Cherwell Street (Banbury) bus prioritisation

About the project

We have been awarded government funding to improve bus journey times and reliability into and out of Banbury town centre. The focus is on improving the current George Street bus lane, providing access for buses into Bridge Street west and the crossing facilities, and signalling at both the Bridge Street junction and the George Street junction.

In spring 2024 we worked with Stagecoach Bus and other partners to develop a preferred design option. Then we ran a consultation to help us develop the design.

We ran a second consultation in spring 2025 to address the feedback we received and present changes to the design. We also shared traffic modelling data and invited more feedback to help us develop a final design.

We have spent summer 2025 talking to local groups and representatives about this scheme and making our final recommendations based on their feedback and technical and safety assessments.

A decision on whether to accept the amended design and move forward to construction will be made at the 4 September Cabinet Member Decision meeting.

About the proposed improvements

We are focusing on the Cherwell Street corridor in Banbury, between the George Street and Bridge Street junctions, and the Bridge Street and George Street junctions themselves.

This area is congested during peak times, which worsens bus journey times and reliability.

The project is largely funded by the Department for Transport's Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) programme and improvements to bus service reliability and journey times are core requirements.

Additional money from local developers (known as Section 106 contributions) will fund crossing facility and signal improvements at the Bridge Street junction. This will make it safer for people walking, cycling, and wheeling to bus stops, the town centre, and Banbury Rail Station.

The proposed improvements include:

• implementing a longer and more bus accessible running lane along Cherwell Street for left-turning vehicles, including buses, travelling north-bound into Bridge Street (west)
• improving pedestrian crossing facilities
• optimising traffic signals to reduce delay for buses and cars
• and lining and signing improvements to improve traffic flow, safety, and overall road user experience.

First consultation

We ran a public consultation from 4 March to 1 April 2024 to collect feedback to help us to develop the preliminary design. 

• More information about the consultation can be found on our Let's Talk Oxfordshire website, including the full consultation report.

Second consultation 

We held a second consultation from 24 February to 23 March 2025 where we shared modelling results showing the impact of the scheme on journey times for buses and other vehicles.

We received 198 survey responses. Most respondents favoured clearer lane markings (67% supportive), with opinions split on improving signal timings (38.9% supportive, 39.4% unsupportive). Most respondents did not support changes to pedestrian crossings, junction design, and bus access, with opposition ranging from around 47% to 65%. Supporters highlighted the benefits for pedestrian safety, while opponents expressed concerns about increased congestion and lane reductions.

• More information about the consultation including information materials can be found on our Let’s Talk Oxfordshire website.
• Read the full consultation report.

Proposed changes to the design

We are recommending six changes to the design in response to the consultation results, safety and technical work, and stakeholder feedback. All changes retain the pedestrian and bus journey time benefits.

1. Retaining the southbound right-turn flare lane on Concord Avenue in response to the Road Safety Audit showing an increased chance of right-turning vehicles striking the pedestrian island and collision with northbound vehicles due to crossing three lanes of moving traffic. Retaining the flare will also avoid potentially dangerous manoeuvres as some vehicles use the left turn lane to get round stationary traffic and respond to concerns about the impact of further queuing toward Hennef Way, which has been identified by Oxonair as having very high levels of air pollution.
2. Reducing the size of the pedestrian refuge on the north side of the Cherwell Street/ Bridge Street/ Concord Avenue junction. The pedestrian benefits of the scheme remain, as the signal phase at the junction provides enough time for pedestrians to cross the full length of the Concord Avenue arm and therefore the refuge will only be used by pedestrians who cross the arm late into the pedestrian green phase time. The width of refuge island is approximately 2.45m, which is suitable to accommodate a wheelchair and an accompanying person.
3. Retaining the left and right turn running lanes at the eastern end of George Street to address the concerns of increased journey time and queuing eastbound on George Street for all vehicles which could block the bus lane and negate the other bus improvements. This would also reduce the risk of left turning unauthorised vehicles using the bus lane when right turning vehicles are blocking their exit from the junction.
4. Retaining the width of the two additional pedestrian crossings at George Street at four meters, meaning that if they were converted to pelican crossings for cyclists in the future, the width would be LTN 1/20 compliant.
5. Retaining the widening of the George Street junction egress for buses which would meet Stagecoach Bus’s requirements.
6. Moving the pedestrian crossing at Bridge Street slightly to the east in response to the Road Safety Audit which highlighted the crossing distance was too long at 15 metres. This would impact pedestrian safety, as pedestrians may be left in the carriageway if they cross the arm at the end of the pedestrian phase. The proposed location would meet the desire line (a route naturally preferred by people) with Lower Cherwell Street.   

