Quiet Lanes weaponised against drivers, says councillor

A new pilot to close some countryside roads to through traffic is not in line with government guidance, the authority behind the plans has admitted.

Oxfordshire County Council is proposing the new scheme, known as Quiet Lanes, which will shut 10 roads to traffic using "physical measures" where there is an alternative or adjacent route available.

But this goes against the Department for Transport (DfT) guidance for Quiet Lanes, which describe routes that can be "shared use by walkers, cyclists, horse riders and motor vehicles".

Opposition councillor David Henwood alleged the policy was being "weaponised" against motorists, but the authority said it was "an enhancement" to DfT policy.

The council said the pilot was "going beyond traditional signage-based lanes to achieve the safest outcomes".

Oxfordshire already has signage-only lanes, but a council report citing DfT data previously stated they have "little to no influence on reducing either traffic volumes or vehicle speeds".

The new scheme, approved last month, will see vehicles - other than those belonging to residents, local businesses and farmers who require access - banned using filters.

Henwood, who is leader of the Independent Oxford Alliance group, said he feared the disconnect between the county's policy and government guidance showed its advocates had "misunderstood" the measure.

"Quiet Lanes were created to preserve quiet roads, not to create them," he said.

"Weaponising the designation as a vehicle for broader anti-car measures risks undermining both the spirit and the intent of the original legislation."

But Gareth Epps, the council's transport chief, said: "Preserving the character of the pilot lanes is at the heart of this programme – ensuring that country lanes are not undermined by inappropriate traffic.

"Ten lanes in the whole county is a drop in the ocean, and Oxfordshire residents who use cars will almost all be unaffected by this pilot."