Oxford business traffic filter warning for Botley Road delay

Following the planned reopening of the city access route at the end of August, Oxfordshire County Council‘s controversial congestion charge was set to end and make way for the new filters scheme.

Now, a further four to six-week delay could see this policy change pushed back until mid-October, and a business owners’ campaign group fears this will impact a crucial trading period.

Bernadette Evans, a spokesperson for Oxford Business Action Group (OBAG), described how the closure had left Botley Road businesses “shut off from 1000s of customers for three and a half years”.

Bernadette Evans, spokesperson for Oxford Business Action Group (Image: Supplied)

Signage near the Botley Road closure (Image: Isabella Harris/LDRS)

She explained Oxford’s businesses have fears for further impact and loss of trade with the introduction of the £70 fine filter scheme.

The restaurateur said: “Given these new delays in opening Botley Road, business owners call on the county council to postpone the introduction of the traffic filters so that shops and restaurants can benefit from the pre-Christmas trade.”

She explained that without a further delay for the filters “we’ll see them introduced at exactly the time we’d be hoping for a seasonal boost in customers”. 

Botley Road closure (Image: Isabella Harris / LDRS)

Congestion charge signs in Hythe Bridge Street (Image: Matt Simpson)

Bernadette said: “As always, small independent high street businesses are overlooked when you’d hope the council would pull out all the stops to help us during a cost-of-living crisis.”

She described Network Rail and the county council as “extremely casual” about the “loss of earnings, which has caused significant anxiety for many small independent business owners and their families” and called for accountability.

County transport boss Gareth Epps said: “As Network Rail has not released a revised opening date for Botley Road, we currently cannot say when our traffic filter trial will start and the temporary congestion charge will end.

“We will make an announcement in due course, once we can be certain about the reopening.”