What you need to know

The Plain roundabout scheme will remove one of the main cycling barriers into and out of Oxford city centre. The Plain is a busy five-arm roundabout with high bus flows and a history of cyclist casualties. It is also off-putting for less experienced riders. The county council is undertaking a project to improve the attractiveness and safety of the roundabout for cyclists and pedestrians by reducing the width of the circulatory carriageway and tightening the entrances onto the roundabout. 

How we’re getting on with the work

Work has started outside of Sainsbury’s. The new Yorkstone footway and loading bay is being laid at present and is due for completion in this section within the next couple of weeks.

Kerbs have been laid on the widened footway beside Magdalene College School. In addition, drainage work has begun in this section, providing additional gullies in this area. New gullies will be located within the footway as well as in the carriageway, reducing potential for water to collect.

The new green light for cyclists at Longwall Street has been activated, providing cyclists with a five second head start over all other traffic heading east at the junction. This is a first for Oxfordshire, making improvements for cyclists as they proceed east over Magdalene Bridge. 

Useful information

The first closure is now underway on The Plain roundabout. Access to St Clements Street is restricted from the Plain Roundabout. This will be in place until Sunday 1 February 2015. During this period, the diversion is via Jeune Street. Cyclist’s diversion is via Dawson Street.

On Monday 2 February, the exit onto the roundabout from St. Clements Street will be closed, with a diversion in place via Dawson Street. The cyclists’ diversion will be via Rectory Road and Cowley Road. This will be in place until Sunday 15 February. Larger vehicles are advised to use alternative routes to enter the city. Local bus companies will advise their passengers of closures to stops.

During the work, access to all properties will be maintained, and we will contact individuals directly about how we work outside of their property.

For further details and information about this scheme, please visit The Plain Project Page

For live travel information and our journey planner, visit Oxfordshire Travel Choices