Share your views on Banbury bus journey improvements
Residents, businesses and visitors to Banbury are being invited to share their views on improvements to bus journey time and reliability proposed for the Cherwell Street area of the town, with a consultation opening today.
Oxfordshire County Council has been awarded government funding to redesign Cherwell Street and the area between the George Street and Bridge Street junctions.
Proposed changes include bus priority measures, changing traffic lane allocations, and improving traffic signals and pedestrian crossings.
More information is available to view from today (24 February) on the county council’s digital consultation and engagement platform Let’s Talk Oxfordshire, with a survey open until 23 March.
Plans and designs can also be viewed at an information event being held on Monday 10 March, from 3pm to 7pm, at Banbury Town Hall. Members of the project team will be available to answer any questions.
Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy, said: “The Cherwell Street area of Banbury is very congested, especially at peak times. As a result, bus journeys are often delayed. We are proposing a set of improvements to make bus journeys into and out of central Banbury more reliable and so more attractive.
“Pedestrians and cyclists are also put at risk by sub-standard crossings and the number of vehicles travelling through this area. The proposed changes aim to improve safety for those who walk, cycle or wheel through central Banbury.
“This consultation is an opportunity for those who travel through this area to feedback on the improvements and help us to decide on their final design.”
In addition to the benefits to bus services, the proposed improvements also aim to enhance safety for people walking, cycling, and wheeling to bus stops, the town centre, and Banbury Rail Station.
The council ran a consultation in spring 2024 to collect feedback on an early design that was put together with input from county, district and town councillors and Stagecoach Bus. Responses to that consultation have helped shape the proposals that are now being presented.
Feedback from this second consultation will be considered alongside traffic modelling data and county council policies and priorities when deciding on the final design ready for construction.
The Cherwell Street proposals complement work being done to improve access to Banbury Rail Station and are also part of long-term plans to improve sustainable transport options in the town.
More information
The county council was awarded funding by the Department for Transport’s Bus Service Improvement Plan to focus on improving the current George Street bus lane, access for buses into Bridge Street (west) and the crossing facilities and signalling at the Bridge Street junction.
Details of the full range of improvements and work completed to date is available on the county council website: oxfordshire.gov.uk/cherwellstreetbus
Plans, maps and a survey are available on the county council digital engagement and consultation platform: letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cherwell-street-banbury. The survey closes at 23:59 on Sunday 23 March.
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