Garsington Road active travel scheme
A transport and connectivity scheme that will encourage walking, wheeling, and cycling along Garsington Road (B480 corridor) in Oxford.
Implementation works
Construction work started on 7 October 2024 to improve walking, wheeling, and cycling infrastructure on the southern side of Garsington Road (B480 corridor) between the junction with Hollow Way and the Garsington Road/John Smith Drive roundabout.
Some works have taken longer to complete than envisaged due to adverse weather and additional work required for drainage and ducting under the carriageway.
Construction of the project was substantially completed before and after the Christmas and New Year period 2024/5, with a few minor works remaining into early 2025 that were delayed by an unexpected shortage in materials supply:
- Raised tables were installed at the entry to the business park, and footway surfacing works around John Smith Drive Roundabout were completed ahead of Christmas. Due to a materials shortage for the signalised crossing elements, a temporary pedestrian crossing arrangement was implemented at the roundabout until March 2025.
- Works were then suspended, and most traffic management measures related to the site works were removed during the Christmas and New Year period to reduce disruption to the road network during the busy festive season.
- Remaining footway surfacing, line marking and installation of new signs completed on 30 January.
- Signalised pedestrian and cycle crossing installation to the west of John Smith Drive roundabout between Monday 17 and Thursday 20 March 2025 – replacing temporary crossing arrangement. Temporary traffic lights in operation 9.30am to 3.30pm on these days to allow safe installation of the crossing. Final lining work was carried out overnight on 17 March.
What you can expect
The project will provide safer crossing facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and school children and highlight road user priority through the area. This is in line with the UK Highway Code
The project is comprised of two parts:
- Improvements to Garsington Road between Hollow Way and Garsington Road / John Smith Drive Roundabout, for design and construction only design and construction
- Improvements to the B480/Hollow Way junction and the B480/Between Towns Road junction, for design only
Part 1 - Improvements to Garsington Road between Hollow Way and Garsington Road / John Smith Drive Roundabout
- Providing suitable measures to prioritise safer access for people when walking, wheeling, and cycling across the petrol station entrance and the Phipps Road, Napier Road, and St Luke’s Road junctions
- Adding a new toucan crossing – with lights at the Garsington Road/John Smith Drive Roundabout (western side of the roundabout) to enable safe space for pedestrians, people wheeling and cyclists to cross the road together
- Adding new crossings on the northern and southern arms of the Garsington Road / John Smith Drive Roundabout (the entrances to Oxford Business Park)
- Moving the Voi e-scooter parking bay near the petrol station to the other point near St Luke’s Road, positioning of some existing signs and installing 3 x new streetlights
Part 2 - Improvements to the B480/Hollow Way junction and the B480/Between Towns Road junction, for design only
Feasibility and preliminary design will be completed for improvements to the B480/Hollow Way junction and the B480/Between Towns Road junction to provide better access and safety for pedestrians and cyclists. This includes a review of two existing pelican crossings (crossings with traffic lights to stop traffic so pedestrians can cross) at the B480/Hollow Way junction.
The review will determine whether there is a current requirement for toucan crossings (a crossing with signals for pedestrians, and for cyclists to cross) at these points.
| Activity | Date |
|---|---|
| Informal public engagement (for phase one) | Completed |
| Preliminary design and statutory consultation (for phase one) | Completed |
| Detailed design and cabinet member decision | Completed |
| Start construction | October 2024 |
| Complete construction | January 2025 |
| Completion of the installation of traffic signals at the Garsington Road / John Smith Drive Roundabout (western side of the roundabout) | March 2025 |
An informal public consultation exercise was held between 28 February and 27 March 2024, followed by a formal consultation that was carried out between 25 April and 25 May 2024. The decision was made to approve the proposals at a cabinet member for decision meeting on 20 June 2024.
Minimising the impact
We will time and manage the works to minimise impacts on the road network as far as possible.
Any temporary traffic management measures used will be monitored throughout each day of construction, so that we can respond quickly to traffic conditions as they happen. We will maintain access for businesses and residents but advise people to plan their travel routes accordingly and to anticipate potential delays.
How it is being funded
The project is being funded by the UK government Department for Transport through the Active Travel Fund Tranche 3 (ATT3) funding round.
Why we are investing here
The county council was allocated £10,439,437 by the UK Government’s Department for Transport (DfT) as part of the Active Travel Fund Tranche 3 (ATF3) funding round in May 2022.
This funding was allocated for infrastructure delivery and feasibility/design work on a selection of defined projects that the county council put forward in its bid.
Two adjacent projects along Oxford Cycle Route (OCR) 14, on Garsington Road B480, received funding:
- Improvements to OCR 14 on Garsington Road between Hollow Way and the Eastern Bypass, for design and construction only
- Improvements to OCR 14 (Between Towns Road B480 and B4495 junctions, as well as Cowley Interchange) - for scheme feasibility and preliminary design only.
Vision and targets
The Garsington Road active travel scheme is strongly aligned with the county council’s ‘vision’ set out within the ‘Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP, 2022 – 2050)’, which includes reducing the need to travel by private car journeys by making walking, cycling, public and shared transport the natural first choice.
In addition, the scheme will play an important role in helping us to meet the headline targets that underpin the vision and key themes that are set out in the LTCP.
The schemes are prioritised to recognise the need to improve walking, wheeling, and cycling connectivity along the route. The routes and extents of the cycle network have been defined in the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP), which can be considered as a master plan with incremental delivery required to achieve the full envisaged cycling and walking network.
Contact us
If you would like to know more about the project, you can contact us.