New shuttle buses to serve Donnington Bridge Road
A new shuttle service will be provided for people affected by the re-routing of buses due to the weight restriction on Donnington Bridge Road in Oxford.
Oxfordshire County Council will use its own minibus fleet to provide the off-peak shuttle service – the 46A – from Mondays to Fridays, starting on Monday 14 October.
This will comprise four return journeys between Cowley Centre, Florence Park, Donnington Bridge and Speedwell Street in Oxford city centre to provide some connectivity for essential travel between 10.30am and 2.30pm.
Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said: “The absence of buses on Donnington Bridge Road for essential safety reasons has been a huge inconvenience for people in this area who rely on public transport, especially those who find it difficult to walk longer distances to use alternative bus services.
“Our officers have worked hard to try to alleviate some of the problems and we’re delighted to be able to unveil this shuttle service to connect passengers with the places they need to be.
“By using the council’s own vehicles when they are not in use elsewhere, we are able to reduce the costs involved, improving value for money.”
The 7.5 tonne weight limit was imposed by the county council on Donnington Bridge in August after ongoing monitoring revealed that the condition of materials in the structure required further assessment.
As a result, it was no longer possible for three bus routes – the 46, BB1A and ST1 – to operate via Weirs Lane and Donnington Bridge Road.
This lack of bus services between Iffley Road and Abingdon Road meant that direct connections to shops at Cowley Centre and medical and leisure facilities on Abingdon Road have been broken. To improve this situation, the shuttle journeys will be timed to connect to service 46 journeys at Cowley Centre.
The council’s fleet of minibuses provide transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and adult day centres but are available on weekdays between 10am and 2pm to provide this shuttle service. Timetables will be available from the usual online journey planners and at bus stops in due course.
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