Temporary congestion charge data – May 2026
Information related to the temporary congestion charge
On this page
The data below is for a single month. No firm conclusions can be drawn from such a short monitoring period. Travel patterns and external factors will continue to change so the figures should be treated with caution.
About our data
Our data comes from numerous different sources. Most data are updated monthly. Although data has been checked for errors, it is being published immediately after collection so minor discrepancies may remain.
The transport, footfall and park and ride data compares May 2026 with May 2025 where data is available in both years. The congestion charge is not the only factor that will have caused changes, and in some cases it may not even be the main factor.
Traffic flows and journey times
| Location | Percentage change |
|---|---|
| Inner | |
| Kingston Road south of Leckford Road | No data for May 2025 |
| Woodstock Road south of Leckford Road | No data for May 2025 |
| Banbury Road north of Norham Road | -4% |
| Magdalen Bridge | -11% |
| Folly Bridge | -13% |
| Outer | |
| Woodstock Road south of Blandford Avenue | No data for May 2025 |
| Marsh Lane north of Horseman Close | 5% |
| London Road east of Lyndworth Close | 4% |
| Garsington Road south-east of John Smith Drive | 12% |
| Rose Hill south of Newman Road | 0% |
| Botley Road west of Seacourt park and ride | 3% |
| Blackbird Leys Road north-west of Sandy Lane West | 0% |
| Banbury Road north of Davenant Road | -3% |
| Horspath Driftway | No data for May 2025 |
| Abingdon Road south of Weirs Lane | -7% |
| Ring road | |
| A423 southern bypass between Kennington roundabout and Heyford Hill interchange | No data for May 2025 |
| A4142 eastern bypass, east of Heyford Hill roundabout | 1% |
| A4142 eastern bypass, between Horspath Driftway and Headington roundabout | 3% |
| A40 northern bypass, south-east of River Cherwell | 6% |
| A34 Hinksey Hill interchange, southbound offslip | No data for May 2025 and May 2026 |
| A34 Botley interchange, southbound offslip | No data for May 2026 |
| A34 Botley interchange southbound, south of southbound offslip | No data for May 2026 |
| A34 Peartree interchange, northbound offslip | 5% |
| Other sites | |
| Hollow Way | -19% |
| Marston Ferry Road | -22% |
| Thames Street | -19% |
| Woodstock Road south of South Parade | -2% |
| Banbury Road south of Marston Ferry Road | -9% |
| Cowley Road | -4% |
| Hythe Bridge Street | -29% |
| Headley Way | -5% |
| St Clements | -18% |
| Iffley Road | -5% |
Data source: Automatic traffic counters & VivaCity multi-modal sensors
In the table below, "inbound" means towards the city centre for radial routes, or towards Headington for orbital routes.
| Road | 7am – 9am inbound | 7am – 9am outbound | 4pm – 7pm inbound | 4pm – 7pm outbound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abingdon Road, between Weirs Lane and Thames Street | -5% | 1% | 7% | -10% |
| Woodstock Road, between St Giles and Moreton Road | 1% | 1% | 0% | -3% |
| Woodstock Road, Moreton Road and Wolvercote roundabout | 8% | 4% | 1% | 13% |
| Banbury Road, between St Giles and Moreton Road | 3% | 0% | -1% | -5% |
| Banbury Road, between Moreton Road and Cutteslowe roundabout | -3% | 5% | 1% | 15% |
| Marston Ferry Road/Cherwell Drive, between Marsh Lane and Banbury Road | -4% | -13% | 4% | -10% |
| Marsh Lane, between A40 and Cherwell Drive | -30% | 4% | 17% | 5% |
| London Road, between Headington roundabout and Windmill Road | -13% | 0% | 5% | 5% |