We spoke to local active travel organisations, business and transport groups, and councillors about these changes. The meeting notes are available in Annex 4 of the cabinet member decision meeting paper.

A decision on whether to accept the amended design and begin construction will be made at the 4 September 2025 Cabinet Member Decision meeting. There are risks to pedestrian safety at this junction and as the highways authority we have a responsibility to address these as soon as we can.

Cycling infrastructure

Improvements for cyclists cannot be included in this scheme due to a lack of available space. Consultation feedback and conversations with local groups highlighted that this was a concern.

However, route 10 of the Banbury Local Cycling & Walking Plan schemes is currently being designed using active travel funding and will include a modal filter between Lower Cherwell Street and Bridge Street east. The final design of the Cherwell Street bus improvements will include features to allow the Bridge Street and George Street junctions to be upgraded to toucan crossings, when the cycle link is delivered.

Wider Banbury improvements

The Cherwell Street improvements complement work being done to improve access to Banbury Rail Station.

Both projects focus on investing in public transport and pedestrian infrastructure, in line with our Local Transport Connectivity Plan.

The improvements are part of the Banbury Movement & Place Plan 2026, which contributes to regeneration proposals for Banbury and aims to make it easier for those using public transport or walking, wheeling, cycling to move through the town.

The improvements also form part of the Banbury 2050 vision and support the objectives of various Oxfordshire County Council, Cherwell District Council and government public transport and growth strategies.

Get in touch

Email: cherwellstbus@oxfordshire.gov.uk

More information

How did you decide on which option develop?

In 2024 we shortlisted five options that could improve bus journey times and reliability:

1. Improving pedestrian crossing facilities at the George Street and Bridge Street junctions with Cherwell Street plus widened footways on the Concorde Avenue arm.
2. Option one plus a signalised crossing of the George Street bus lane and widened footways on Cherwell Street and at the Bridge Street junction.
3. Bus priority lane northbound on Cherwell Street.
4. Bus lane with no right turn into Bridge Street (east).
5. Adjusting the timing and co-ordination of traffic lights to improve the flow of vehicles, reduce congestion and enhance safety on the roads.

We used concept design stage work, data modelling of traffic movements and feedback from county, district and town councillors and Stagecoach Bus to develop the preferred option, combining option five with pedestrian improvements and an extended bus lane on Cherwell Street and amended the proposed layout for Bridge Street (east):

What did you change after the first consultation?

Elements of the preferred design we consulted on in 2024 required the removal of highway lanes and/or reduced highway capacity to improve pedestrian crossing facilities. In response to feedback, we investigated this further using updated traffic modelling data and detailed design work, which then formed part of our second consultation.

What are the full range of improvements?

Along the Cherwell Street corridor between George Street and Bridge Street this would include:

• Refreshing existing line markings (including 'keep clear' markings at petrol station access/egress).
• Creating an extended left-turn northbound on Cherwell Street into the town centre.

At the George Street/Cherwell Street junction, this would include:

• Widening the existing bus lane at the junction where the buses turn left, which has a sub-standard lane width.
• Introducing a pedestrian crossing on George Street and on the northern arm
• Improving the traffic lanes approaching the junction from the south.

At the Bridge Street/Cherwell Street junction, this would include:

• Optimising traffic signals.
• Simplifying the junction for pedestrians on Bridge Street (west).
• Reconstructing the pedestrian islands along Concord Avenue (north).
• Removing the pedestrian island along Bridge Street (east).
• Reconstructing the pedestrian islands along Cherwell Street (south).
• Altering the highway lane allocations on Bridge Street (east) to address left-turning vehicles mounting the footway due to sub-standard lane widths. This may lead to reduced highway capacity on Bridge Street (east).
• Update line markings in the junction.

We are no longer adjusting to traffic lane allocation at the Cherwell Street/Concorde Avenue/Bridge Street junction, and the Cherwell Street/George Street junction.