Proposal for temporary Oxford congestion charge

On 17 June, our cabinet approved the start of a public consultation on a temporary congestion charge for Oxford. The six-week consultation is now open for responses at letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/congestion-charge. Please share your views using the survey, which is open until 3 August.

The temporary congestion charge is designed to reduce congestion in Oxford while Botley Road is closed, and while we are unable to start the traffic filters trial. The scheme would improve bus services and make it easier for those with permits, including community health and care workers, carers, blue badge holders and traders, to travel by car into and around the city. 

The objectives of the scheme are the same as for traffic filters. The scheme aims to:

• reduce traffic
• make bus journeys faster and more reliable
• allow for new and improved bus routes
• make walking and cycling safer
• reduce local air pollution
• improve the health and wellbeing of our communities.

Overview of the proposal

• From autumn 2025, a daily charge of £5 would allow cars without a permit to go through six charge locations on roads in Oxford until the end of the day.
• All other vehicles would be able to go through at all times without paying the charge.
• Cars with a permit or day pass would be able to pass the charging points free of charge.
• Traffic signs would mark the locations of the charging cameras.
• The scheme would be enforced using automatic number plate recognition cameras (ANPR) positioned at the listed congestion charge locations. 

Congestion charge locations

The congestion charge locations would be exactly the same as the planned traffic filters. 

The temporary congestion charge would be payable all year round, including bank holidays. 

Permits

The temporary congestion charge would only apply to cars. All other vehicles would not need to pay a charge and would not need a permit.   

Permits would be available for certain groups, including community health and care workers, carers, blue badge holders, and mobile traders - exactly the same as for the planned traffic filters trial - allowing them to pass through the charge locations without incurring a charge. 

A new central permit area would be created (zoom in to the purple area on the map). Permits would be available for residents, their visitors and commuters in this central area where car drivers would have no option but to pass through a charge location.

As with the planned traffic filters trial, residents in the wider Oxford permit area would be eligible for 100 day passes, while residents in the Oxfordshire permit area for 25 day passes, allowing for free travel through the charge locations. Each day pass would allow you to drive through all six charge locations as many times as you like on that day. 

All permits would be free and valid for 12 months unless stated otherwise.

Without a permit, car drivers could choose an alternative route or pay the daily charge.

Scheme duration

Subject to cabinet approval following consultation, the scheme is expected to start in autumn 2025.

The scheme would remain in place until the introduction of the traffic filters trial once Botley Road reopens. This is expected to be August 2026. The maximum time the congestion charge scheme could be in place as a temporary measure would be two years.

Consultation

A consultation to gather feedback on the proposed scheme's impact and details runs from 23 June to 3 August. You can share your response to the survey at letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/congestion-charge. Paper copies of information are available from main libraries and at County Hall. A series of online question-and-answer events will be held during the consultation. 

Further information

Please see below for further information about the proposed scheme. 

If you have any questions about this project, contact us.

How much would the congestion charge be?

The proposed daily charge is £5. 

The charge would be payable only once per day. You would be able to drive through multiple charge locations per day, or any single charge location multiple times per day.

The charge would be payable all year round, including bank holidays. 

How would I pay the charge? 

The charge would be payable online by midnight on the day after you drive through one of the six charge locations. If you can't pay online, you'd be able to pay by phone. 

How would the scheme be enforced?

As with the traffic filters, the temporary congestion charge scheme would be enforced by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. Advance warning signs and traffic signs would indicate the charge locations. 

Which vehicles would be exempt? 

Any vehicle that is not a car would be automatically exempt from the temporary congestion charge and would not need to apply for a permit. 

The DVLA’s vehicle checker can be used to check your vehicle’s status. If the “Vehicle type approval” in the DVLA checker is “M1”, the vehicle is classed as a car. Please note that motorhomes are often classed as M1 and so would need to pay the congestion charge.

Would electric cars be exempt?

No. Just like with the traffic filters trial, the purpose of this temporary charging scheme would be to reduce traffic by reducing the number of car journeys. This means that electric cars would not be exempt.

Who would be eligible for a permit?

We are proposing that permits would be available for certain groups, exactly the same as for the planned traffic filters trial, allowing them to pass through the charge locations without incurring a charge:

• Blue badge holders
• Disability benefit claimants
• Disabled tax class cars
• School students with special educational needs
• Unpaid carers
• Community health or care workers who need to visit multiple locations or travel urgently
• Frequent hospital patients
• Emergency service vehicles
• Firefighters
• Taxis and private hire vehicles
• Registered car clubs
• Business cars used as goods vehicles
• Personal cars used as goods vehicles
• Driving instructors
• Hearses and funeral cars

In addition, residents who live in the central permit area and commuters whose workplace parking is located in the central permit area would be eligible for a permit. 

