Cherwell Street (Banbury) bus improvement project

Fig. 1 Cherwell Street bus service improvement scheme diagram (png format, 3MB)

About the project

We have been awarded government funding to improve bus journey times and reliability into and out of Banbury town centre. We are also taking this opportunity to improve pedestrian facilities and signalling at two key junctions in the centre of town.

We are focusing on Cherwell Street, 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 proposed improvements include:

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

What to expect during construction

Construction will start in January 2026 and finish in summer 2026. Here is what we will be doing each month and what changes you can expect.

January 2026 

• We will be working at night on the Bridge Street and George Street junctions. 

February 2026 

• The northbound left lane on Cherwell Street will be closed with narrowing along Bridge Street west.
• The northbound left lane on Windsor Street will be closed. The eastern dedicated right-hand turn lane on George Street will be used to maintain westbound traffic. The bus lane along George Street will be repurposed for general traffic. Some night work will be required near the Morrisons garage exit. 

March 2026 

• Closing the northbound lane on Concord Avenue with lane narrowing on Bridge Street west. Traffic will be diverted along the southbound right turn lane on Concord Avenue.
• The bus lane along George Street will be repurposed for general traffic or closed.
• The entrance to Britannia Road from George Street and the westbound lane on George Street will be closed. The eastern dedicated right-hand turn lane is used to maintain westbound traffic. 

April 2026 

• Southbound left turn lane on Concord Avenue will be closed with lane narrowing on Bridge Street east.
• Southbound straight lane between Lower Cherwell Street and George Street will be closed.  

May 2026 

• The southbound left lane on Bridge Street east will be closed with lane narrowing on Cherwell Street southbound.
• The bus lane on George Street and the eastbound left lane on George Street will be closed. The running lane eastbound will be a single lane for left and right turning traffic 

June 2026 

• Westbound lane on Bridge Street east will be closed with some night work near Station Approach Road. Four-way traffic lights will be in place.
• The entrance to Lower Cherwell Street from Cherwell Street will be closed with narrow lanes on Cherwell Street (southbound).
• The northbound right turn lane on Cherwell Street will be closed with narrow lanes on Cherwell Street (southbound).
• The bus lane on George Street will be closed with temporary traffic lights in place. 

July 2026 

• The southbound right hand turning land on Concord Avenue will be closed.
• At night, the northbound lane on Concord Avenue will be closed.
• Final resurfacing works will be carried out at night with road closures and diversion in place. 

 Traffic and pedestrian management

• Temporary traffic lights and controlled pedestrian crossings will be used throughout to maintain safety and flow.
• Work areas, lane closures, and pedestrian diversions will be clearly marked.
• Some night work is planned to minimise daytime disruption, with some noise and light impacts expected. Environmental permits and mitigation measures will be in place.
• Smart traffic lights with remote monitoring will help manage congestion and keep traffic moving.

Please be careful when passing through the road works, plan your travel accordingly and expect delays especially at peak times.

Stay up to date on the work

If our plans change due to circumstances beyond our control, such as bad weather, we will update our website. You can also email the team with a question or call our customer services team, who will arrange for someone to get in touch with you.

• Email cherwellstbus@oxfordshire.gov.uk
• Call our customer services team: 01865 792 422
• For information about other planned roadworks or incidents, visit https://one.network or sign up to https://twitter.com/OxonTravel.

Funding

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.

More information

How did you decide how to improve the junction?

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

Did you hold any consultations?

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

Elements of the design we consulted on 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.

We held a second consultation, from 24 February to 23 March 2025, where we shared this data showing the impact of the scheme on journey times for buses and other vehicles. More information about the consultation including information materials can be found on our Let’s Talk Oxfordshire website. You can also read the full consultation report.

What happened after the consultations?

We made 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.

We spent summer 2025 talking to local active travel organisations, business and transport groups, and councillors about these changes. A full description of the changes and stakeholder meeting notes are available in Annex 4 of the cabinet member decision meeting paper.

We then made our final recommendations based on their feedback and technical and safety assessments. A decision to accept the amended design and begin construction was made at the 4 September 2025 Cabinet Member Decision meeting.

What about 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.

What are the full range of improvements you are going to build?

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 and improving existing crossings
• Improving the traffic lanes approaching the junction from the south and removing the islands in Cherwell Street.

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

• Optimising traffic signals.
• Improving the junction for pedestrians on Bridge Street (west).
• Reconstructing the pedestrian islands along Concord Avenue (north).
• Removing the pedestrian island along Bridge Street (east and west).
• 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.

How does this project relate to 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