A DECISION to close a busy Oxford shopping street to traffic could be reversed after six months if it causes problems, the county’s transport boss has said.

Speaking after a meeting in County Hall yesterday, Yvonne Constance said the planned pedestrianisation of Queen Street in October was ‘experimental’.

The Oxfordshire County Council cabinet member added: “You do experiments to find out what the effect of something is.

“So I am keeping very open-minded about this. It might work out beautifully, it might not.

“I am prepared for that.”

Her comments came after the council published proposals for a range of changes to road layouts in the city centre.

The authority wants them to be in place for when the Westgate Shopping Centre reopens after a £440m revamp on October 24.

This includes the pedestrianisation of Queen Street, due to fears that a big increase in shoppers will mean it is no longer safe for buses to also use the road.

But bus company chiefs say this will cut off a thoroughfare used by several services to turn around, with changes to routes likely to worsen congestion in the city centre.

Oxford Bus Company boss Phil Southall has said the council’s plan to address this issue – by allowing buses to turn at a handful of other junctions – is not ‘credible’.

But Mrs Constance yesterday said she wanted to press ahead with the plans anyway.

She added: “I am minded to go ahead with it.

“But we will be reviewing the arrangements after six months anyway and in that first period I do plan to meet with bus companies about it.”