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Oxfordshire County Council is finalising plans to establish a new access road to the station from the Tramway Estate, near Morrisons, at a cost of nearly £9m.

It will open up Station Approach – currently providing only pedestrian and cycle access on that side of the rear car park – and traffic lights will be installed to manage traffic at Hightown Road, Lamb’s Crescent, Swan Close Road and Tramway Road.

A spokesman said: “We’re proposing to improve the road layout and facilities around Banbury train station. The work aims to improve access to the train station, improve bus journey reliability from southern areas of the town and cut trips taken using the heavily-congested A4260/Bridge Street junction (onto Middleton Road).”

The Swan Close Road - Tramway Road junction which will be a traffic light controlled area to enable vehicles to get to the station easily

The work – planned for early 2024, will include extending the northern end of Tramway Road through Station Approach and the station car park via a ‘compact roundabout’.

There will be a signal-controlled pedestrian, cycle, bus and taxi only link between Tramway Road and the station forecourt to allow the potential diversion of the B3 service bus route.

Safety for pedestrians and cyclists will be improved with a new footway and cycleway from Tramway Road to the station.

A dedicated passenger drop-off/collection layby will be provided. This will also be accessed from Tramway Road to the south of the compact roundabout. There will also be new bus stops along Tramway Road and at the station forecourt.

Tramway Road where it is blocked off from Station Approach. This will become a two-way road

And there will be a new vehicle access to the station’s surface car park from Station Approach and the western station car park from the south of the town.

As well as relief of the congested Bridge Street junction, the improvements are designed to provide

an integrated bus service that stops outside the station

improved bus access from other parts of south Banbury

The footpath and cycle way which links Station Approach to Tramway Road

an increase in the appeal of travelling to the station by non-car modes of travel and

a reduction in harmful environmental and air quality impacts.

The expected cost is £8.89m. Funding will come from the Housing and Growth Deal and developer contributions.

Multi-million pound scheme for new road access to Banbury Station, relieving the Middleton Road pinch point, begins next spring