Oxford Botley Road Closure A Disaster Says City Council Leader

The main road near the train bridge closed in April 2023. This is part of a big project to improve Oxford station. It costs £161 million and Network Rail runs it.

They said the road would reopen by October 2024. But, they later admitted the project fell behind. The rail minister then visited Oxford last month. He said the road won’t open until August 2026.

Susan Brown is the city council leader and she thinks the station upgrades are vital. It will help Oxford’s and the UK’s economies. However, she also calls the road closure a “disaster.”

Brown wants county leaders to act now, asking them to fix traffic and speed up buses. She shared a recent video near the station, querying how residents can sit in traffic for so long.

Andrew Gant manages transport for the county. He says they are already taking action and that Brown did not ask what they are doing, which he finds disappointing.

Gant says they have been working hard with others, looking at the impact of the road delay. He also mentioned new electric buses help as these buses reduce traffic.

Gant welcomes Brown’s pledge to help buses and traffic. He wants her to explain why city and county groups disagree, thinking voters deserve better than such divided efforts.

Julian Le Vay is a local activist. Residents told him about problems caused by the road closure, and he wrote down their stories in a document. He titled it “Network Hell.”