I'm an Oxford resident. Would I need to pay the charge?

If you live in the central permit area (zoom into the purple area on the map), you would be eligible for a permit. This would allow you unlimited free travel through the temporary congestion charge locations.  You would also get 50 day passes for visitors.

If you live in the wider Oxford permit area, you would be eligible for 100 day passes, allowing you free travel through the charge locations. Each day pass would allow you to drive through all six charge locations as many times as you like on that day. This is the same as the trial traffic filters scheme. 

I commute into central Oxford. Would I need to pay the charge?

Commuters whose workplace parking is located in the central permit area would qualify for a permit, allowing them unlimited free travel through the charge locations. 

If your workplace parking is located outside the central permit area, you would need to pay the charge if you passed through a congestion charge location. Or you could take an alternative route to work.

I'm an Oxfordshire resident. Would I need to pay the charge?

Residents in the Oxfordshire permit area would be eligible for 25 day passes, allowing you free travel through the charge locations. Each day pass would allow you to drive through all six charge locations as many times as you like on that day. This is the same as the trial traffic filters scheme. 

If I used up all my residents’ day passes, would I then need to pay the daily charge?

If you used up all your day passes, you could either pay the £5 charge or take an alternative route, where available. 

How much would a permit cost?

Nothing. The permits would be free.

How would I get a permit?

You would be able to apply for and manage your permit online through the council’s website. You would need to provide evidence of your eligibility, for example, proof of address, holding a Blue Badge, or working as a community health or care worker.

If you are unable to apply online, help would be available by phone through our customer service centre. 

I don't qualify for a permit.  Would I still be able to reach all parts of the city by car without paying a charge?

In most cases, yes. The congestion charge would apply only to cars passing through the congestion charge locations. Four charge locations - St Cross Road, St Clements, Hollow Way and Marston Ferry Road - can all be avoided by taking a different route.

What would this scheme mean for accessing car parks at Westgate, the rail station, Oxpens or Worcester Street?

If you have a permit, you could access these car parks without paying the congestion charge. If not, you would need to pay the £5 daily charge if you were driving a car. All other vehicles would be automatically exempt.

How would this scheme work with the zero emission zone?

The two schemes would be independent from each other. 

The zero emission zone (ZEZ) is a small area in the city centre where all petrol and diesel vehicles, including hybrids, incur a daily charge if they are driven in the zone between 7am and 7pm, unless they have a 100 per cent discount or exemption. Fully electric vehicles can drive for free in the ZEZ.

The temporary congestion charge would apply to all cars without a permit, including electric vehicles.

If you drove into the city centre through a congestion charge location, you would need to pay the daily £5 charge, unless you had a permit. If your journey involved driving in the ZEZ in a petrol or diesel vehicle, you would also need to pay the separate ZEZ charge.

Where would the income from the congestion charge go? 

Income generated by the temporary congestion charge would be used to cover the cost of setting up and operating the scheme. Any money in addition to this would be used towards discounted park and ride services and improved bus services.

This could include: 

• free or discounted parking at park and ride sites
• discounted bus and park-and-ride fares
• improved bus services. 

Any surplus income may be used for other transport schemes. By law, we can only use the income for transport – it can’t be spent on anything else. 

What are the expected impacts on traffic if the scheme goes ahead?

Traffic modelling for the temporary congestion charge forecasts a 20 per cent reduction in the city centre and around a 50 per cent reduction on Hollow Way and Marston Ferry Road.

Have you considered any alternatives to a congestion charge?

We've considered various options to improve the transport system while we wait for the trial traffic filters.

• Localised improvements: we're progressing a number of these and have already implemented some changes, such as a new bus lane in St Clements.  However, smaller schemes will not have a significant citywide benefit.
• Expanding the zero emission zone: this isn’t possible in the short term as it requires new infrastructure and systems which are not yet in place (and wouldn’t be in place before Botley Road reopens). 

Why is the scheme needed? Why can't we just wait until Botley Road reopens and the traffic filters are implemented?

The council has committed to addressing congestion in the short term after our plan to implement six trial traffic filters was postponed due to the ongoing closure of Botley Road. Bus services in the city are getting worse. On Abingdon Road, bus journey times increased by up to 17 per cent following the closure of Botley Road. Urgent action is needed to reduce the impact of congestion on the bus network and prevent further deterioration of bus services.

We have also committed to a 10 per cent improvement in bus productivity by the end of 2025. Significant citywide transport changes are required to meet this. When the Enhanced Bus Partnership Plan was written, it was assumed the trial traffic filters would deliver most of the 10 per cent improvement.