Key Oxford road closure planned to prepare for future traffic filter
A key road in Oxford will close temporarily next month to allow for a layout change and signs for the upcoming traffic filter trial.
Marston Ferry Road and Cherwell Drive will close from Monday, September 22 to Saturday, September 27, between 7.30pm and 6am.
The works include installing a new road layout including traffic signs, traffic islands and carriageway surfacing.
Oxfordshire County Council confirmed the works were in preparation for the traffic filter scheme, with Marston Ferry Road being one of the six filter locations.
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Under the traffic filter trial, motorists would face a £70 fine for driving through several roads in the city in certain times.
The trial was meant to have already started but has been delayed until after Botley Road reopens.
The county council are considering introducing a temporary £5 congestion charge on the same roads as the traffic filters, after facing pressure from the bus companies to deal with traffic.
A decision will be made on the congestion charge in mid-September.
The traffic signs that will be installed on Marston Ferry Road have not been confirmed yet, and will depend on whether the council decide to introduce the congestion charge.
The other roads that will have traffic filters installed, and possibly a congestion charging point, are Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, Thames Street, St Clements and Hollow Way.
These roads will not be closed before the decision on the congestion charge is made.
One Hollow Way and Marton Ferry Road, the filters will apply between 7am – 9am and 3pm – 6pm Monday to Saturday, and for the other roads it will apply from 7am to 7pm every day.
An Oxfordshire County Council spokesperson said: “The infrastructure is for the traffic filters trial scheme, which was approved by the council’s cabinet in 2022.
“The trial was due to start in autumn last year but has been delayed until Network Rail completes the Oxford Station works, and Botley Road is reopened.
“The temporary congestion charge proposes to use the same infrastructure, cameras and location points as the traffic filters, but nothing has been approved at this stage.
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“The temporary congestion charging scheme proposals will be reviewed by the place overview and scrutiny committee on August 27, and then presented to a county council cabinet meeting on September 10 for a decision on whether to go ahead.
“There are no plans to close the other roads as most of the infrastructure has been installed, and outstanding work requires minimum traffic management.”
Luke Marion, managing director of Oxford Bus Company (Image: Fortitude Communications) If the county council’s cabinet approves the congestion charge, it could be put in place as soon as this autumn.
The scheme has divided locals, with active travel groups and bus companies backing the charge, while a petition against the scheme has more than 13,000 signatures.
Luke Marion, managing director of the Oxford Bus Company, previously said in May that congestion was "at emergency levels" in the city and called for a Plan B to tackle the issue after the traffic filters trial was delayed by the Botley Road closure.