By ROB HULL, MOTORING EDITOR
Oxfordshire County Council will introduce the first new Congestion Charge in Britain for two decades at the end of this month as the car-hating Liberal Democrat-run council accelerates towards its ban on cars entering the city centre.
The 'temporary' congestion charge - the first since Durham's launched in 2002 and London's in 2003 - arrives on 29 October, stinging drivers £5-a-day when using six key city-centre roads.
However, the measure is just a precursor for a more punitive scheme that will replace it next year with the view to banish cars from parts of the historic city entirely.
Once repair works to the Botley Road station bridge are complete in 2026, the council will trial a 'Traffic Filter' system that will trigger fines of £70 to motorists who enter one of the six busy roads.
Locals have warned that the plans will cripple businesses in Oxford in the run-up to the busy Christmas period, which have already been hit by controversial low traffic neighbourhoods and the nation's only Zero Emission Zone.
A campaign group made up of business owners in the centre of the city earlier this month initialised legal action against the council, calling the congestion charge 'discriminatory and disproportionate against older people, lower-income households, and those with complex mobility and access needs'.
The council that hates cars: Oxfordshire County Council will introduce the first new Congestion Charge in Britain for over two decades at the end of this month
The council has claimed the new scheme will help to reduce traffic and make bus journeys faster and more reliable.
They also suggest the move could make walking and cycling safer, as well as reduce local air pollution.
The temporary congestion charge zone will cover the same six roads as the traffic filter system that will eventually replace it, potentially from summer 2026.
Only 'M1 vehicles' are impacted - this includes cars of all fuel types, including EVs, and motorhomes.
Vans and other vehicle types are exempt.
Using ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras installed at the end of each road, four of the streets will be enforced seven days a week between 7am and 7pm. These are Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, St Clements Street and Thames Street.
The council has claimed the new scheme will help to reduce traffic and make bus journeys faster and more reliable. They also suggest the move could make walking and cycling safer, as well as reduce local air pollution
Failure to pay the £5 daily charge online or on the phone by midnight on that day will see motorists hit with a £70 fine, which is halved to £35 if paid within 14 days. Anyone who refuses to pay within 28 days will see the penalty increased to £105
Oxford's congestion charge is only 'temporary'. Once works are completed on a busy road in and out of the city, it is due to be replaced by a 'traffic filter' system that fines car drivers during operating hours
The congestion charge will be in place for two other streets - Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way - from Monday to Saturday in the morning between 7am and 9am and afternoon between the hours of 3pm and 6pm.
The charge will be payable only once per day and allows cars to go through multiple charge locations per day, or any single charge location multiple times on a daily basis.
Failure to pay the daily charge online or on the phone by midnight will trigger a £70 fine, which is halved to £35 if paid within 14 days.
Anyone who refuses to pay within 28 days will see the penalty increased to £105.
Residents are able to apply for three different types of permit: a central permit area (unlimited plus 50 visitor passes), Oxford residents' permit area (100 free day passes for a year) and a wider Oxfordshire residents' permit area (25 free day passes).
Two permits can be allocated per Oxfordshire household or three for those living within the Oxford city limits. These can be registered to three cars at the home address.
For permit holders, a day pass is deducted per car entering the zone on a daily basis.
Blue Badge holders can also receive a permit that allows unlimited travel through all six congestion charging locations during charging hours.
Andrew Gant, cabinet member for transport management, described the congestion charge as 'another important milestone in delivering a cleaner, more accessible Oxford'.
He said: 'The temporary congestion charge will help reduce queues, improve air quality, and make public transport more reliable.
'Together with our free park-and-ride offer, this will help everyone move around the city more easily and support local businesses as we head into the busy Christmas period.'
The 'temporary' nature of the congestion charge allows it to legally remain in place for up to two years.
However, with Botley Road - a main route into the city - scheduled to reopen in August 2026, the council has described it as an 'intermedia' measure until the traffic filter scheme can be rolled out.
This is designed to prevent through traffic using the roads during peak times.
Using the same ANPR cameras, the traffic filter will trigger fines for any passenger car using the eight roads on specific days and hours that have yet to be determined by the council.
