First quiet lane trial route announced for summer

The first route to adopt a new pilot scheme designed to cut traffic on rural roads has been confirmed by the local authority behind the scheme.

Oxfordshire County Council's Quiet Lanes scheme will shut 10 roads to traffic using "physical measures" - where there is an alternative or adjacent route available.

On Thursday, the authority confirmed to the BBC that the first of these would be Shepherd's Pit Lane in Stanton Saint John - near Oxford.

It said that, subject to a statutory consultation, it expected the quiet lane to be trialled "towards the end of the summer".

This would be done "under an experimental traffic regulation order, with an accompanying public consultation open to all", the authority added.

The council explained that the Shepard's Pit Lane quiet lane had been in development before the authority approved its new scheme in May.

It added that it was supported by the area's county councillor - the authority's leader Tim Bearder as well as the parish council.

David Polgreen, who is a parish councillor, told the BBC last month that the idea of the scheme was "that If you actually allow active travel only along there, then people who are cycling and pedestrians and horse riders can just relax".

"They know that there won't be any other motorised traffic along there, and there is a very good other route that a lot of people take anyway," he added.

But Stanton St John resident Nicola Mallows said the proposed route was "the main access road" into the village.

"I feel that closing this road is not to the advantage of the residents of Stanton Saint John, whereas chicaning it... may also be a problem," she said.

Mallows added that although she thought the scheme was "well-intentioned", most people in the village "rely upon a car" to get around.

Earlier this week, a list of 14 rural areas across Oxfordshire being considered for new Quiet Lanes was seen by the BBC.