A STUDY recommending radical changes to Oxford’s transport system which may never be acted on has cost the city and county councils a total of £77,060.

The local authorities hired consultants Phil Jones Associates to conduct a review of the transport network and the cost to the taxpayer has been revealed, following a Freedom of Information request from the Oxford Mail.

Recommendations include trialling a bus loop system, with one of two loops using Longwall Street, High Street, Cornmarket Street and, in one case, Broad Street and Holywell Street.

And traffic along High Street and St Aldates would be made one-way on a trial basis.

But the recommendations in Oxford City Centre: Movement and Public Realm Strategy are ‘not binding’ and only intended to influence the city council’s Local Plan, and the county council’s Oxford Transport Strategy.

When the county council was asked why the study could not have been produced by its own transport planners, it said in a joint response with the city council: “Projects of this nature are complex pieces of work, and are therefore often carried out by external consultants to ensure the right skills and resources are deployed on the project.

“For challenging subjects such as this we are also keen to get an independent view from people with broad experience of similar challenges in other places around the world.”

Oxford-based transport expert Hugh Jaeger said the money spent could have been used to pay for a new bus.

He added: “We do need a return on the money spent - it will be a waste if nothing proposed by the consultants is adopted but at least the debate is moving forward and I would like to see a controlled number of buses in Cornmarket. If I was creating a bus loop it would go via Cornmarket, George Street, Worcester Street, New Road, Queen Street and Carfax. There are too many buses in St Aldate’s.”

Mr Jaeger urged Yvonne Constance, cabinet member for environment, to present her recommendations on the study’s findings to cabinet, following consultation with highways officers. The county council paid £51,440 towards the cost of the study while the city council paid the rest. The total excludes VAT.