‘Countryside LTNs’ could ban traffic from Oxfordshire rural roads

Oxfordshire County Council said it would now be working with the county’s parish and town council’s to identify potential routes to pilot the scheme.

One of the proposals currently being consulted on is to close Shepards Pit Lane in Stanton Saint John, which resident Nicola Mallows said was “the main access road” into the village.

“I feel that closing this road is not to the advantage of the residents of Stanton Saint John, whereas chicaning it… may also be a problem,” she said.

Mallows added that although she thought the scheme was “well-intentioned”, most people in the village “rely upon a car” to get around.

But Stanton Saint John parish councillor David Polgreen disagreed, saying: “The idea is that If you actually allow active travel only along there, then people who are cycling and pedestrians and horse riders can just relax.”

“They know that there won’t be any other motorised traffic along there, and there is a very good other route that a lot of people take anyway,” he added.