Cars entering these roads without a valid permit at a time during operating hours will receive a fine of £70 (reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days).
Again, permits will be made available to residents and Blue Badge holders, as well as unpaid carers, firefighters, car clubs, approved driving instructors and others deemed eligible for permits.
Drivers have already paid out more than £1million in fines for driving through Oxford's Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) over three-and-a-half years, according to figures provided via a Freedom of Information request.
More than 52,000 fines have been issued to motorists since the LTNs were put in place in Cowley and East Oxford from 2022.
Drivers have already paid out more than £1million in fines for driving through Oxford's Low Traffic Neighbourhoods since 2022, official figures show. Pictured: an LTN in Cowley, which is where Mini's car plant is based
Oxford is the first city in the UK to introduce a Zero Emission Zone. It is currently enforced on just nine streets in the centre but could be dramatically expanded next year
Oxford also has the nation's only Zero Emission Zone in place in the city centre covering nine streets in total: New Road, Bonn Square, Queen Street, Cornmarket Street, New Inn Hall Street, Shoe Lane, Market Street, Ship Street and St Michael’s Street.
Charges are based on the emissions output and standard of vehicles. While EVs are exempt, ultra-low emission hybrid vehicles emitting less than 75g/km CO2 are charged £2, while Euro 4 petrols and Euro 6 diesels are hit with daily rates of £4. All other vehicles are charged £10 per day, with the zone effective from 7am to 7pm.
Failed payment triggers a £60 penalty charge notice, which is cut in half to £30 if paid within a fortnight.
While the ZEZ only covers a small area, the council plans to enter a public consultation in 2026 as it determines whether to expand the zone to cover a far larger part of the city.
Only electric cars are exempt from Oxford's ZEZ. All other vehicles face daily charges of between £2 and £20 to use the nine rides enforced by the scheme
The breakdown of ZEZ charges introduced by Oxford County Council depending on vehicle type and emissions
Residents and business owners have reacted angrily to the congestion zone and plans for traffic filter scheme - including Clinton Pugh, the father of actor Florence Pugh, who warned it would increase the divide between rich and the poor.
Earlier this month, the council was issued with a pre-action protocol letter from lawyers acting on behalf of Open Roads for Oxford - an organisation opposing the new measures.
The letter threatened to take the council's decision to judicial review, including that a public consultation collating over 7,000 responses were not 'conscientiously taken into account'.
'The consultation was rushed and not well publicised, the results effectively ignored and we believe the decision predetermined,' the group said in a statement.
'A massive 74 per cent of respondents indicated that the overall impact of the scheme would be negative, with 82 per cent of those saying the impact would be very negative; and 66 per cent of respondents were against any congestion charge whatsoever.
'These aren't just numbers - they're the voices of families, workers, and businesses screaming that this policy is unfair, burdensome, and utterly misguided.
'Yet, the Council’s cabinet member for transport management, Cllr Gant, has dismissed them, claiming that many negative consultation responses were based on people misunderstanding the scheme.'
Mr Pugh, who spent 32 years running restaurants in the city, said he lost more than £1million and his pension due to councillors refusing to listen to locals and business owners.
'The county council has again completely ignored the concerns of the majority of citizens and businesses from their own survey,' he said.
Residents and shop owners have reacted angrily to the congestion zone, saying it will cripple businesses in Oxford in the run-up to the busy Christmas period
Oxfordshire County Council acknowledged it had received the notice and was considering its content.
It has until tomorrow (21 October) to respond, either by accepting the decision was unlawful and not introducing the temporary scheme, or proceeding with its plans to go live with the congestion charge on 29 October and set out a proposed defence to the challenges raised by Open Roads for Oxford.
Paul Major, who owns Pens Plus of Oxford and is chair of the campaign group, told the BBC: 'We had hoped the county council would listen to the very real and evidence-based concerns being raised about this scheme, but they continue to ignore them, with apparently little regard for the harm this will cause to individuals and businesses.'
Emily Scaysbrook, owner of Hoyle's in the city centre, added that the group is 'ready to pursue all legal avenues necessary'.
The group has reportedly raised more than £25,000 towards its campaign. including over £6,000 donated via a GoFundMe page.
