PLANS for new bus gates in Oxford city centre should be abandoned, according to a county councillor, who says it could play havoc with traffic on the edges of the city.

Oxfordshire County Council confirmed earlier this year it was considering the measure as a way of reducing through traffic in the city centre.

Now the transport network is to be reviewed and John Howson, county councillor for St Margaret’s division in North Oxford, has warned new bus gates could leave residents cut off.

Mr Howson said: “The bus gate in High Street is enough for this city.”

He is concerned a bus gate in Worcester Street, mooted in the Oxford Transport Strategy, (OTS) would prevent residents north of the city from heading west to the rail station and Botley Road shops.

Instead they would be forced onto the ring road, adding to congestion on the A34, now the subject of a Government safety review.

As part of the OTS, the council highlighted possible options for reducing traffic including bus gates in Worcester Street and St Cross Road, as well as congestion charging and a workplace parking levy.

The Local Transport Plan, which includes the OTS, is now being reviewed and Mr Howson said any additional bus gates should not go ahead.

He added: “The possibility of new bus gates has been prompted by concerns about the Northern Gateway development bringing 10,000 new employees.

“People in the north of the city don’t want to be put in the position where they have to go around the bypass to get to where they want to go.

“If additional bus gates do go ahead there should be a compromise allowing residents to get through with vehicle number plate recognition.”

The transport plan was approved just over a year ago but county council leader Ian Hudspeth said it was now under review.

Cabinet member for transport David Nimmo Smith told Mr Howson last month that the council would be doing a study this year to look at locations for the restrictions.

County council spokesman Paul Smith said: "Every council in the country routinely reviews its local transport plans on an annual basis to ensure they continue to meet local needs.

"We haven’t identified any studies yet so there are no costs or timescales.

"There are no specific plans at this stage to install any bus gates and so we don’t have estimates for installation or running them."

He added that a workplace parking levy would be discussed by council leaders in the coming months.