Traffic filters 2022

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Consultation has concluded

Six traffic filters – designed to reduce traffic, make bus journeys faster and make walking and cycling safer – will be trialled in Oxford after improvement works to Oxford railway station are complete.

The decision was made by the county council’s cabinet on 29 November 2022.

The decision follows extensive engagement with more than a hundred local businesses, organisations and community groups, including bus companies, hospitals, schools and universities.

You said:

The traffic filters scheme was consulted on between 5 September and 13 October 2022.

5700 people responded to the consultation survey and another 485 emails were received my members of the public and businesses, schools and other organisations.

The responses have been analysed by an independent research company: consultation report(External link). The feedback received has resulted in a number of updates to the scheme.

We did:

Based on the feedback received during consultation, key changes to the scheme have been made.

  • Traffic filters on Hollow Way and Marston Ferry Road initially operating at peak times only from 7am until 9am and from 3pm until 6pm Monday to Saturday. This is to confirm whether part-time filters at these locations achieve the aims of the scheme. The times of operation will be extended to 7am to 7pm only if considered necessary after monitoring.
  • Residents based in the Shotover Hill area and residential areas immediately adjacent to Barton will now be included in the Oxford permit area. They will be eligible for day passes to drive through the filters for up to 100 days per year.
  • Expanding the resident day passes scheme to include 25 day passes per vehicle per year for residents of Oxfordshire outside the Oxford permit area (with a maximum of one vehicle per person and two vehicles per household) to pass through the filters. Residents in the Oxford permit area, who are most affected by the scheme, would still receive a maximum of 100 day passes per vehicle (with a maximum of one vehicle per person and three vehicles per household).
  • Short-term exemptions for patients receiving frequent hospital treatments to drive through one traffic filter of their choosing and for people with temporary mobility problems (for all filters).
  • Expanding the permit eligibility criteria for non-professional carers to include anyone with informal caring responsibilities, but restricting the exemption to one traffic filter of the applicant’s choosing.
  • Allowing cars operating as part of a qualifying car club to be exempt from driving through the traffic filters

Next steps

The traffic filters trial will begin after improvement works to Oxford railway station are complete. This will enable an effective and representative trial to take place. The station improvement works require Botley Road to close completely to motorised traffic from 9 January 2023, with the road expected to reopen before Christmas 2023.

The traffic filters will be implemented using an experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO) for a minimum period of six months. During the trial, the county council will assess the impact of the traffic filters by monitoring traffic levels, bus journey times and air quality as well as review any impacts on individuals and those with protected characteristics. A further public consultation will run during the first six months of the trial. A long-term decision about the traffic filters will be made towards the end of the trial based on monitoring data collected and feedback from consultation.

More information from the initial consultation can be found here.

Six traffic filters – designed to reduce traffic, make bus journeys faster and make walking and cycling safer – will be trialled in Oxford after improvement works to Oxford railway station are complete.

The decision was made by the county council’s cabinet on 29 November 2022.

The decision follows extensive engagement with more than a hundred local businesses, organisations and community groups, including bus companies, hospitals, schools and universities.

You said:

The traffic filters scheme was consulted on between 5 September and 13 October 2022.

5700 people responded to the consultation survey and another 485 emails were received my members of the public and businesses, schools and other organisations.

The responses have been analysed by an independent research company: consultation report(External link). The feedback received has resulted in a number of updates to the scheme.

We did:

Based on the feedback received during consultation, key changes to the scheme have been made.

  • Traffic filters on Hollow Way and Marston Ferry Road initially operating at peak times only from 7am until 9am and from 3pm until 6pm Monday to Saturday. This is to confirm whether part-time filters at these locations achieve the aims of the scheme. The times of operation will be extended to 7am to 7pm only if considered necessary after monitoring.
  • Residents based in the Shotover Hill area and residential areas immediately adjacent to Barton will now be included in the Oxford permit area. They will be eligible for day passes to drive through the filters for up to 100 days per year.
  • Expanding the resident day passes scheme to include 25 day passes per vehicle per year for residents of Oxfordshire outside the Oxford permit area (with a maximum of one vehicle per person and two vehicles per household) to pass through the filters. Residents in the Oxford permit area, who are most affected by the scheme, would still receive a maximum of 100 day passes per vehicle (with a maximum of one vehicle per person and three vehicles per household).
  • Short-term exemptions for patients receiving frequent hospital treatments to drive through one traffic filter of their choosing and for people with temporary mobility problems (for all filters).
  • Expanding the permit eligibility criteria for non-professional carers to include anyone with informal caring responsibilities, but restricting the exemption to one traffic filter of the applicant’s choosing.
  • Allowing cars operating as part of a qualifying car club to be exempt from driving through the traffic filters

Next steps

The traffic filters trial will begin after improvement works to Oxford railway station are complete. This will enable an effective and representative trial to take place. The station improvement works require Botley Road to close completely to motorised traffic from 9 January 2023, with the road expected to reopen before Christmas 2023.

The traffic filters will be implemented using an experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO) for a minimum period of six months. During the trial, the county council will assess the impact of the traffic filters by monitoring traffic levels, bus journey times and air quality as well as review any impacts on individuals and those with protected characteristics. A further public consultation will run during the first six months of the trial. A long-term decision about the traffic filters will be made towards the end of the trial based on monitoring data collected and feedback from consultation.

More information from the initial consultation can be found here.