Oxford traffic filters replace £5 congestion charge as trial begins

Oxfordshire County Council says its six traffic filters will replace Oxford’s temporary congestion charge on Monday, 28 September. For car drivers, the key change is that the £5 option to pass through a filter during its operating hours ends. A valid permit is required for a car to cross at those times, making the permit rules and the choice of route more important for regular journeys across the city.

The filters use the same six locations as the temporary charge. The council says cars with valid permits and other vehicle types can pass through them at any time. Its published scheme information sets out different hours for the six roads, so a route that crosses more than one filter may be affected at different times of day.

Where and when the filters operate

Four filters operate every day, including weekends, from 7am to 7pm: Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, St Clement’s Street and Thames Street. The other two, on Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way, operate Monday to Saturday from 7am to 9am and again from 3pm to 6pm. The council’s consultation page provides a map of the locations and permit areas, alongside the operating hours.

The restrictions apply to cars and motorhomes classed as M1 vehicles. Electric cars are included. Vans, lorries, buses, coaches and motorcycles can pass without a traffic-filter permit. Drivers unsure how their vehicle is classified can use the vehicle information linked from the council’s traffic-filter guidance; the restriction depends on vehicle classification, not simply whether a vehicle is electric.

Permits, warnings and fines

Most permits issued for the temporary congestion charge will transfer automatically, according to the council. There is an exception for the former central permit area. Resident permits for that area transfer to Oxford-area permits with 100 day passes, but central-area visitor and workplace-parking permits, along with certain organisation permits, expire when the charge ends. Holders of those permits need to check whether they qualify for another permit type before using a filter.

The council says signs appear 80 yards before a filter, allowing a driver to change route. During the first six months of the trial, the first crossing without a valid permit will draw a warning notice rather than a fine. For a crossing that is fined, the published penalty is £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days and increased to £105 if it remains unpaid after 28 days. The warning policy does not make subsequent unpermitted crossings free.

What Botley Road’s reopening changes

The Oxford Post reported that Botley Road reopened to traffic on 20 September after being closed since April 2023. With that road open, the council says every part of Oxford remains reachable by car without crossing a traffic filter, although some trips may require a different route. That is the council’s account of route access; the actual effects of the new restrictions on journey times and traffic have yet to be measured.

The Oxford Post also reported that buses resumed using Botley Road and that the rebuilt rail bridge provides 4.4 metres of vehicle clearance. Its 21 September report said Thames Water pipe repairs near Osney Bridge were continuing with overnight lane management. The Oxford Post’s report did not establish when that work would finish. Drivers planning to avoid a filter by using Botley Road should therefore check current road conditions as well as the filter map.

A trial with consultation and monitoring

The council is introducing the filters under an experimental traffic regulation order, which can remain in force for up to 18 months. A six-month consultation is scheduled to open on 28 September, inviting residents, organisations and businesses to describe their experience. The council says it will use those responses and its monitoring to decide whether and how the filters should continue.

Councillor Gareth Epps, the council’s cabinet member for transport management, said the temporary charge had shown ‘encouraging signs’ of greater park-and-ride use and bus patronage. The council’s 25 September notice did not provide figures for those changes. Its stated aim for the filter trial is to reduce through-traffic and congestion, but the trial’s effects on bus journeys, businesses and roads such as Botley Road remain open questions.

The council says it will collect data on traffic levels and bus journey times and publish monitoring data monthly. It estimates the project cost at £6.56 million and says the government funds the trial. As of the council’s pre-start notice, the filters and consultation were scheduled to begin on 28 September; that notice did not establish that enforcement had already started or that the consultation survey was live.