We request that Oxfordshire County Council carries out due diligence by re-opening Walton Street for 6 months whilst baseline data is collected prior to a formal consultation.

Essentially we don't disagree with the aims of the council - to improve air quality; improve conditions for cyclists and pedestrians; reduce congestion, and reduce 'rat running'. They are all worthy and valid aims, however, we disagree with the way that the authorities have gone about shutting Walton Street. 

We believe that no baseline data has been collected prior to the closure and therefore there is nothing to compare the results of the closure against at the end of the consultation period.

We believe the closure fails to address the authorities' aims for the following reasons:

1) air quality reduced in side streets in Jericho & Walton Manor

2) increase in HGV traffic in the backstreets of Jericho

3) impact on cyclists, children, the elderly and disabled has not been fully considered

4) concern about the impact on response times for the emergency services

5) increased mileage & journey times increases CO2 emissions

6) congestion is pushed elsewhere

7) increased rat runs in side streets