Travel advice for shoppers visiting Oxford

The new Westgate Centre will open on 24 October.

Councils, transport operators and Westgate have been working closely on a coordinating travel plans aimed at making it as easy as possible to visit the Westgate and minimising journey times into the heart of Oxford.

Look out for the park and ride signs as you get near the city

The best way to travel into the city centre to enjoy your day is to use the park and rides or public transport wherever possible. New variable message signs have been installed on the outskirts of Oxfordshire to update people on space availability on the park and ride sites nearby and to direct them there.

There are also temporary signs within the ring road which give directions, for those who have chosen not to use the park and rides, to city centre and Westgate.

There’s more information on travelling to the Westgate at: https://westgateoxford.co.uk/your-visit/getting-here

County Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet member for transport, said: “Transport focussed work has been ongoing for a long time and there’s lots of things that have been done to help make the journey into the city as easy as possible.

“Of course the best advice for most people will be to use the park and rides or public transport wherever possible. Both of the bus companies have put considerable efforts into their services so that passengers old and new have a top class journey.

“I would also urge anyone visiting Oxford for the new shopping centre to also take a look around the rest of the city as it is home to some excellent local and national traders and, of course, you can’t beat the city for heritage and history.”

Roads clear of roadworks

Work on the road over Folly Bridge has now been completed. A roadworks embargo has now been put in place which will prevent any non-emergency roadworks on strategic routes in and around the city until the new year.

The Highways Agency do not plan to have any work on the A34 through the area. There will be suspension of parking on Abingdon Road during the day for the first six days to allow for smoother bus journey on this important corridor.

Information on Oxford’s Park and Rides

· There are a total of 4930 park and ride spaces across five sites.

· All the sites are listed here: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/content/park-and-ride-locations

· Oxford Bus run regular services from each site to and from the city centre

· Oxford Bus and Stagecoach have invested in their services in advance of the Westgate opening. More information on the services to use can be found here

· There will be a new family ticket priced at £6.80 incorporating parking and bus travel – this will be available from new machines on each site

· There will be totem signs at each of the five park and rides – with colour coded bus stop signs in the city centre