| London Road, between Windmill Road and Headley Way | -2% | -1% | 0% | -7% |
| Headington Road/Headington Hill between Headley Way and Marston Road | -2% | -3% | -4% | -2% |
| London Place/St Clements, between Marston Road and The Plain | -10% | -6% | -16% | -6% |
| Cowley Road, between Southfield Road and The Plain | -11% | -4% | -2% | -2% |
| Cowley Road and Oxford Road, between Between Towns Road and Southfield Road | 1% | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Iffley Road, between Donnington Bridge Road and The Plain | -13% | -2% | 1% | -1% |
| Henley Avenue/Iffley Road between Church Cowley Road and Donnington Bridge Road | -1% | -2% | -1% | 1% |
| Oxford Road/Rose Hill, between Littlemore roundabout and Church Cowley Road | -4% | 3% | -5% | -1% |
| High Street, between Longwall Street and The Plain | 2% | 1% | 3% | -3% |
| Hollow Way, between Horspath Road and Garsington Road | -6% | 4% | -1% | -9% |
| Hollow Way, between Horspath Road and The Slade | -9% | 0% | -2% | -2% |
| The Slade (whole length) | -16% | 0% | 3% | -2% |
| Windmill Road (whole length) | -3% | -16% | 5% | 4% |
| Old Road (Windmill to Gipsy Lane) | -6% | -3% | -4% | -9% |
| Warneford Lane/Morrell Avenue (whole length) | 0% | 3% | -1% | -2% |
| Garsington Road/Oxford Road, between Between Towns Road and the Cowley interchange | -3% | -7% | -14% | -5% |
| Old Abingdon Road, Southern Bypass to Abingdon Road | -22% | -7% | -2% | -4% |
| Horspath Driftway | No data | 2% | No data | 1% |
| Beaumont Street/Worcester Street/Hythe Bridge Street | -1% | 0% | -2% | 4% |
| Thames Street/Oxpens Road/Hollybush Row | -2% | -5% | -1% | -3% |
| Weirs Lane/Donnington Bridge Road between Abingdon Road and Iffley Road | 5% | 3% | 4% | 1% |
| Abingdon Road between Weirs Lane and Kennington Roundabout | -13% | 2% | 1% | -2% |
| Marston Road between London Place and Headley Way | -2% | 4% | -4% | 1% |
| Headley Way between Marsh Lane and London Road | -4% | 9% | -8% | -15% |
| Between Towns Road/Church Cowley Road between Henley Avenue and Oxford Road | 6% | 4% | -3% | 1% |
Data source: Inrix telematics data
| Section | 7am – 9am clockwise | 7am – 9am anti-clockwise | 4pm – 7pm clockwise | 4pm – 7pm anti-clockwise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between Hinksey Hill interchange and Kennington roundabout | 8% | -9% | -11% | -13% |
| Between Kennington roundabout and Heyford Hill roundabout | 19% | 5% | -22% | 0% |
| Between Heyford Hill roundabout and Littlemore roundabout | 13% | 5% | -13% | 17% |
| Between Littlemore roundabout and Cowley interchange | 32% | -4% | -15% | -2% |
| Between Cowley interchange and Horspath Driftway | 1% | -18% | -3% | 0% |
| Between Horspath Driftway and Headington roundabout | -4% | -18% | -2% | 2% |
| Between Headington roundabout and Marsh Lane interchange | 11% | -4% | -2% | -1% |
| Between Marsh Lane interchange and Cutteslowe roundabout | -6% | 8% | -5% | -26% |
| Between Cutteslowe roundabout and Wolvercote roundabout | 6% | 14% | -3% | 5% |
| Between Wolvercote roundabout and Peartree interchange | -6% | 1% | 7% | 7% |
| Between Peartree interchange and Botley interchange | 1% | 7% | 2% | -1% |
| Between Botley interchange and Hinksey Hill interchange | -2% | 3% | -3% | -12% |
| Oxford Road/Banbury Road between Kidlington roundabout and Cutteslowe roundabout | -15% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| A40 between Thornhill P&R and Headington roundabout | -17% | -3% | 3% | 0% |
Data source: Inrix telematics data
