Oxfordshire County Council opens consultation for works to improve access to Banbury rail station

The latest versions of plans to change the road layout around Banbury’s train station have been unveiled.
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Oxfordshire County Council has launched a consultation to gather people’s views on the plans to improve the road layout and facilities around the station. The consultation started on Tuesday this week and runs until December 14.

The county council says the aim is to improve journey times for buses, taxis, pedestrians and cyclists, along with improving connectivity between southern Banbury and Banbury town centre, and reducing congestion from the A4260/Bridge Street junction, improving air quality.

People can take part in the consultation by visiting https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/banburystationCllr Duncan Enright, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for travel and development strategy, said: “Banbury residents rightly demand better ways to get around on foot, by bike or scooter, or on buses and taxis.

“We all want to see the train station better used and improved. An improved link between Banbury’s great town centre to the railway station will provide a platform for regeneration of Oxfordshire’s largest town.

“The proposed works will make buses link better with trains, as well as improving access for pedestrians and cyclists. The Tramway Road improvements will mean better bus connectivity from the south of Banbury to the town centre and make it easier for Banbury residents to make walking, cycling, catching a bus, getting a taxi, or taking a train part of their daily routine.”

Proposals include a pedestrian, cycle, bus and taxi only connection between Bridge Street and Tramway Road via Banbury Station. Adding new bus stops at the station and an additional car passenger drop off and collection facility on Tramway Road.

The improvement work is part of the wider regeneration of Banbury and has been designed to support the Cherwell Local Plan , Banbury Vision and Masterplan SPD, Local Transport Plan, and the emerging Oxfordshire Plan 2050.

Oxfordshire County Council has opened a public consultation for views on how to improve access to Banbury station via Tramway Road (Image from Oxfordshire County Council)Oxfordshire County Council has opened a public consultation for views on how to improve access to Banbury station via Tramway Road (Image from Oxfordshire County Council)
Oxfordshire County Council has opened a public consultation for views on how to improve access to Banbury station via Tramway Road (Image from Oxfordshire County Council)
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Following this second public consultation on the revised proposals, a planning submission will be made in winter 2021. Construction is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2022.

The proposals would be a major change to roads leading to the station and the surface level car park to the west of the train lines.

Access to the car park from Station Approach would end. Vehicles heading to the car park would instead use Tramway Road.

A new roundabout would be constructed where Tramway Road meets the narrow road heading towards the station, and the road down to Banbury United’s grounds.

Car park traffic would turn right at the roundabout and a new entrance to the car park would be constructed down that road.

The narrow road linking Tramway Road to the station would be rebuilt, with a footpath, cycle lanes in both directions, and a single lane road for buses and taxis only, linking Station

Approach to the new roundabout on Tramway Road. The single lane bus/taxi road would have traffic signals at either end. While plans indicate ‘bus gate restriction signs’, there are no details of any methods to stop ordinary vehicles using the road, or fine them through the use of number plate cameras.

The online map of the plans shows the impact of the changes extend back to Tramway Road’s junction with Swan Close Road, and Bankside’s junction with Hightown Road.

On the proposal map, both these junctions would get traffic lights – presumably to deal with buses and taxis heading to and from the station, and traffic heading to the new car park entrance.