Crime & Safety
Oxford Voi e-scooter parking to improve with £3.5m funding
Voi announced the major investment earlier this week to tackle anti-social parking of shared e-scooters and e-bikes on city streets, called the Oxford Parking Fund.
The company has been operating in Oxford since 2021 and has, to date, delivered around 5million e-scooter and e-bike rides in the city.
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A further £3.5million investment into its sustainable transport scheme will see a new team of street patrollers, removing unsafe or problematic parking locations, introducing tighter parking controls for users who repeatedly park ‘irresponsibly’ and launching monthly, in-person training sessions with local providers.
Anneliese Dodds MP joined Voi in Headington to visit problematic e-device parking sites.
The Labour MP for Oxford East said: “It was helpful to see the steps which Voi are putting into place which they maintain will improve parking of shared e-scooters and e-bikes in Oxford, and to discuss how Voi is seeking to respond to concerns raised by my constituents.
“I welcome Voi’s commitment to invest in better parking infrastructure, more on-street staff and tougher action against irresponsible parking in Oxford – and want to see this delivering much-needed change.
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“I will continue to work with local residents, local councils and Voi to push for these improvements to be delivered and for our streets to be safe for everyone.”
The investment scheme will also see work expand with third-party contractors to respond faster to e-bike or e-scooter issues, and collaborating with the council on carriageway parking to free up narrow pavements.
This latest funding will join the £1.65 million Voi has already invested in measures to improve parking bays and parking compliance for riders.
Harry Foskin, Voi’s senior public policy manager, said: “Oxford is one of our flagship UK cities, and over the past few years our shared e-scooters and e-bikes have become part of how thousands of people get to work, university, the shops and appointments every day.
“We’re proud of what we’ve achieved with our partners at Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council, but we know we can always do more to make our service work better for everyone.
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“Our new £3.5 million Oxford Parking Fund is about doubling down on that commitment – investing in better bays, smarter technology and more people on the ground to keep streets safe, tidy and accessible.
“By putting millions of pounds into parking improvements over the coming years, we want to show that shared micromobility can cut congestion and pollution while coexisting seamlessly with pedestrians, local residents and other road users.
“We’re here for the long term and determined to keep raising the bar in Oxford.”
Farid Aoued, 50, of Pound Way, Oxford, pleaded guilty to the offence, which took place in Barracks Lane in Oxford on May 13 last year.
He was fined £133.
He was also ordered to pay £85 in prosecution costs and a £53 victim surcharge.
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The court heard Aoued drove a mechanically propelled vehicle without lawful authority on a footpath.
This is in contravention of section 34(1)(b) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Schedule 2 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988.
His guilty plea was taken into account by the court during sentencing, which also imposed a collection order to ensure payments are made as directed.
Having appeared on both BBC’s Top Gear and Prime Video’s The Grand Tour for over two decades, the presenter is well-known around the globe.
Working alongside Oxfordshire farmer Jeremy Clarkson and James May, an iconic hosting trio was formed.
Mr Hammond was also in his co-star’s county last summer when he visited Woodstock for Salon Privé, which was hosted at Blenheim Palace.
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In January 2025, the 56-year-old announced his shock divorce from wife Mindy after 28 years together.
He wrote on X: “Our marriage is coming to end, but we’ve had an amazing 28 years together and two incredible daughters.
“We will always be in each other’s lives and are proud of the family we created.”
Having left his Herefordshire castle in January last year, it was revealed this year that Mr Hammond bought a £2m six-bedroom Georgian manor house in Wales.
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In the latest update from his new abode, the former Top Gear star welcomed three of his cars to the new spot for the first time.
Posting a video clip on Instagram of the vehicles arriving over the weekend, Mr Hammond said: “This is a big day for me and one I’ve been looking forward to.
“My cars are coming home today, right now, and here they come. These are cars that have been away being modified or repaired.
“Mustang dark horse, now with 868 horsepower. My old Mustang with new suspension repaired, and my tangerine dream, my Raptor, returned to me.
“I moved house recently, these cars have never lived here, and they’re home! My babies are back! I know, I’m childish, but I’m excited.”
Najar’s Place, in St Giles’ in Oxford, was given a one star rating by Oxford City Council environmental health officers following a routine visit.
Stating that ‘major improvement’ was necessary, inspectors handed the eatery a one-out-of-five food hygiene rating.
One key issue identified in the latest inspection was the management of food safety, meaning the systems in place to ensure food served is safe to eat, which were deemed to require ‘major improvement’.
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But inspectors said the cleanliness and condition of facilities and building, as well as the food handling was ‘generally satisfactory’.
This comes after the eatery was handed a one-star food hygiene rating in 2017 when it was blasted for its ‘curtain for a toilet door’ and ‘thick accumulations of dirt and food debris’.
The Lebanese and Mediterranean themed kiosk serves falafels, falafel wraps and halloumi.
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