Closing street will cause 'gridlock and harm trade' (From The Oxford Times)

Closing Bicester street will cause 'gridlock and harm trade'

6:00pm Thursday 19th July 2012 in Bicester

BICESTER businesses claim closing North Street as part of a £1.3m major re-working of town centre roads is “half thought through”.

Oxfordshire County Council is consulting over plans to make St John’s Street two-way traffic , replace traffic lights with a roundabout at its junction with Queens Avenue, replace current traffic light crossings with zebra crossings and close off North Street and Roman Way and create a cul-de-sac.

But opposition has come from businesses who do not want North Street closed over concerns it could cause “gridlock, problems for deliveries and harm trade”.

Solicitor Rod Cantelli, of Cantelli & Co, North Street, said: “I can understand where they have started from but what they have ended up with is a logistical nonsense.

“It stops all the traffic that would otherwise go into North Street and will cause congestion in Field Street.

“They only seem to have half thought the thing through really.”

He suggested introducing a left-hand only turn from Roman Way and creating a filter lane that merged with other traffic in North Street.

Council spokesman Owen Morton said the proposals were aimed at improving access to the town centre and urged people to have their say.

The consultation is open until August 6.