| Road | 7am – 9am inbound | 7am – 9am outbound | 4pm – 7pm inbound | 4pm – 7pm outbound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abingdon Road* | -1% | -5% | 11% | -20% |
| Banbury Road | -3% | 4% | -3% | 26% |
| Cherwell Drive** | No data | No data | No data | No data |
| Cowley Road | -16% | -3% | -11% | 0% |
| Garsington Road | -3% | -6% | -31% | -15% |
| Headington Road | -4% | 1% | -28% | -3% |
| Headley Way | -7% | 3% | -28% | -26% |
| Henley Avenue | -1% | 2% | 6% | 2% |
| High Street | 19% | -1% | 39%* | -1% |
| Hollow Way | -16% | -1% | -2% | -17% |
| Iffley Road | -13% | 2% | 3% | 0% |
| London Road | -7% | 8% | 4% | 16% |
| Marston Ferry Road | 9% | -27% | 9% | -22% |
| Morrell Avenue | -5% | 2% | -32% | -3% |
| Oxford Road | -2% | 10% | 2% | 18% |
| Rose Hill | -3% | 2% | -4% | -2% |
| St Clements Street | -8% | -2% | -37% | -4% |
| The Slade | -13% | 6% | -1% | -2% |
| Warneford Lane | 4% | 3% | 8% | 2% |
| Windmill Road | -27% | 5% | 4% | 6% |
| Woodstock Road | -2% | -1% | 2% | 4% |
*Works with temporary traffic signals in May 2026
**Incomplete data in May 2026
Data source: CitySwift and bus telematics
| Location | % change |
|---|---|
| The Slade | No data in May 2025 and May 2026 |
| A420 London Road (nr Headley Way) | -3% |
| Between Towns Road (nr Beauchamp Lane) | -3% |
| Woodstock Road (nr South Parade) | -4% |
| Cowley Road (nr Leopold Street) | -2% |
| Banbury Road (nr Marston Ferry Road) | -3% |
| Marston Road | 1% |
| Magdalen Bridge | -4% |
| Botley Road (nr Harley Road) | 0% |
| Headley Way (nr Marston Road) | -9% |
| Headley Way (nr JR hospital) | -3% |
Footfall
Footfall data across Oxford will be published once it has been checked and validated. Please see our statement on footfall and spend data for more details.
In the meantime, pedestrian count data for Queen Street in central Oxford has been purchased from MRI Software (MRI do not hold data for any other locations in Oxford).
One month is a very short period for footfall comparisons, particularly as weather has a significant impact on footfall. The temporary congestion charge will be one factor amongst many that have influenced the figures.
| Queen Street, Oxford | Cambridge City Centre | UK high streets | UK high streets, shopping centres and retail parks | Source for Cambridge and national data | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | +3.5% | -9.0% | -2.7% | -1.8% | Footfall Report |
| December | +2.4% | -0.2% | +0.6% | +2.2% | Footfall report |
| January | +0.6% | -5.5% | -2.7% | -3.3% | Footfall Report |
| February | -3.2% | -2.3% | -2.1% | -2.0% | Footfall Report |
| March | -2.4% | -4.5% | -5.0% | -2.4% | Footfall Report |
| April | -9.4% | 0.1% | -2.7% | -1.1% | Footfall Report |
| May | -3.9% | -3.1% | -4.5% | -1.9% | Footfall Report |
| November-May average | -1.92% | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Data Source: MRI OnLocation for Footfall Analytics
Credit and debit card spending
Our spend data is provided by Experian and comes from a national sample of around 4 million debit and credit cards. The data presented below is for single months, and some of the areas presented are very small. The shorter the period and smaller the area, the lower the sample size. Figures for individual months in single areas should be treated with caution and viewed in the context of other months/areas.
Comparator areas have been provided for context. The comparator areas are listed under each table, but to comply with the terms of our data licence the areas are anonymised in the tables themselves.
