County Council Travel Plan Consultation
The deadline for responding to the consultation has been extended to 13th October. This means there is a bit more time - but we still have a big favour to ask - please give us a couple of minutes to read this email if you haven't already. You can scroll to the end of this message for specific instructions.
What is going on?
Oxfordshire County Council has recently launched a major review of its travel plans for the next few years and is holding a public consultation to get feedback on its proposals. All the documents you need can be found here
Bike Safe recognises that most people do not want to spend too much time completing consultation forms or reading all the background documents - but we really do want as many of you as possible to respond to the consultation (you can scroll down to the bottom for the key points to make to the County Council).
How to respond
You do not have to complete the survey form which can be both time-consuming and a little frustrating. Instead, you can simply send an email to say what you think about the plans. The email address is centraloxontravelplan@oxfordshire.gov.uk. Bike Safe has submitted comments on behalf of the charity, but as an individual you also have the right to respond, and we would encourage you to do so.
What's the problem?
Whether you drive, use buses or cycle, there is a commonly held view that Oxford's roads can no longer cope. Congestion is an almost daily occurrence, buses are expensive and are too often unreliable. Pollution is becoming a critical health issue and cycling is considered by very many people to be too risky because of the speed and volume of traffic. Most people would agree that we cannot carry on like this, but we know from experience that changing people's travel habits and preferences is very hard. Bike Safe's view is that if the County Council is to succeed in persuading people to drive less, it must make active travel and public transport more attractive and not just rely on making car journeys more difficult or costly. There is a role for prevention and limitations but it will be important to get the balance right.
What does the Council Plan to do
The main planks of the new travel plan are
a) the introduction of a workplace parking levy within the ring road to be charged to employers providing more than 11 car parking places
b) expanding the zero emission scheme in the city centre
c) deliver bus priority measures including new bus lanes and travel filters to reduce car journeys across the city and to speed up bus reliability and frequency
d) invest in new and better active travel facilities to encourage more cycling and walking
e) open a new rail link and stations to Cowley to improve access to the east of the city
Our request to you
We encourage all our supporters to send an email to the county council at centraloxontravelplan@oxfordshire.gov.uk.
to welcome the proposals on the ground that they are comprehensive and are designed to tackle chronic problems which affect us all
to point out that OCC has a very poor track record on building a cycling network that encourages people to cycle safey and conveniently to work, to the shops or to schools. The new travel plan will not achieve its ambitious aims unless much more money is spent on building first class infrastructure
supporting Bike Safe's call for an explicit commitment to spend 10-15% of the total county transport budget on cycling and walking
questioning the speed and scale of the switch to public transport which is assumed – unless more incentives are offered
urging Oxfordshire County Council to review ticket prices and types. It is clear from expereience elsewhere that fare structures and fare levels play the most critical role in growing passenger numbers - but the current plan omits mentioning this issue. This is a big mistake.
Deadline for Comments
The consultation closes on October 13th, 2022 but we recommend you submit your comments as soon as is convenient for you.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and please do respond.
Ian Leggett
