bridge / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Meanwhile, in January, Labour’s local leader in Oxford, Liz Brighouse, called for a “halt” to the implementation of traffic filters in the city, saying the measures have “turned neighbours against one another”.

Thalia Carr, pointed out the May local election results, arguing that it “delivered a council with a clear mandate to tackle decades of car-dependency in the city.” She added: “We cannot build more roads to magic congestion away… We need to find ways to encourage greater use of buses and active travel now.”

Cyclox’s push for “bold” change also comes at a time when the future of traffic calming schemes to enable a modal shift towards public and active transport has been thrown into jeopardy following last week’s High Court ruling, in which the judicial body ordered Lambeth Council in south London to scrap an “unlawful” low traffic neighbourhood scheme.

Anti-LTN campaigners called the decision a “wake-up call” for councils, warning them to listen to residents and not impose traffic restrictions without proper consultation.

Despite that ruling, campaigners in Oxford have argued that measures to reduce car use and make streets safer for cycling must continue. Green councillor Emily Kerr said that initiatives like low-traffic neighbourhoods and traffic filters are already common in European cities and needed in Oxford to tackle car dependency.

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Emily Cherry, chief executive of the Bikeability Trust, said last month that the Road Safety Strategy should be used to make “bold, historic changes that protect and enshrine the rights and safety of every road user”.

Councillor Kerr added: “The government says that road traffic collisions cost the UK economy around £34bn per year. This is not only a huge financial number, but also underplays the human and emotional costs of people being maimed and killed.

“Given that LTNs can reduce pedestrian injuries by 85 per cent, and that 22,000 people live in Oxford’s LTNs, I think just £55,000 per year on their maintenance represents good value for money. Additionally, there are huge public health benefits from cleaner air and more children walking and cycling.”