| Town or city centre | Nov-25 | Dec-25 | Jan-26 | Feb-26 | Mar-26 | Apr-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford city centre | -9.5% | -11.2% | -1.7% | -5.4% | 1.7% | -1.7% |
| Non-Oxfordshire comparator 1 | -3.4% | -7.8% | -4.5% | 1.8% | -3.3% | -5.9% |
| Non-Oxfordshire comparator 2 | -3.2% | -10.5% | -5.2% | -3.9% | 5.9% | -5.5% |
| Non-Oxfordshire comparator 3 | -9.1% | -15.8% | -3.7% | -4.7% | -6.1% | -14.6% |
| Non-Oxfordshire comparator 4 | -6.3% | -8.2% | -12.7% | -8.9% | -10.3% | -14.1% |
| Non-Oxfordshire comparator 5 | -3.7% | -4.8% | 3.9% | -0.6% | 0.1% | 8.1% |
| Oxfordshire comparator 1 | -12.7% | -10.5% | -4.5% | -8.6% | -12.4% | -7.4% |
| Oxfordshire comparator 2 | 0.3% | -6.2% | 4.2% | 3.6% | 1.0% | -6.3% |
| Oxfordshire comparator 3 | -13.4% | -19.8% | -12.2% | -5.4% | -6.9% | -21.6% |
| Oxfordshire comparator 4 | -4.8% | -0.8% | -5.8% | 2.6% | 1.7% | -16.1% |
| Oxfordshire comparator 5 | -7.4% | -6.6% | -1.6% | 2.6% | 1.8% | -2.1% |
Non-Oxfordshire comparators = Bath city centre, Cambridge city centre, Cheltenham town centre, Winchester city centre
Oxfordshire comparators = Banbury, Abingdon, Witney, Bicester, Didcot
Data source: Experian
| Destination | Nov-25 | Dec-25 | Jan-26 | Feb-26 | Mar-26 | Apr-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jericho | -12.1% | -6.7% | -15.3% | -15.4% | -11.9% | -22.0% |
| St Clements & Cowley Road | -7.5% | -5.7% | -13.5% | -2.9% | -9.4% | -8.3% |
| Non-Oxfordshire F&B comparator 1 | -6.6% | 0.9% | 1.1% | -11.8% | -1.0% | -12.7% |
| Non-Oxfordshire F&B comparator 2 | 8.2% | 2.8% | -6.2% | -2.8% | -9.4% | 8.7% |
| Non-Oxfordshire F&B comparator 3 | 1.4% | 2.8% | 29.3% | 3.6% | -3.7% | -3.5% |
| Non-Oxfordshire F&B comparator 4 | -5.8% | -2.6% | 7.0% | 5.9% | -4.8% | -6.8% |
| Non-Oxfordshire F&B comparator 5 | -1.8% | -3.1% | -1.9% | -1.7% | -16.4% | -23.2% |
Non-Oxfordshire comparators = Mill Rd, Cambridge; Gloucester Rd/Stokes Croft, Bristol; Montpellier/Regent St, Cheltenham; Oxford Rd, Reading; Larkhall, Bath
Data source: Experian
| Suburban mixed retail destination | Nov-25 | Dec-25 | Jan-26 | Feb-26 | Mar-26 | Apr-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botley Road retail park | -11.6% | -3.4% | 5.3% | 4.7% | 6.0% | -3.6% |
| Cowley centre | -20.2% | -10.1% | -8.1% | -7.1% | -4.8% | -12.8% |
| Headington | -9.7% | -6.9% | -6.4% | -15.5% | -18.7% | -13.2% |
| Hollow Way & Oxford Road, Cowley | 1.4% | -14.1% | -14.3% | -4.5% | -14.3% | -25.0% |
| Summertown | -0.8% | -9.6% | -2.3% | 2.7% | 4.0% | -14.5% |
| Non-Oxfordshire MR comparator 1 | 3.6% | -6.1% | 4.4% | -7.0% | 0.9% | -0.9% |
| Non-Oxfordshire MR comparator 2 | 1.2% | -2.8% | 9.0% | 1.7% | 5.6% | 2.6% |
| Non-Oxfordshire MR comparator 3 | 14.6% | -26.6% | -18.3% | -23.6% | -8.3% | -6.2% |
| Non-Oxfordshire MR comparator 4 | -0.4% | -8.8% | -12.9% | -5.0% | -19.2% | 5.2% |
| Non-Oxfordshire MR comparator 5 | -3.9% | -5.7% | -5.6% | -1.8% | 3.0% | -4.2% |
Non-Oxfordshire comparators = North St, Southville/Bedminster, Bristol; Bath Rd, Cheltenham; High St, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge Caversham Centre, Reading; Moorland Rd, Bath.
