Green Group Member Motion

Oxford City Council notes the reports of research in recent years which conclude:  

·       28% of journeys in Oxford in 2015 were short car journeys by car within the city boundary, predicted to increase by 18% by 2031. A further 37% were cars driving into the city from the County, also predicted to increase by 18% by 2031

·       In 2015, holding traffic volumes steady would have required a reduction in car driving of 10% by 2031. However, if additional capacity were to be found for more pedestrians, cyclists and more reliable public transport an even more significant reduction would have been required.

·       However, by 2023 the number of licensed vehicles on UK roads will have increased by 50% since 2007.

·       In London, driving on minor urban residential streets doubled between 2009 and 2019. Since this pattern is repeated across the country it is likely that Oxford will have shared this expansion 

Council notes that: 

·       In order to maintain timetables a third more buses are being deployed in Oxford than would be necessary if traffic flowed freely.

·       Owing to virus anxiety total bus ridership is down 41% from pre-pandemic levels. If half of these former bus users are using a car instead, a further rise in car traffic within the city of 8% - 15% may have resulted.

·       The Council’s adopted Local Plan 2036 contains policies to promote the development of localised district centres. 

Council accepts that there are people for whom the use of powered vehicles is necessary in the course of their employment, and some who for reasons of disability are unable to use public transport or cycle, but believes that owing to longer term trends in traffic congestion it would make their lives easier if those for whom driving cars was not essential adopted different modes of transport. 

Council believes that this modal shift is unlikely to occur unless measures are taken to discourage car use for journeys of less than four miles and to make cycling and walking a safe and attractive option for all.

Council therefore welcomes the current and proposed trials of new Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) in the city as one strategy for achieving this aim, to complement the many existing LTNs in the city. 

Council believes that the trial of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods cannot produce the learning outcomes necessary if the schemes in East Oxford, which are an integral part of it, are not implemented as soon as possible. 

Council believes that the learning outcomes will also not be achieved unless thorough monitoring is carried out in order to determine not just traffic volumes on arterial roads but

·       where vehicle journeys on those roads started and what their destination is. 

·       what proportion of vehicle occupants have chosen not to use public transport because of anxiety about the coronavirus 

Council asks the Leader to write to the Leader of the County Council sharing these concerns and asking for the East Oxford LTN trial to proceed as swiftly as possible.

Cllr Wolff, seconded by Cllr Miles, proposed the original motion as published in the agenda and briefing note. Cllr Hayes, seconded by Cllr Hollingsworth, proposed the amendment as published in the briefing note.

Council debated the motion and amendment. On being put to the vote, the amendment was agreed.

On being put to the vote, the amended motion was then agreed.

Council resolved to adopt the following amended motion:

Following consultation on the introduction of East Oxford LTNs, this Council reaffirms the opening paragraph of a 5 October 2020 amended and agreed motion:

“This Council welcomes the public discussions which are taking place in this city about the value of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) in encouraging walking and cycling, preventing rat-running, and decreasing air pollution, while also having the positive effect of opening up residential and shopping streets for local communities, supporting local businesses and boosting community ties. This ongoing discussion is informed by successful LTNs in Waltham Forest, Groeningen in the Netherlands and Ghent in Belgium.”

This Council notes that Oxford’s congestion has long been impossible as our roads frequently came close to gridlock before the pandemic. As the city gradually unlocks, there are more people driving cars and avoiding buses, contributing to rising traffic in the city. In the short-term, the city needs people to return to pre-lockdown levels of bus use to reduce traffic levels, and in the longer-term, to implement Connecting Oxford after further development and significant consultation, to ensure that bus service providers no longer have to run a third more buses than they need to meet timetables because they spend so much time sitting in congestion.

·    Council recognises that there are citizens for whom the use of powered vehicles is necessary in the course of their employment and because of physical impairment. 

Council believes that this modal shift is unlikely to occur unless measures are taken to discourage car use and to make cycling and walking a safe and attractive option for all, and has stated this position most recently in the EV Strategy Cabinet Paper.

This Council notes that, under new leadership, the County Council has taken a new approach.

Council asks the Leader to write to the Leader of the County Council asking for the East Oxford LTN trial to proceed as swiftly as possible as part of a strategic plan and subject to the overriding need to undertake work to address issues raised at the last consultation and respond to them in the new consultation proposed by County Council officers on 22 July and then move on to complete that new consultation.

This Council reiterates its commitment on 5 October 2020 to

·         encourage local residents’ groups and elected members in their efforts to engage communities in discussion about LTNs, so that they may be designed to get the main benefits without imposing unreasonable, adverse consequences. Local people know their streets better than anyone else and must be able to shape their communities. Consultation should precede the introduction of LTNs.

·         support further studies and consultation to develop LTNs as an evidence-based and democratic approach. The benefits of transportation changes should not be conferred upon one community at the expense of any other.