Oxford temporary congestion charge among options for traffic improvement

• From autumn this year, a daily charge of £5 would allow cars without a permit to go through six charge locations on roads in Oxford until the end of the day.  
• All other vehicles would be able to go through at all times without paying the charge. 
• Cars with a permit would be able to pass the charge locations free of charge.  
• Traffic signs would mark the locations of the charging cameras.  
• The scheme would be enforced using automatic number plate recognition cameras (ANPR) positioned at the listed congestion charge locations.  

• There’s too much traffic in Oxford. 
• We want to create an attractive, thriving city with better buses, safer cycling, less congestion and cleaner air.  
• We plan to introduce six traffic filters to reduce traffic levels, but we can’t do this until after Botley Road reopens in summer 2026.  

The temporary congestion charge would only apply to cars. All other vehicles would not need to pay a charge and would not need a permit.   

Residents in the Oxford permit area would be eligible for 100 day passes, and residents in the Oxfordshire permit area for 25 day passes, allowing for free travel through the charge points. Each day pass would allow you to drive through all six charge points as many times as you like on that day. In other words, the pass would be for 100 (or 25) days, not 100 (or 25) journeys.

Permits would be available for groups including carers, traders and blue badge holders, exactly the same as for the planned traffic filters trial, allowing them to pass through designated charge points without incurring fees. New types of permit would be available for residents, their visitors and commuters in a central area where car drivers would have no option but to pass a temporary charge location.

Permits would be free and valid for 12 months unless stated otherwise.

Without a permit, car drivers could choose an alternative route or pay the daily charge.

The temporary congestion charge locations would be exactly the same as the planned traffic filters – except that cars without a permit would be able to pay a daily charge to pass through them.  

The temporary congestion charge would be payable all year round, including bank holidays.  

Income generated by the temporary congestion charge would be used to cover the cost of setting up and operating the charging points. Any money in addition to this would be used towards discounted park and ride services and improved bus services.
This could include:  

• free or discounted parking at park and ride sites  
• discounted bus and park and ride fares 
• improved bus services. 

Any surplus income may be used for other transport schemes. By law, we can only use the income for transport – it can’t be spent on anything else.  

The charge would be payable online by midnight on the day after you drive through one of the six congestion charging points. If you can’t pay online, you’d be able to pay by phone.  

We’re proposing this scheme because the ongoing closure of Botley Road means we can’t yet implement our traffic filters trial. After Botley Road reopens, expected to be August 2026, we should be able to introduce the traffic filters trial instead. The maximum time the scheme could be in place as a temporary measure would be two years.