Motorists dealt major blow as beloved UK city imposes fine on every car

The city’s local council says it needed to approve the increase, but residents have been left seething when they were told they would have to pay to own a car within the city

Motorists in a legendary UK city have been told they will have to pay an extra fee to drive a car within its limits. As a result, drivers have been left furious while businesses have petitioned for the plans to be reversed.

Councillors greenlit a £5 daily congestion charge that will come into force within the city of Oxford, following in the footsteps of other cities including London and Manchester. As a result, every driver who passes through one of six key streets in the city will have to shelf out.

Plans for the charge will come into force on November 10; giving motorists two months to prepare for the new rules to become law. A number of security cameras will also be set up in the city over the next few weeks, with drivers seeing warning signs ahead of the introduction of the new system.

Oxfordshire City Council revealed the £5 congestion charge will generate a total of £3.2million for the local economy — all of which will go towards rebuilding the road infrastructure for the city. The Sun reported that cameras are expected to catch drivers out on traditional bottlenecks for traffic in the city, only heightening motorists’ fury.

However, despite the vote to bring in the charge, not everyone will be liable to pay for the fee. Only those who work as traders, carers, blue badge holders and those who live or commute to central Oxford will be able to apply for a permit to avoid paying the charge.

In a statement, the local authority told residents that the measure was only “temporary” and was only being brought in as a result of the major traffic jams being seen at Botley Road. The roadworks have caused such disruption that the wider traffic project has had to be delayed until 2026.

Speaking to the newspaper, Councillor Andrew Grant — who works as the council’s transport lead — said: “This policy doesn’t cure everything but it does deliver very significant benefits.” However, many residents have hit out at the move, saying that it is instead a “tax on working people”, and will hugely impact trade in the run-up to Christmas.

As a result, a number of people have formed a lobbying group — Open Roads for Oxford — and recently confirmed they would be bringing legal action against the council for their decision. Leader Paul Major accused the authority of refusing to consider resident’s concerns.

“The council are simply not listening to the very real and evidence-based concerns being raised, not only through their consultation, but also by people and groups who have raised their concerns at council meetings,” Major explained. “This is simply not acceptable.”

Local businesses have also joined the calls to reverse the charges, saying they will be massively hit by the proposals. However, some proponents of the scheme have backed the idea, saying it would help create a much greener society.

Local bus company owner Luke Marion explained that the decision will help provide “faster journeys” and will “free up all the resources” for public transport. Charity Cyclox — who operates out of Oxford added that the congestion charge is “a modest form of compensation for the harms that driving imposes on others”.

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.