By Mark Beer, County Candidate for Summertown and Walton Manor
As much as I love Oxford, you’ll forgive me for saying that my ideal morning is not spent gazing down Cowley Road – particularly not in agonising traffic for 40 minutes.
We all live busy lives, with routines we need to stick to. Children must get to school on time, parents must reach their desks for that first call. We should not have to suffer the additional tedium of planning around morning traffic, which now has reached indignant levels in our local community.
The County Council, however, seems unbothered by the current situation. Its excessive pursuit of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) remains the primary source of this silent scourge on our daily lives. And the plan is to roll them across the City if the current Labour/LibDem/Green cabal can grasp on to power on May 1st.
On paper, LTNs were sold as a net positive. Reduced traffic flow and pollution (both noise and emissions), enhanced safety for cyclists and pedestrians and, of course, greater resources for the Council through large fines.
Of course, such a utopian vision was no more of an hallucination.
The facts remain that:
- Our public transport is ill equipped to cope with current levels of demand catalysed by LTNs.
- The arteries of our city are more congested than ever due to endless one-way systems in the name of LTNs. This has seen other councils including several across London cancel numerous LTNs.
- Businesses are suffering and, in some cases, have been forced to close down altogether as people are deterred by some of the highest congestion levels in the country.
- Costly schemes designed to reduce congestion such as the £51m Eynsham Park and Ride remain unused and ill thought out.
- County Council waste remains at an all-time high, with our taxes increasing as a result of mismanagement.
- How much money has been spent on these initiatives, without effective consultation and proper monitoring for impact? This is without mentioning those impacted by disabilities and other mobility issues who rely on their own means of transportation.
A 2023 Oxfordshire Education Commission report found that LTNs are ‘fuelling recruitment and retention issues’ in the education sector.
One year ago, the government published a review which found that LTNs add ‘precious seconds and minutes’ to response times by emergency services due to physical road barriers. Imagine if your loved one was waiting for an ambulance. Seconds and minutes really can be the difference between life and death.
Enough is enough.
LTNs should be part of a broader transport strategy. One that fully considers the impact on surrounding areas at all levels. This involves coordinating with neighbouring councils to mitigate potential negative effects, ensuring a cohesive approach to traffic management.
It is essential that a future Oxfordshire County Council aligns its efforts with the needs of the community. I intend to be at the heart of these efforts should you vote for me on May 1st.
The next time I find myself on Cowley Road, I hope to be enjoying a coffee at Café Coco, ideally not staring at traffic (or stuck in it!).
Read more of Mark’s views on his campaign website: www.beerforoxfordshire.org