Carpentry firm stops jobs on Oxford ring road due to traffic issues
The Oxfordshire Carpentry Company said it was no longer “practicable or economic” to travel on the A34 due to the long delays.
There has been increased congestion on the A34 since the closure of Botley Road in April (Image: Oxford Mail)
There has been significant and frequent congestion on the road since the closure of Botley Road in April as part of Network Rail’s £161m redevelopment of Oxford Station.
The traffic issues have been compounded in recent months by other works at Wolvercote Viaduct and Botley Interchange.
@OxfordshireCC @OxfordCity[2][3]
Following the interview on @BBCOxford[4] with @theabingdontaxi[5] this morning it is with a heavy heart that I will not be booking any work within the #Oxford[6] ringroad for the forseeable future.
Traveling in Oxford is not practicable or economic
— The Oxfordshire Carpentry Company (@the_carpentry) September 25, 2023[7]
Yesterday (Monday, September 25), in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the owner of the Wantage-based carpentry business said: “It is with a heavy heart that I will not be booking any work within the Oxford ring road for the foreseeable future.
“Traveling in Oxford is not practicable or economic.”
The owner was approached by the Oxford Mail but refused to give any further comment.
In his tweet, he said he made the decision after listening to Colin Dobson, a taxi driver from Abingdon[8], discuss the impact of traffic on his business on BBC Radio Oxford.
Mr Dobson, a self-employed taxi driver of 14 years who works primarily in Abingdon and Wantage[9], told the radio show he was unsure whether he could continue working in the city anymore.
Taxi driver Colin Dobson said the traffic was affecting his business (Image: Unknown)
“It’s extremely frustrating and irritating. There are very significant delays around the whole of Oxford city at the moment having an effect on the business,” he said.
“The distance it takes to travel between taxi jobs means I’m earning less money and it’s extremely difficult…
“The atmosphere is fractious. People are tooting their horns, sitting in yellow box junctions, jumping traffic lights.
“It has a massive effect on the business because if it’s taking an hour and a half to do a journey that should take half an hour, it means less time I’m able to drive customers.”
Councillor Andrew Gant, cabinet member for highway management at Oxfordshire County Council (Image: Ed Nix)
Councillor Andrew Gant, cabinet member for highway management at Oxfordshire County[11] Council, addressed the concerns of road users later in the programme.
He said: “I share everybody’s frustration.
“It is incredibly frustrating when a large scheme of this kind disrupts a network which, let’s face it, is already full, and even more so when you have got more than one happening at the same time.
“But they are all done for different reasons…
“They will have enormous benefits, but of course, while it is being done, it causes disruption. It would be impossible to do it any other way.”
References
- ^ Oxford: Man suffers burns after ‘substance’ thrown at him (www.oxfordmail.co.uk)
- ^ @OxfordshireCC (twitter.com)
- ^ @OxfordCity (twitter.com)
- ^ @BBCOxford (twitter.com)
- ^ @theabingdontaxi (twitter.com)
- ^ #Oxford (twitter.com)
- ^ September 25, 2023 (twitter.com)
- ^ Abingdon (www.oxfordmail.co.uk)
- ^ Wantage (www.oxfordmail.co.uk)
- ^ ‘Network Rail closure of Botley Road is appalling’ (www.oxfordmail.co.uk)
- ^ County (www.oxfordmail.co.uk)