TALKS have been taking place to beat a bottleneck for buses in Oxford High Street.

Last year Oxfordshire County Council widened the pavement alongside a bus stop close to the junction with Turl Street.

The plan was to create more space for shoppers travelling in and around the city following the opening of the £440m Westgate Centre in October.

But the unexpected result was to create a bottleneck for buses because they can no longer pass each other at that point.

On Thursday Phil Southall, managing director of Oxford Bus Company, and Martin Sutton, managing director of Stagecoach in Oxfordshire, met highways officers to discuss the transport network, with the Turl Street bus stop issue high on the agenda.

Hugh Jaeger, spokesman for the Oxford branch of Bus Users UK, called for action on behalf of passengers.

He said: “The pavement has been widened at the stop by about two metres - I have measured it.

“The council has to bite the bullet, admit it has widened the pavement too much and remove the extra paving by one or two metres.

“Or they could simply remove the bus stop and put it in Queen Street instead where there is more room for it.

“But something needs to be done.

"At the moment buses can’t get past each other and that it causing a delay for passengers.”

Mr Jaeger added that a bus stop had been removed on the opposite of the High Street and this has improved the situation.

Keen cyclist Colin Cook, who represents the Jericho and Osney ward on the city council, said earlier that the bottleneck was causing problems for buses, particularly in rush-hour traffic.

He added that cyclists in the city were also concerned the High Street was now more dangerous for cyclists than it had been before the stop was extended.

There is a bus gate in High Street, which uses camera enforcement to restrict normal traffic from using the road between 7.30am and 6.30pm.

Last year it emerged that drivers have paid out about £6m in fines over 10 years.

Oxfordshire County Council’s Andy Warren, project manager for major infrastructure delivery, admitted that the extension to the pavement at the bus stop was causing traffic congestion.

Mr Southall, said: “The long-planned meeting between bus operators and County Council Officers to review city centre matters was very constructive.

“We meet regularly to maintain dialogue and had a very positive discussion overall, particularly in relation to how congestion at Turl Street might be resolved.”

County council spokesman, Martin Crabtree, said: “We have been monitoring the bus stop arrangements in the city centre since the new Westgate Centre opened.

"We’re aware of the issues at High Street, but no preferred option has been agreed.”