Oxford Traffic Jams – 250 years of history

Congestion in Oxford is nothing new - Oxford has had traffic problems for a very long time. People were complaining about it even back in 1771!

Attempts have been made to reduce traffic over the years, including the 1999 Transport Strategy which put 5 Bus Gates in the centre. But since the 2010s traffic has had a negative impact on the county’s economy and people’s freedom of movement, leading to renewed calls to reduce traffic and the 2015 Oxford Transport Strategy which proposed Traffic Filters, a Zero Emissions Zone and a Workplace Parking Levy. (Note this strategy was produced by a Conservative County Council administration!)

CoHSAT has recently posted an interesting and entertaining blog on this topic: Oxford Traffic Jams – 250 years of history, in which they attempt a timeline of Oxford traffic jams and some of the attempts to tackle them through history. It includes some intriguing old photos of Oxford which clearly show that traffic jams in Oxford are indeed nothing new.

Find out more

See CoHSAT's blog Oxford Traffic Jams – 250 years of history

For more information about the traffic filters scheme, which is the latest attempt to tackle Oxford's historic congestion problems, visit Oxfordshire Liveable Streets' traffic filters microsite. See also Oxfordshire County Council's traffic filters webpage.

See the County Council's 2015 Oxford Trasport Strategy, which includes reference to the workplace parking levy and traffic filters on page 30 onwards.