Oxford Buses
There are too many buses in Oxford. The High Street in Oxford is one of the most beautiful roads in Europe, if not the world. The architectural delight from Magdalen College, All Souls, University Church of St Mary’s and the Examination school. But, the most dominating thing these days is buses.
It’s a shame that there was bus deregulation because there is often duplication between the two main bus companies – Stagecoach and Oxford Bus Company.
Hopefully with the aid of Transform Oxford we will see a reduction in the number of buses in Oxford.
People should walk more or get a bike.
April 6th, 2009 at 4:31 am
This is a really interesting blog with some lovely photographs!
However, as a keen Oxford cyclist, I’m fairly cynical about Transform Oxford. They are vague about where we’ll be able to cycle – if they closed the High Street to bikes, it would be a serious problem for those of us who commute from Headington/East Oxford:
http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wps/portal/publicsite/councilservices?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=http://apps.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wps/wcm/connect/Internet%2FCouncil+services%2FRoads+and+transport%2FMajor+projects%2FTransform+Oxford%2FRT+-+PP+-+4+Transform+Oxford+faq#18
It’s true to say there are too many buses on the High, but not everyone is able to walk or cycle. There are a lot of elderly people getting the bus into town from Headington who certainly couldn’t walk or cycle the distance.
April 14th, 2009 at 4:13 am
What an absurd, silly comment.
The majority of the buses are absolutely packed, with standing room only. Fewer will only serve to discriminate against ordinary working Oxford people, who cannot afford to live within walking distance of the centre. Preserving a living city for the enjoyment of middle class tourists by limiting taxpayers’ ability to travel is hardly a blueprint for equality, is it?
Replacing the cheap, low-capacity stock that is currently used with double-deckers would reduce the volume of buses on the roads and improve the sevice.
Having lived all over the world, Oxford is by far the worst place to cycle that I have encountered. It’s dangerous and polluted, has a problem with theft and has very narrow streets with a lot of pedestrians.
Another effect will be that it will be even less attractive to shop for food in central Oxford for people such as myself who work in town, pushing people to drive to out of town developments which is hardly environmentally friendly.
People should think of Oxford as a place where people live, not simply as a dormitory for students and a tourist-fleecing facility. Decimating the already lacking public transport system will make life a lot harder for locals.
I love your pictures, though.
April 14th, 2009 at 4:14 am
And the high street in Oxford is not even one of the nicest streets in England, let alone the world