Oxfordshire County Council has published the results of its informal consultation on plans to improve walking, wheeling and cycling through Abingdon town centre.
The overall picture is one of broad support. However, residents of East St Helen Street – who made up around 6% of respondents strongly opposed some measures.
The full results can be viewed at https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/43234/widgets/147176/documents/103518
The consultation, held between 30 September and 28 October 2025, focused on a £1.47 million scheme funded through the Government’s Active Travel Fund. It would upgrade the National Cycle Network Route 5 (NCN5) as it passes through the town centre.
Proposals included:
* New pedestrian and cycle crossings at the Bridge Street / High Street junction
* A contraflow cycle lane on East St Helen Street
* Planting on East St Helen Street
* New informal crossings on both East and West St Helen Streets
* Early-stage ideas for a future contraflow on West St Helen Street (not yet funded)
Around 345 people completed the survey and more than 220 attending drop-in events at Abingdon Guildhall.
Support for individual elements varied.
Improved crossings at the Bridge Street / High Street junction were supported (strongly or partly) by 81% overall, and 50% of East St Helen Street residents.
The East St Helen Street contraflow was supported by 70% overall, but only 15% of East St Helen Street residents.
New planting in East St Helen Street was backed by 67% overall, but just 5% of residents on East St Helen Street residents.
Respondents with disabilities generally supported the proposals.
55% of respondents said the changes would make them more likely to walk, wheel or cycle in the area – an aim of the scheme.
Despite this overall support, several concerns were repeatedly raised.
Road width and safety
Many questioned whether East St Helen Street is too narrow to accommodate contraflow cycling alongside parked cars, pedestrians and delivery vehicles. Heavy goods vehicles serving local businesses were mentioned.
Parking pressure
Residents, particularly on East St Helen Street, were concerned about the loss of already limited parking spaces.
Heritage and character
There was worry about the visual impact of road markings, signage and materials on one of Abingdon’s most historic streets.
Crossing locations
Some respondents felt the proposed crossing points may not align with how people actually move through the area.
The consultation suggests that many people see benefits in safer crossings and a more connected cycling route through the town. At the same time, there are challenges in introducing these changes on a narrow, historic street.
Council officers are now reviewing the feedback to decide whether changes are needed before the scheme progresses.
As a reminder of current conditions, there was an incident on East St Helen Street today involving a car manoeuvring to park and another passing vehicle that hit the car and shunted it into other parked cars.
How apposite that this should appear on The Blog the day after the car accident on East St. Hellens. I walked passed it shortly after it happened and there were bits of car bodywork all over the road and hanging off the two vehicles … forget ‘crumple zones’ it was more like a disintegration. Even so, the cars can’t have been going any great speed … just good fortune that any cyclists weren’t in close proximity. There was some ‘tidyng up’ going on as I passed so I couldn’t tell whether either of the vehicles had mounted a pavement … A lot of luck at play, though I felt sorry for both drivers as a ‘momentary’ loss of concentration in ‘tight’ circumstances’ had such disproportionate repercussions.
Just had a quick scan of the Council report and it contains a lot of numbers from a small self-selected sample and some authoritative-looking tables … I do have experience of this sort of thing having written the ‘spec’ for two successive Music Charts contracts … and it still doesn’t take into account what happens to traffic wanting to access South Abingdon and The Brewery from Stert and Bridge Streets during times when The Fair is in Town if the key road junction is to be infested with road furniture. I suppose, after filtering through Town these drivers will have to joint the others inching along the Drayton Road.
This plan still looks like the Council wanting a project they can spend some money on just so they can appear ‘decision-makers’.
I think the results are good but as always, woefully low numbers of respondents for a town of 40k. Just in reply to the other comment, as has been stated before the funding for this project comes directly from central government and is ringfenced for exactly these kinds of projects. I am personally grateful that our local gov’t is looking out for such grants and making the most of the available funds to improve the town which I think the junction improvements will do.
At the consultation I asked the council rep whether this project would go ahead regardless of the consultation results, he refused to comment simply stating they would review the views. I suggested that they had been given a guaranteed amount of money to spend on this project and if they didnt use it for this purpose they would lose it, and therefore it would proceed regardless, he refused to comment.
From a west st helen st resident.
Very pleased about this getting the go ahead. It will really help improve access to and around Abingdon.
Crossing Bridge Street with a pram is no fun. All too often drivers are more interested looking for a gap, than for people.
It will also be massively helpful for families, locals, and commuting cyclists to get into Abingdon from South and West Abingdon.
People will not only be able to follow a cycle route, they’ll be able to wheel / use mobility scooters / cycle along it as well.
Glad you’re pleased, Phil. Whereabouts in Abingdon do you live?
yep bikes and mobility scooters one way and co op lorrys and cars the other way in a road that at some points is not even 15 feet wide, pretty obvious that those in favour do not live locally in the town centre
Shocking. This will erode even more.of the towns character.
Bollards, tacky orange/broen tarmac and more and more signs everywhere – pat yourselves in the back, well done!
Another excretion from the Traffic Engineering graduates ? Natives may get used to it but certainly signage Data-overload for visitors unfamiliar with the town even if they are familiar with the contents of the Highway Code (pedestrians as well as drivers). Just because they exist, doesn’t mean that all available graphics should be used within a 200 metre stretch of surface.
However, I will reserve judgement until the result becomes mixed with the usual highway anarchy. Contra-flow cyclists in a narrow space – what could possibly go wrong ?