'It's bonkers': Banbury councillor fears changes to bus route could put shoppers in danger
A Banbury councillor says changes to the B3 bus route could put shoppers in danger and lead to congestion in Banbury town centre.
Earlier this month, Stagecoach announced it would be redirecting the B3 bus so that it stops close to Banbury railway station.
This means that instead of travelling past the Morrisons store on Swan Close Road, the service will now go up the recently opened Tramway Road towards the station.
Passengers who use the B3 service to get to and from Morrisons will now need to alight at a stop around 300 metres away on Hightown Road.
Currently, passengers are able to wait for the bus in a covered stop near a dedicated bus lane directly outside the supermarket.
Councillor for Banbury Easington, Kieron Mallon, believes the changes - which come into place on Sunday, January 4 - are a setback for bus passengers.
He said: “The new bus stop will be dangerous and inconvenient for shoppers and dangerous for pedestrians and road users.
“The B3 currently drops off and picks up at Morrisons, where there is a trolley park and shelter, which means shoppers who want to use public transport or do not own a car can shop in relative comfort and not have to carry heavy shopping for long distances.
“Now they will have to carry heavy bags hundreds of yards in the rain and cross the road where four roads meet at the most congested part of this busy multi-junction.”
The councillor also believes stopping buses on the often busy Hightown Road will result in a build-up of traffic and congestion in the town centre.
He said: “This short piece of road, where Swan Close merges into Hightown Road next to Tramway, Bankside and the double junction of Lambs Crescent, is a natural bottleneck with the traffic merging from all directions. This means that every half hour this internal arterial road will grind to a halt to pick up passengers.
“It’s as if the people designing the new route and stop did it on a computer and never visited the site or evaluated the safety of potential passengers and the knock-on effect of congestion, which will mean traffic from the town centre and tramway will not be able to move or overtake the bus. It’s bonkers!”
In response, Stagecoach West say the changes should improve bus times and traffic flow around the town.
James Heaney Regalado, head of commercial at Stagecoach West, said: “We apologise for any inconvenience the change in route may cause to Morrisons shoppers; however, the changes to the B3 route mean buses are now able to use the new bus lane, allowing the service to run via Banbury railway station and deliver a quicker and more reliable journey for customers overall. The change in route also allows us to better serve Banbury hospitals.
“While we’re no longer able to serve the Morrisons bus stop directly, there is an alternative stop around 300 metres away.
“The bus lane has been funded by the Housing and Growth Deal with the support of Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council to improve traffic flow and public transport access, and we are keeping the new stopping arrangements under review as passengers get used to the change.”
For see the new B3 timetable, visit: https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/Oxford_Timetables/temp/2026/B3_Temp.pdf