Declares that proposals to close the London Road Level Crossing as part of the East West Rail development have failed to reflect the strong local preference for an underpass that accommodates light vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians; and notes that widespread community support for such an underpass has been expressed through public meetings, correspondence and local engagement.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to support the construction of an underpass at the London Road level crossing in Bicester that could accommodate car users as well as cyclists and pedestrians.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Calum Miller, Official Report, 3 June 2025; Vol. 768, c. 280.]
[P003078]
Observations from theParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood):
As part of the EWR project, Network Rail and East West Railway Company have recommended that the level crossing at London Road in Bicester be closed due to the safety and connectivity issues at the crossing which would result from the introduction of EWR services, though no final decision on its future has yet been made.
EWR Co is considering an accessible pedestrian overbridge or underpass to provide a suitable replacement crossing for pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-motorised users of the crossing. It is also considering how vehicle traffic might be re-routed via existing roads. EWR Co is also looking further at the alternative routes that drivers would take and is exploring opportunities to introduce upgrades to local roads, such as improvements to junctions to help reduce journey times.
Following feedback to the recent non-statutory consultation in 2024, discussions are ongoing between EWR Co, Network Rail, and the local authority to understand the feasibility of evolving the design work to incorporate some form of vehicular access. However, this will be subject to both affordability and feasibility.
EWR Co will present a single-option solution for further consultation at a future statutory consultation.
The Department for Transport recognises that there are strong views locally in Bicester about closing the crossing and the concerns felt by local people that closing the crossing could damage connectivity and lengthen journey times for motorists. A diversionary route could be less disruptive for vehicle users than the congestion and delay that would be caused by waiting at the barriers once EWR is open in full. EWR Co’s analysis shows that the crossing barriers could be lowered for more than 32 minutes per hour, resulting in significant disruption for motorists, as well as a greatly increased safety risk that would come from a more intensely used level crossing.