Agenda item

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Liz Leffman, has been invited to present a report on the proposed Oxford temporary congestion charging points before it is submitted to Cabinet for determination.  Lorna Baxter, Executive Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer (Deputy Chief Executive), Hannah Battye, Head of Place Shaping, and Aron Wisdom, Programme Lead – Central (Infrastructure Delivery) will attend to answer the Committee’s questions.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

The annexes to this report have also been published at https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/transport-and-travel/connecting-oxfordshire/temporary-congestion-charge

Annex 24 to the report comprises email responses where respondents to the consultation did not provide consent for publication.  It is therefore exempt from disclosure.  The information in this case is exempt in that it falls within the following prescribed category: 1. ‘information relating to a particular individual’ and since it is considered that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. 

In the event that any Member or Officer wishes to discuss the information set out in Annex 24, the Committee will be invited to resolve to exclude the public for the consideration of the annex by passing a resolution in the following terms: 

"that the public be excluded during the consideration of the report since it is likely that if they were present during that discussion there would be a disclosure of "exempt" information as described in Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972 and specified below the item in the Agenda". 

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Liz Leffman, was invited to present a report on the proposed Oxford temporary congestion charging points before it was submitted to Cabinet for determination.  Cllr Judy Roberts, Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, Martin Reeves, Chief Executive, Hannah Battye, Head of Place Shaping, and Aron Wisdom, Programme Lead – Central (Infrastructure Delivery) also attended to answer the Committee’s questions.

The Leader of the Council presented the Oxford Temporary Congestion Charge report, explaining that Botley Road closures had caused congestion and unreliable buses, which had led the City Council to request interim measures. She acknowledged a level of public opposition, emphasised the aim to support bus users, and noted exemptions would be included to reduce negative impacts.

The Committee raised a number of questions and concerns related to the proposed Oxford Temporary Congestion Charge Points, including the following:

·       Whether the Council had plans to mitigate the impact of the congestion charge on SEND students, referencing report sections that stated pupils at certain schools would face longer journey times. The Programme Lead replied that SEND pupils attending affected schools would be able to apply for permits to pass through congestion charge points, and that the equalities impact assessment would be kept under review, though this was challenged as not being a concrete mitigation. Follow-up questions raised concerns about children awaiting SEND assessment, asking how their needs would be addressed, and officers advised that they would discuss this with SEND colleagues but could not promise anything immediately.

·       Whether the Council could work with councillors on school streets and drop-off points in the north of the county to help parents who drop off children before onward journeys. The Programme Lead confirmed they would be happy to collaborate and would connect the councillor with the relevant school travel planning staff. Further discussion covered the need to accelerate school traffic reduction schemes, including working with private schools on shuttle buses and encouraging more schools to adopt school streets, with officers stating that extra staff were being brought in to expedite these programmes and that engagement with schools was already underway.

·       Concerns around the quality and frequency of bus services, particularly on Botley Road and in rural areas outside Oxford. It was noted that Botley Road bus services had declined in popularity and quality owing to the road closure, with fewer and smaller buses running, and that elderly residents were increasingly using the subsidised Botley Flyer instead of regular buses.

Officers responded that bus usage on Botley Road had dropped, but that subsidies had been provided to maintain services, and a recovery plan was in place to encourage people back onto buses once the road reopened. Regarding rural areas, officers stated that Oxfordshire had a relatively good rural bus network compared to other counties, but acknowledged gaps and the need for further improvement. They explained that, given most bus service start or end in Oxford, reducing congestion in Oxford would make rural bus routes more reliable and attractive, potentially leading to increased commercial viability and service expansion.

The Council had explored demand-responsive transport and shuttle buses in the past, but, owing to congestion, these had not been commercial. The congestion charge would support redeploying resources to improve connectivity and encourage behavioural change towards greater bus usage. Education about available services was highlighted as important for increasing uptake.

·       Whether Park and Ride sites could accommodate increased demand, and the timeline for the opening of the new Eynsham Park and Ride. The Head of Place Shaping and the Programme Lead confirmed that current sites operated at about 60% capacity on average, with sufficient space to handle expected increases, and that the new Eynsham site would not open for another two years.

There was also discussion about whether the congestion charge income would be used to make parking or bus travel free at park and ride sites. Officers clarified that the proposal was to make the bus element free, not the parking, and that users would need to show a parking ticket to access free bus travel.

Some councillors and the Member of Parliament for Oxford East had raised concerns that Oxford residents, especially those in deprived areas, might end up subsidising free travel for non-Oxford residents without seeing direct benefits themselves. Officers responded that the main benefit for city residents would be reduced congestion and pollution, and that discounted fares for deprived areas could be considered if funding allowed.

·       Concerns as to whether the congestion charge and related measures would simply shift traffic from one area to another, raising concerns about increased localised traffic and the impact on the A34 ring road, which was already heavily congested. The Programme Lead acknowledged that modelling predicted some increases in traffic on the ring road and certain routes, but argued that overall benefits, such as improved bus reliability and reduced city centre congestion, would outweigh these disbenefits. The Programme Lead explained that junction improvements had been made on the ring road to help manage increased flows, and that air quality monitoring would continue to assess impacts.

