11
May
2015
|
13:26
Europe/London

Public transport, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians benefit from London Road upgrade

London Road, Headington, has undergone a transformation with more than £2m being invested in transport upgrades and maintenance.

The road is one of Oxford’s busiest routes leading in from the east. Each day around 16,000 vehicles, including up to 900 buses and coaches, use the route. It is also a key road for residents and businesses of Headington.

Widening of the A40 has allowed a new length of bus lane to be installed on the approach to the Green Road roundabout. The A420 has been widened on both sides to accommodate a new bus stop layby.

Shared space for cyclists and pedestrians has also been provided on the south side of London Road from Green Road to Wharton Road, and the pavements have also been re-laid from the roundabout to Northfield Road on both sides.

The road has also been resurfaced from the junction with Wharton Road to the junction with Northfield Road - a distance of approximately 500 metres.

County Councillor David Nimmo Smith, Cabinet member for transport, said: “I am sure that commuters will be as pleased as I am to see that work has finished and that this major route into the city can return to normal.

“Of course by ‘normal’ we mean with a new road surface, bus lane, upgraded crossings and better road markings. The road surface in particular is something commuters have been keen to see fixed for a long time and I am pleased we have been able to do this alongside the improvement work and made the most of our time on site.

“The city and county will see a great deal of growth in the coming months and years. The London Road scheme is another crucial part of Connecting Oxfordshire - the county council’s plan to improve the transport network and keep Oxfordshire moving. Better transport is vital to creating jobs and growing the economy.

“We have now completed major improvement work creating ‘hamburger’ roundabouts on the ring road at A40 Green Road, Heyford Hill and A423 Kennington as well as this scheme on London Road.

“The Plain improvement scheme is also substantially complete meaning that another major route into the city has been improved for the long-term benefit of all road users.”