TRAFFIC across Oxford ground to a halt once again yesterday as yet another set of roadworks began.

Resurfacing and widening of the A420 London Road, Headington, started resulting in another major route into the city being blocked.

This added to delays alreadycaused by work to build a new junction at Worcester Street and George Street, the contraflow between Kennington roundabout and Hinksey Hill and works at The Plain roundabout.

And, as drivers struggled in the rain to cope with those roadworks, traffic was held up further by several accidents, including a six-vehicle collision at the Wolvercote roundabout on the A40 at 8.30am and another two-car incident at the Green Road roundabout at Headington.

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Cases at Oxford Crown Court were delayed as jurors battled through the congestion, with one judge describing roadworks as “the perfect storm” for delays.

City politicians will meet today to discuss the plans for Frideswide Square, and Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood will meet with Chancellor George Osborne tomorrow to discuss congestion affecting the A34.

From tomorrow, Abingdon Road in Oxford will not be accessible in either direction from Kennington roundabout, and the main work on Frideswide Square is set to begin next February.

Pat O’Sullivan has been a driving instructor in the city for 12 years.

He said: “I’ve never witnessed anything as bad as this. It’s horrendous.”
The East Oxford resident, 58,
added: “What I don’t understand is why the council has started another set of major roadworks when they haven’t finished the others. It’s causing chaos everywhere.”
Paul Mills, 32, left his home in Priory Mill Lane, Witney, at 6.30am so he could be on time for jury service at Oxford Crown Court at 9am, but was half an hour late. He got stuck in queues at Swinford Toll Bridge, near Eynsham, and Botley Road.
Mr Mills, who designs renewable energy systems, said: “I planned the journey in advance to avoid the A40 by going on the back route but I couldn’t even get to the Seacourt Park and Ride. For a journey that’s 13 miles it should have been fine. Thankfully everyone else was late.”
Judge Peter Ross, who was presiding over a case from Reading at Oxford Crown Court yesterday, had the hearing delayed by nearly an hour because some jurors were late.
He said: “I am not surprised having seen the news. Those responsible for this seem to have created a perfect storm.”
City council leader Bob Price demanded action over the traffic problems.
He said: “The county council has failed to think it through in a careful enough way. They’ve done an experiment and seen it’s been a disaster, they should stop and think about how they can improve it.”
He said the economic impact for the city could be as bad as the flooding during the winter, adding: “We must try to impress upon the county council the importance of keeping the city open for business.”
He said the problems will be discussed at a meeting between the councils today, but said he did not have any specific suggestions as to how to improve the situation.
Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood said: “While I welcome the fact these roadworks will eventually make our roads better,  the appalling traffic is simply at an unacceptable level.
“I will be meeting with the Chancellor on Wednesday to make the case for urgent investment in the A34 on a scale that will finally address the capacity problems which are at the root of so many issues on the wider road network.”
But the county council insisted the roadworks are necessary and said funding windows mean they have to be done simultaneously.
Spokesman Paul Smith said: “There is no magic wand that means Oxfordshire can get major and complex projects done overnight.
“If we want the long-term gain there has to be the short-term pain.
“While this means that there will be work going on in different places at the same time, and significant disruption while that is done, it also means we will ultimately get more schemes done more quickly, creating more capacity on our road network.”
There were no incidents on the A34 yesterday, but motorists were held up by several accidents, including a six-vehicle collision at the Wolvercote roundabout on the A40.
Police were called to the scene at the BP garage at 8.30am after a silver Dihatsu, silver Jaguar, grey BMW X3 , red Hyundai, blue Peugeot 207, and red Nissan Micra blocked the road in both directions.
Three people were taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
A lorry and an Audi were involved in a collision at the Green Road roundabout, Headington, at about 9.40am, and a fallen tree blocked the A40 near Lewknor.

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Police remove a car following a six-vehicle crash on the A40
The M40 was also closed after two lorries and a car collided between junctions 10 and 11 at about noon.
Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach both said they had major delays on all city services throughout most of the day.
Oxford Bus Company spokesman Phil Ashworth said: “While the roadworks are taking place we hope that our passengers understand we’re trying all we possibly can to keep up with the situation.”

ROADWORKS TAKING PLACE NOW

Kennington Roundabout/
Hinksey Hill: Until January 9, 2015.
Frideswide Square: Work on Becket Street, Osney Lane, and the Worcester Street/George Street junction until December 8. Main work on square due to start in February 2015 and finish by December 2015.
City: Cycling and pedestrian improvement work on The Plain, Cowley Place, Cowley Road, Iffley Road, St Clement’s Street, High Street and Longwall Street until April 6, 2015.
London Road: Widening until May 2015.

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