HELP END ROAD CLOSURES IN OXFORD

The Oxford LTN Smart Changes, Reconnecting Oxford, One Headington & Anti-LTN Uncensored Oxford community groups have united to campaign for a better and fairer solution to traffic and travel in the Oxford area.

Despite the Cowley LTN being democratically rejected by residents and businesses in the recent consultations, with council data confirming that congestion and pollution had increased, Oxfordshire County Council wants to make these LTN road closures “permanent”. If this happens, the temporary bollards may be replaced by “hard” paving barriers and CCTV camera enforcement.

The County council also installed the East Oxford LTN against the wishes of residents and businesses. Do you trust the council not to make these LTNs permanent too, once the so-called “trial” ends? We don’t.

The LTN road closures cause harm every day of every week by:

- increasing congestion & pollution by displacing traffic and pollution onto residents and schools in neighbouring streets

- wrecking bus, special needs transport, taxi & postal services due to the traffic jams and gridlock generated from the LTN traffic displacement

- discriminating against disabled, elderly, vulnerable and mobility-impaired residents

- delaying health workers, midwives, community nurses and carers

- stopping emergency vehicles getting through

- threatening the livelihood of local shops and businesses and the future of sports clubs and other community groups

- making working parents’ lives more challenging and increasing fuel costs for all, particularly those with young children

Worse, the Council plans to install even more roadblocks or 'traffic filters' on Oxford’s main roads in 2023, including on Hollow Way, St Clements, St Cross Street, Marston Ferry Road, Hythe Bridge Street, and Thames Street / Oxpens Road. They are determined to ruin the lives of anyone who needs to drive and make essential journeys by car or van in Oxford.

These unworkable plans are essentially mass road closures. Along with LTNs, they will cut off, divide & segregate our city. It will force thousands of residents to make long diversions in & out of the already heavily congested A34/A40 bypass & ring road to travel between the segregated ‘zones’ – resulting in longer journeys, more delays and more pollution.

Oxford traders have warned the 'filters' will be hugely damaging to businesses and jobs. Out of-town-workers, customers and tourists will not be allowed to drive through the barriers - making the whole city inaccessible for many.

Please contribute to our fighting fund to produce more campaign leaflets and posters, and pay for legal and related advice ahead of mounting a LEGAL CHALLENGE against the Council’s mass road closure programme. WE NEED YOUR URGENT HELP.

We estimate that we need to raise at least £30,000 – please dig deep and donate as much as you can. If every household against LTNs in Cowley and Littlemore or some of the thousands that signed anti-LTN petitions donated just £10, we’d be very close to smashing our target – and think of the savings in fuel and time you’d make daily if we can get the LTN barriers removed!

Please help our community fight back against the injustice and unfairness of these harmful and irrational road closures.

A committee of community group leads will decide how funds will be spent, and we will provide updates to everyone who has donated on how the money is being spent. Please contact us at the link below for any further information and sign up to our mailing list at https://reconnectingoxford.weebly.com/contact-us.html