New petition launched into opening Oxfords LTNs
It's been sent exclusively to plumbers, carers, decorators and other mobile traders in the city
Last updated 5th Feb 2025
Frustrated businesses are demanding Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) in Oxford are opened during major roadworks or emergencies to help tackle congestion woes.
Oxfordshire County Council’s existing policy means LTNs can be opened if requested by the emergency services during severe flooding when communities are cut off from major roads.
A new petition has been launched calling for the LTNs to open which has been sent exclusively to plumbers, carers, decorators and other mobile traders in the city, and will be presented to the county council at their meeting next Tuesday (February 11).
Jenny Wells, a mobile hairdresser who set up the petition, said: “Our working lives are seriously disrupted on a daily basis since the introduction of the LTNs.
“We need our vehicles to do our jobs. We spend far more time in traffic navigating the LTNs trying to reach our customers.
“We use more fuel adding to local pollution, we have longer working hours, and we are stressed and fed up.
“I feel it is essential the LTNs are opened up when there are roadworks or a major incident.”
She added this would need to be implemented “quickly and efficiently” in the case of an accident, or planned in advance for when any major roadworks were due to take place.
Dean Inseal, who owns a decorating business, said he often turns down jobs in the Cowley and Headington area because it is quicker to travel to villages outside the city.
He added: “As a local tradesman living in an LTN area I can spend in the region of six to seven hours a week idling in traffic on the Cowley Road and St Clements, polluting my own neighbourhood and making it impossible to commit to timescales.
“Someone has to pay for that cost, my customers. “
Teresa Fieldwick, a carer, said: “The increased travel time and restricted routes mean I spend less time with those who need me and more time navigating diversions.
“It’s frustrating because our role is about providing care, not fighting through traffic.”
The petition has nearly 300 signatures, and has been distributed in physical copies.
When requested for comment, a spokesman for Oxfordshire County Council said: “LTNs are intended to make residential streets safer, quieter and more comfortable for walking, cycling and wheeling.
“Any temporary change to LTNs is at the discretion of Oxfordshire County Council’s Network Management team.
“It is the county council’s policy to open up LTNs if requested by a ‘blue light’ service, if there is a road closure which will cut a community off from the wider road network such as flooding; or if there is special planned event with suitable legal order in place.”
LTNs were made permanent in Cowley and East Oxford after an 18-month trial with the intention of preventing vehicles from taking shortcuts through residential areas and making the area quieter and safer for locals.