We support Oxford Centre pedestrianisation

Written by Cllr Roz Smith on Fri 23rd Jan 2009

Cllr Hudspeth, Conservative Cabinet member for Transport, asks if Liberal Democrats agree with the principle of making Oxford a more pedestrian friendly city. He seems to have forgotten that we have supported the principle - both at the first announcements of the Transform Oxford project, later at the Transport Decisions meeting which he chairs (though he is the only member) and of course most recently at the County Council meeting on Jan 13th.

Visions for improving our city centre are not new. There have been several suggestions in the past, including a new road through Christchurch meadow which was thankfully resisted and rejected!

But as so often with big ideas, the devil is in the detail. Just how will the conflicting needs of pedestrians, bicycles, buses, motorcyclists, deliveries, taxis and cars be met?

Improving the pavements is easy if costly; reducing buses problematic if it leaves people with a difficult journey; banning bicycles from roads unlikely to be welcomed by the city's very large cycling population.

We need to see much more detail before taking a position on the scheme as a whole, but the principle of improving the environment for pedestrians is unlikely to meet opposition from anyone. As we have said before, all users of the city, not only the centre, must be fully and properly consulted before any changes are introduced.

We look forward to hearing more and getting the devilish details!