What's going on in Oxford,why have locals voted for this

[Grumpycat6]

From October,or whenever it starts
My DH is going to have to pay £5 a day ,that's £100 a month
Just to get to work
He can't go by train or bus because he starts and finishes times when they don't run .
Apparently from what I understand this was voted in at the local council elections.or the person who wanted to put this scheme in place was voted in ,.
This is going to effect the price of houses ,it's going to put people off moving to Oxford.
With this in mind I can't understand how this was agreed

Some pupils live miles away from the schools, especially the Cherwell school on the Marston Ferry Road. In bad weather, cycling or walking are not going to be desirable and the bus service is not the best.

You need to start your own thread Trex

Because people cant afford it. And unfortunately it doesn’t change the fact that some people will still need to travel by car so it unfairly penalises them. These schemes are grossly unfair.

Its going to cause problems with rectruitment in certain sectors too.

Teachers for example are in huge demand everywhere, so would you work somewhere where you have to pay to get to work or somewhere that you dont? No brainer isnt it?

It will affect people going to the hospital but won't affect people taking their children to most of the private schools in Summertown. That road will stay free. It will be impassable but free.

I’m in Liverpool. I have a car and commute to the city centre most days.

I would vote for a scheme here. I saw an air
quality report recently. Me changing my behaviour would be a small price to pay.

You get that the Cherwell school isn't a private school, don't you? You understand that it is actually on the Marston Ferry Road?? Not all schools in North Oxford are private for goodness sake.

The free bus pass for students is being withdrawn too. That's £6 a day from the station to the colleges and Brookes.

Yup, I used to go shopping in Bath all the time. I avoid it now and just shop online instead.

If they are not going to start running a lot more P&R buses then all the theatres etc will be heavily hit. 7pm is late to be driving in and finding a park spot and getting to the venue for 7:30, and late at night there are few P&R buses. Nevermind an after show drink.

Yes I know that perfectly well. It is before the Marston Ferry Road bus gate so parents driving their children to school there will be stuck in the massive traffic jam through Summertown because every child at a private school in North Oxford who gets driven to school will have to go down the same bit of road at the same time.

Oh and most cities with congestion charges exempt a lot of cars. Mine is free in most cities eg Birmingham

I think this was going to happen in Cambridge a couple or so years ago but didn't, there was a big hoo ha on the local news about it.

The congestion charge in Oxford isn't the main issue. Nobody wants to pay an extra £5 but it is deliberately comparable to the bus fares and park and ride. The bus gates from October 2026 will be a much bigger issue.

Not all disabled people have blue badges. My Oxford student daughter doesn't.
She uses buses as it was cheaper. It won't be.

Debenhams in Bath has not closed because of a congestion charge! Debenhams went bust everywhere!

Is there any way around It? Like the ULEZ is only certain cars. Or a motor bike?

Won't it put off people going into Oxford for shopping? I'm near a small city and they put the parking up so it's a minium of 3 hours and £4 every car park. I would never just pop in on a whim any more

@Trex I think you need to start your own thread. Inadvertent mistake I take it x.

Cherwell is a secondary school - you’re not seriously saying people need to drive to do a school run for teenagers? That’s an age where they obviously can and should be walking with friends, cycling or getting the bus. No wonder so many kids are so anxious and shy if they’re still being driven to school by their parents when they’re about to start their GCSEs 🙄

So I'm correct in my understanding that the £5 a day charge is temporary untill some gates shut somewhere in 2026
Then it's a no go to drive to Oxford and and £85 charge a day if you do .

What about getting to hospital,like with sprained ankle ,or having a baby ..I ended up going in a few times before my baby was burn .
Is that exempt

A lot of children with SEN are in mainstream,who need a place in a special school ,but can't get one ,they may not be able to get themselves to school and back

I haven’t read the whole thread but these incentives just cause considerable inconvenience for workers. To use public transport you have to leave your home earlier/ ferrying children to school/ clubs/ access etc all now has to be factored in. If I was to use the bus for work it would add an extra 90 minutes into my working day.
At the moment I get home at 5.30 straight back out to drop dd at sports 4 nights a week which would occur further payments in this scheme.

I was going to comment........ "huh, what are you on about???" as no discernable clues in the op/title but in scrolling down Ive seen that its about a congestion charge.

If it affects house prices thats a good thing - it will make Oxford a more affordable city.
Yes I totally get £5 a day as a congestion charge is crazy but thats the idea - to put people off from driving so much. To encourage them to take buses, trains, cycle or walk instead.
Where I live (boring town) commuting to work is £6 a day by bus (and thats cheaper than it used to be although more than when all tickets where £2)
I think rather than moaning about it a better bet would be to campaign for more bus and train services, park and ride etc.

He's already paying £100 in petrol per month
This will double it
He can't take the train or bus as he starts working at 5 am some days and finishes at 2 am other days

This. We live about 3.5 miles from the Cherwell and my son cycled there daily with no problems. Most Cherwell students cycle.

Cycling in Oxford is fine, honestly. Not everyone can do it, but many people can do it. I've lived here for 20 years and brought up two DC; we've never needed a car.

Public transport needs to be vastly improved though, and I'm hoping that the congestion charges will make the bus system operate better.