Proposed Tramway station drop-off points criticised for being no improvement
07/11/2025
“Oxfordshire County Council have spoiled the job for a ha’porth of tar”
Plans to create short-stay / drop-off parking bays on Tramway for people heading to Banbury Train station have been criticised for being no improvement over the arrangement prior to the area’s multi-million-pound upgrade.
Oxfordshire County Council want to introduce three bays on the road, with a 30-minute parking restriction and no option to return within 1 hour.
They had originally intended to include a passenger drop-off layby close to the station but say “due to a reduction in land availability this could not be accommodated”.
The latest proposal for those being dropped off by car from the southern side of town is in a similar location to where people were dropped on Tramway ahead of the project to improve access.
Local Councillor Keiron Mallon isn’t impressed. He said: “Oxfordshire County Council have spoiled the job for a ha’porth of tar.
“When I started this scheme off some six years ago it was to allow pedestrians to drop off and pick up at the southern entrance – and they can’t.
“Elderly people, disabled people, mums with prams have got to drop off back at Tramway, where they’ve always done, and trudge all the way through the wind, the rain, the snow, the inclement weather to get to the railway station.
“I’ve pleaded with [Oxfordshire County Council], I’ve pleaded with Chiltern Railway (who own some of the land there) to have a proper circuitry movement to drop off and pick up where people want to be dropped off and picked up.
“This will lead to traffic chaos.”
In a report County Council officers say: “By improving access to Banbury station and the town centre, especially from the south of the town and for those using public transport and active travel options, the proposals should reduce traffic and waiting times on Cherwell Street.”
But whilst local bus operator Stagecoach didn’t respond to a consultation on the proposal, the Oxford Bus company did express concerns that the bays would constrict Tramway Road and the small number available could lead to significant congestion, with other drivers parking where they could.
They wrote: “it is regrettable that a dedicated pick-up/set-down area has fallen out of the main scheme.
“This response seems likely to lead to the introduction of a situation where with just 3 such spaces available, it excites demands for pick-up and set down that simply lead to the existing and future extent of [double yellow lines] being abused, with a much greater length of the highway on both sides populated by cars picking up and setting down illegally, creating significant congestion at busy times and entirely undermining the stated principal purpose of the project.
“The 30 min restriction is, frankly, completely unenforceable, as the Council should well recognise.”
Councillor Mallon believes there is a simple solution to the problem, just by moving a proposed Chiltern Railways bin store. He said: “You don’t need the brains of an Archbishop to just walk around there and see cars could drive down Station Approach from Tramway, drop off and pick up. They could the go into the car park and exit where the new roundabout is in a circulatory movement.
“This would be safe for everybody and mean Chiltern Railways passengers won’t be not sitting on the train to Birmingham, to Oxford, to London, soaking wet from having to walk 1000 yards from Tramway.
“You only need to walk the route, but Oxfordshire County Council have completely missed the point. ‘Cycling good, buses good … pedestrians, elderly, disabled, people with luggage … oh well, it’s tough, isn’t it’”.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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Roger+England On 07/11/2025 at 5:01 pm
anything to do with occ and councillor gunt is bound to ignore anyone or anything that is not a bus or a push bike is bound to be ignored