Oxfordshire County Council has signed off a controversial new scheme that will see drivers charged for passing through six key spots in Oxford.
From November 10, cameras, warning signs, and back-office systems will be up and running, meaning anyone driving through the zones will have to pay up.
The council expects to pull in £3.2 million, which it says will go back into transport upgrades.
The toll applies at Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, St Clement’s Street, Thames Street, Marston Ferry Road, and Hollow Way.
There are a few exceptions. Carers, traders, blue badge holders, and people living or commuting in central Oxford can apply for permits to skip the charge.
The council insists it’s only a temporary fix. With Botley Road closed until 2026, they say the measure is needed to cut traffic jams until a bigger traffic filter project is ready.
Councillor Andrew Gant, in charge of transport, admitted: “This policy doesn’t cure everything but it does deliver very significant benefits.”
Not everyone’s buying it. Critics are calling it a tax on working people that could hammer local shops before Christmas. Paul Major, one of the opponents, said the council is ignoring evidence and feedback: “This is simply not acceptable.”
Local businesses worry customers will ditch the city centre and head to retail parks instead.
Supporters, though, see it as a step towards a greener Oxford. Oxford Bus Company boss Luke Marion said, “It will deliver... faster journeys and it will free up all the resource we've got that's currently standing still out in traffic jams out there.That resource will be reinvested into the network, into additional journeys, new links in some cases and also extra frequency on existing routes.”
Cycling charity Cyclox added: “The charge is a modest form of compensation for the harms that driving imposes on others.”