National Highways had not objected but wanted further discussions if the scheme proceeded. Officers also noted that traffic redistribution was a forecast and actual behaviour would be monitored after implementation.

·       Which hospital and school staff would be entitled to exemptions from the congestion charge, expressing concerns that the scheme could worsen staff shortages and make recruitment more difficult. The Programme Lead explained that community-based NHS staff, including carers who needed to travel between sites, would be exempt from the charge, allowing them to move more efficiently around the city. However, hospital staff who worked at a single site would not receive a full exemption but could use resident permits if eligible, and most hospital sites could be accessed without passing through a congestion charge point.

For school staff, officers stated that teachers and other staff would generally not be exempt, but the impact was expected to be minimal as most schools could be reached without crossing a charge point, and some staff could use alternative routes or public transport. Officers acknowledged the concerns but believed the overall impact of the proposal on travel to schools would be limited.

·       Members had concerns about the predicted increase in collision rates on the ring road due to displaced traffic, and asked about plans for active travel, specifically whether cycle routes could be moved away from major road carriageways to improve safety. Officers responded that modelling showed a modest rise in collisions on the ring road, but that overall citywide collision rates would decrease, especially for vulnerable road users in the city centre.

They explained that, in accordance with local policy, the Council prioritised pedestrians, cyclists, and buses in its hierarchy of road users. Officers also described ongoing work to develop off-road and greenway cycle routes, particularly around Oxford, and referenced plans to reassign bus lanes on major roads to segregated cycleways once traffic levels were reduced. This was to improve safety and to encourage active travel.

·       Alternatives to the congestion charge been considered, such as removing Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) or introducing  charges  only during peak congestion times. Members also questioned what actions would be taken if bus speeds did not improve as expected, including whether further fines or increased charges would be introduced. Officers replied that removing LTNs was not recommended, as they did not improve bus journey times on all key routes and city wide, and that the congestion charge timings were designed to align with the forthcoming traffic filter scheme for consistency and to avoid confusion. They stated that, if bus speeds did not increase sufficiently, raising the congestion charge or introducing further fines would require a new round of consultation and Cabinet approval. This would make it very unlikely to happen within the temporary scheme’s timeframe.

·       How the Council would monitor the impact of the congestion charge, specifically regarding emissions, bus speeds, congestion levels, and the uptake of active travel or other travel alternatives. The Programme Lead, and the Chief Executive, answered that a comprehensive monitoring plan had been published, which would track air quality at multiple sites, bus journey times, traffic flows, and changes in travel behaviour and active travel. They stated that data would be made publicly available, ideally monthly or – even better – as close to real-time as possible, and that new systems were being trialled to better measure footfall and spending in the city.

·       Whether the back-office computer system for the congestion charge would be reliable, expressing concerns that the existing parking permit system was inadequate and difficult for users. The Programme Lead responded that improvements were being made to the system, including resolving log-in issues, and they were confident it would be fit for purpose if the scheme was approved.

Councillors also asked how the congestion charge could be suspended in emergencies declared by the emergency services. The Programme Lead explained that, as with current practice, the police and network management team would coordinate to suspend the charge when necessary, and that communications and systems would be updated accordingly, although previous incidents had sometimes taken up to 48 hours to implement.

·       The sources of the expected income from the congestion charge and the total amount anticipated. The Programme Lead answered that the gross income was projected to be around £5 million over ten months, with a net surplus of approximately £3.2 million after accounting for administration and enforcement costs. The income would come from both congestion charge payments and penalty charge notices issued to those who did not pay.

The Committee AGREED to recommendations under the following headings:

·       That the Cabinet gives specific consideration to historic peak capacity levels data at the Park and Rides and whether there are any negative implications on plans to reduce car journeys within the city by increasing park and ride usage.

·       That the Council publishes and updates its monitoring data online as closely to real-time as possible, and no less than once a month from the commencement of the congestion charge.

·       That the Council provides congestion charge exemptions for those Oxfordshire parents with children referred for but awaiting EHCP assessments and/or results.

·       That the Council commits to dedicating a proportionate percentage of income to supporting services in deprived and rural areas.

·       That the Council invests in increased education around the flexibilities in the existing bus network.

·       That the Cabinet does not extend the IT system used for parking permits to the resident pass system and finds a more user-friendly alternative instead.

·       That the Council improves the time it takes to enable the police to suspend congestion charges in case of emergency.

·       That the Council expedites the delivery of its ‘smaller schemes’ with additional resource, particularly those which relate to schools.

The Committee AGREED to make the following observation:

·       That continuing to focus on developing greater choice of destinations and promoting the facilities of non-Oxford destinations is a positive for the City and the rest of the county.

The Committee AGREED to the following action items:

·       The Leader of the Council would to share her reply to the Member of Parliament for Oxford East, which was done during the meeting via the Scrutiny Manager.