It will soon be even harder to get into Oxford, for drivers that is. Authorities in the historic UK university town have given the green light to a temporary congestion charge of £5 per day (around €5.7) covering six areas in the city centre from November 2025.
The move comes in response to growing traffic problems that have been blamed on improvement works around Oxford Railway Station and the closure of Botley Road, a major western access route into the city lined with out-of-town retail stores.
Following a six-week consultation, councillors have now approved the congestion charge. It will apply from Monday to Sunday from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm to car drivers entering the city at Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, St Clement’s Street, Thames Street; and Monday to Saturday from 7:00 am to 9:00 am and from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way. There is no exception for Bank Holidays.
The Oxford temporary congestion charge has been given the go ahead by our cabinet and will begin later this autumn.
— Oxfordshire County Council (@OxfordshireCC) September 11, 2025
Read the full story: https://t.co/iFXWl9WmDj pic.twitter.com/cINQEjR3nW
Automatic number plate recognition cameras (ANPR) will pick up vehicles entering the congestion zones, with drivers expected to pay the fee online. Anyone who ignores the obligation to pay the charge will face fines of £70 (over €80).
Exemptions include lorries, motorcycles, and vans, while residents who live inside a “central permit area” will receive a free, year-long permit. Other concessions giving free access apply to carers, health workers, mobile tradespeople, and those with reduced mobility who benefit from a “blue badge.”
Meanwhile, inhabitants of Oxford who live outside the designated zone will be eligible for between 25 and 100-day passes, giving unlimited access to the congestion zone on specified dates.
Statement from Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council on Oxfordshire County Council’s proposal for Oxford temporary congestion charge. pic.twitter.com/IIoISyVy9z
— Oxford City Council (@OxfordCity) June 9, 2025
The scheme is expected to last until August 2026, when the multi-million-pound rail project to refurb Oxford’s station entrance, track and platform is due for completion. If there are delays to that infrastructure work, the congestion charge must end after two years.
Expected to raise £3.2 million (around €3.7 million), a sum intended to improve public transport in the city, the charge has been welcomed by Luke Marion, Oxford Bus Company’s managing director, who believes its introduction will reduce traffic and speed up journeys in “great news for passengers.”
However, campaigners such as Open Roads for Oxford, a limited company led by independent shop owners and political candidates, have already said they will take the council to court over the measures due to their “very real and evidence-based concerns” that they say have been ignored.
