Traffic flowed freely through the new multi-million-pound 'hamburger' roundabout in Oxford - but left some motorists feeling they were trapped in their estate yesterday.

Oxfordshire County Council's £2.6m redesign of the Green Road junction got the thumbs-up from many drivers who got their first real taste of the new system yesterday.

The roundabout features a road cutting through its centre - giving it the appearance from above of a hamburger - to take westbound traffic on the A40 from the London road section on to the Northern Bypass section towards Marston.

Work to create the lane through the centre of the Headington roundabout began in April, causing seven-and-a-half months of misery for motorists, local businesses and residents.

But motorist Adrian Keys, 36, of Northway in Barton, was among motorists who took almost 10 minutes to get on to the roundabout because there are no traffic lights at the Bayswater Road exit from the estate.

He said: "It's a nightmare getting out of Barton.

"They don't seem to have thought about the people coming from Barton or the villages.

"There is this brand new roundabout and we are still fighting to get out of our estate.

"There were a lot of frustrated drivers this morning. I am just lucky I managed to edge myself out. I had to keep pushing and pushing.

"The lights go green and all the traffic from Headington comes through, then the other lights go green and all the traffic from Summertown goes past. It's a nightmare."

The council said it was possible the timings of traffic lights could be changed to allow more time for Bayswater Road traffic to enter the roundabout.

Former Oxfordshire Chamber of Commerce president Keith Slater estimated that the project had cost users £22m in lost time, but he praised the scheme, which he called "very promising".

He added: "It will take a while for people to get used to it but evidence so far is that traffic flowed very well and smoothly.

"The county council has done a very good job and finished it on time which is great."

Stagecoach bus drivers are also happy with the scheme. Spokesman Chris Child said: "There have been no problems whatsoever. Everything is running to time and the drivers think it is brilliant."

Louisa Weeks, Oxford Bus Company director, said: "We are delighted that the roadworks are finally over. The first signs are that everything is moving well."

But not everyone was so enthusiastic. Neil Bolton, who owns Headington Bathrooms, by the roundabout, said the roadworks had cost him about £500,000 in lost turnover.

He said: "It has caused huge problems with the business. Hopefully it will sort itself out.

"It is taking traffic away from us but it is traffic we want."

Principal county engineer Colin Baird said Oxfordshire Highways had several members of staff monitoring traffic flows at the site.

He said: "A tremendous amount of work has gone into making the transition from the old system to the new one as smooth as possible.

"However that transition is not over, and it will take several weeks for everybody to get used to the new layout. Judgements should not be made about the hamburger for some time to come.

"I would also like to draw attention to the quality of the resurfacing work that has been done on the roads leading to the roundabout."

'I relish a new, easier commute'

What a difference eight months and £2.6m has made for motorists negotiating the notorious Green Road roundabout in Oxford, writes Matt Wilkinson.

I joined many other commuters and tackled the new 'Hamburger' junction during rush hour for the first time yesterday morning.

For anyone living in Headington, getting home can be frightening at the best of times - you can be grateful just to escape the Green Road roundabout without a scratch or a dent.

Occasionally I have witnessed manoeuvres on that roundabout usually reserved for the Red Arrows.

Testing the worst of the roadworks in August, it took me more than 30 minutes to drive from Wheatley to the roundabout driving at an average speed of 3mph.

But yesterday the cones and contraflow had gone - and so had the miles of tailbacks.

Motorists should tackle this 'Hamburger' with relish.