Oxford to introduce a £5 driver congestion charge – UK Times

Drivers in Oxford will now face a fee after plans to introduce a temporary congestion charge were approved in the historic city.

Oxfordshire County Council will enforce a £5 daily charge for car drivers to enter six parts of the centre this autumn.

The scheme is designed to reduce congestion and delays to buses, partly caused by the temporary closure of Botley Road since April 2023 because of a Network Rail project to expand the city’s railway station.

It will apply to car drivers only. All other vehicles will not be required to pay a charge and do not need a permit.

Cars with a permit or day pass – available for community health and care workers, carers, blue badge holders and mobile traders – will be exempt from paying the charge when they pass through a congestion area.

According to the council, the fee for motorists will make journeys faster, cycling safer and reduce air pollution.

Automatic number plate recognition cameras (ANPR) marked with traffic signs will be used to enforce the fee at charge locations.

The temporary congestion zone charge points will be active on Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, St Clement’s Street, Thames Street, Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way.

Charge times at all locations start from 7am at intervals until 7pm, depending on the area.

The £5 fee will be payable online all year round, including bank holidays, said the council.

Residents and their visitors in the central congestion area will also be given free 12-month permits where they have no choice but to drive through a charge location.

In wider Oxford, 100 and 25-day passes will allow residents to travel for free through the six charge locations.

Cars without a valid permit that do not pay the charge will receive a fine of £70.

The scheme is expected to start in November and stay in place for a maximum of two years.

It follows a six-week consultation period that ran from 23 June to 3 August 2025.

Read more: Oxford visitors could face new ‘tourist tax’