Data source: Experian.
Caveat: due to school holidays and week-to-month assignment (week is assigned to the month that has 4+ days in the week), there's only 2 weeks of data for Apr25.
There would be 3 weeks of data for Apr26, but data for w/c 27/04/26 is not complete in Huq's platform, so I have excluded it from the analysis
Park and Ride usage
| Park and ride car park | Change % |
| Peartree | 23.9% |
| Oxford Parkway (includes park and ride and station car park) | 9.9% |
| Thornhill | 11.1% |
| Redbridge | 37.3% |
| Seacourt | -19.5%* |
*Limited data availability in May 2026
Source: Automatic Traffic Counters
| Site | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford Parkway | |||||||
| 2025 | 28% | 37% | 35% | 35% | 24% | 20% | 14% |
| 2026 | 30% | 38% | 37% | 35% | 25% | 26% | 15% |
| Peartree | |||||||
| 2025* | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 2026 | 55% | 66% | 66% | 72% | 53% | 60% | 42% |
| Redbridge | |||||||
| 2025 | 61% | 72% | 78% | 73% | 63% | 69% | 41% |
| 2026 | 74% | 86% | 97% | 96% | 79% | 77% | 53% |
| Seacourt | |||||||
| 2025 | 35% | 47% | 44% | 40% | 24% | 13% | 9% |
| 2026** | 0% | 34% | 39% | 36% | 24% | 14% | 6% |
| Thornhill | |||||||
| 2025 | 41% | 51% | 50% | 47% | 36% | 34% | 21% |
| 2026 | 44% | 50% | 50% | 49% | 45% | 44% | 25% |
*No exit data for May 2025
**Limited data availability in May 2026
Source: Automatic Traffic Counters
Permit and enforcement data
The tables below show the number of each type of permit issued from 24 September (when the permit system opened for applications) 2025 to 21st May 2026.
The total number of permits issued to 21st May is 119,500
| Permit type | Number |
|---|---|
| Approved driving instructor | 313 |
| Blue badge holders | 11905 |
| Business car used as goods vehicle | 410 |
| Car clubs | 3 |
| Central permit area resident | 408 |
| Central permit area sports clubs, nurseries or military training | 598 |
| Central permit area workplace parking | 1234 |
| Disability benefit claimant | 1361 |
| Disabled tax class vehicle | 417 |
| Firefighters | 90 |
| Frequent hospital patient | 614 |
| Hackney carriage or private hire vehicle (HCV or PHV) | 2171 |
| Hearse or funeral car | 18 |
| Organisational Blue badge holders | 87 |
| Organisational shared cars (pool cars) | 137 |
| Personal car used as goods vehicle | 717 |
| Personal car used by community health or care worker | 4311 |
| School car used for home-to-school transport | 5 |
| School student with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) | 96 |
| Unpaid carer | 183 |
Source: Oxfordshire County Council Permit Management System
| Permit type | Number |
|---|---|
| Oxford residents | 35,088 |
| Oxfordshire residents | 61,808 |
| Central permit area visitors | 294 |
Source: Oxfordshire County Council Permit Management System
The table below shows the number of penalty charge notices sent between 1st and 31st May 2026.
| Penalty charge notices | 30,050 |
Source: Oxfordshire County Council Charge Management System
Income
The table below shows the total income generated by the scheme from 29th October 2025 (when the temporary congestion charge began) to 31 May.
| Income from congestion charge payments | £2,179,316 |
| Income from penalty charges | £3,539,727 |
| Total income before operating costs | £5,719,043 |
Source: Oxfordshire County Council
The table below shows the income generated by the scheme from 1 May 2026 to 31 May 2026.
| Income from congestion charge payments | £297,845 |
| Income from penalty charges | £735,502 |
| Total income before operating costs | £1,033,347 |
What we’ve spent the income on
The income from the temporary congestion charge is currently being spent on the free park and ride bus journey offer and on the scheme implementation and administration.