Oxfordshire County Council has postponed announcing a new start date for Oxford’s long-awaited traffic filter trial, saying it will only proceed once there is “absolute certainty” that Botley Road has reopened as planned.
The update follows confirmation from Network Rail that Botley Road will reopen to traffic on Sunday 20 September, bringing an end to more than three years of disruption caused by the Oxford Station redevelopment project.
Read more: New date confirmed for Botley Road reopening after further delays
The traffic filters, first approved in 2022, were originally expected to launch after the road reopened but have been repeatedly delayed as work on Botley Road slipped behind schedule. Most recently, the trial had been due to begin on 14 September, replacing Oxford’s temporary congestion charge, before the latest postponement.
Read more: End date confirmed for Oxford congestion charge ahead of traffic filters introduction
Cabinet Member for Transport Management Gareth Epps welcomed confirmation of the reopening date but said the council would not commit to a revised timetable until there was confidence that no further delays would occur.
He said residents and businesses had endured the closure for far too long and that the authority would announce a new start date for the traffic filter trial at the earliest opportunity once there was “absolute certainty”.
The latest delay to the railway project followed the discovery of gas leaks beneath Botley Road during excavation work.
Read more: Botley Road reopening delayed again after gas leaks discovered during drainage works
Network Rail said it had agreed to accommodate essential works by Southern Gas Networks to replace part of the underground gas network while the remaining construction work was completed, helping to avoid further unplanned disruption in the future.
What happens to the congestion charge?
The existing temporary congestion charge will now remain in place until a revised traffic filter start date is confirmed.
The council has not said when the charge will end, only that further details will be announced after Botley Road has successfully reopened.
How the traffic filter trial will work
Although a new launch date has not yet been announced, the council has confirmed that the planned 18-month trial will operate in much the same way as the existing congestion charge.
Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras will enforce restrictions at six locations across the city:
- Hythe Bridge Street
- St Cross Road
- St Clement’s Street
- Thames Street
- Marston Ferry Road
- Hollow Way
The city centre filters will operate daily between 7.00am and 7.00pm, while the Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way filters will operate Monday to Saturday from 7.00am to 9.00am and 3.00pm to 6.00pm.
Unlike the current congestion charge, motorists will no longer be able to purchase a £5 day permit.
Drivers travelling through a filter during restricted hours without an exemption or valid permit will receive a £70 penalty charge notice, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days. Unpaid fines can increase and ultimately be pursued through the courts.
During the first six months of the trial, motorists who unintentionally pass through a filter without permission will receive a warning letter for their first offence before penalties are issued for subsequent breaches.
Existing free day permits available to eligible Oxford and Oxfordshire residents are expected to transfer automatically, allowing access to the filter zones for either 100 days or 25 days each year, depending on where they live.
With Botley Road now scheduled to reopen on 20 September, attention will turn to when Oxfordshire County Council is prepared to set a new start date for one of Oxford’s most debated transport schemes.
Reporting contribution by Isabella Harris, Local Democracy Reporter (LDR) for Oxfordshire, covering local politics, council meetings and planning decisions across six councils in the county.
