A campaign has begun calling on Oxfordshire County Council to reinstate consistent bus routes across Donnington Bridge.
The river crossing, connecting Abingdon Road and Iffley Road, has operated under an emergency 7.5-tonne weight restriction since August 2024 after assessments revealed its deteriorating state.
Consequently, the number 46 service running between Oxford city centre and Great Milton, which previously used the bridge, now travels via Iffley Road instead.
Residents living in Donnington and Hinksey now encounter extended trips to reach Donnington Health Centre, while those from Cowley and Florence Park must journey further towards Abingdon Road to access facilities including Hinksey Outdoor Pool.
Currently, a restricted 46a minibus operates across the bridge, providing just four return journeys each day, roughly between 10.30am and 2pm. No service operates on Saturdays, Sundays or public holidays.
Judith Secker, who chairs the Florence Park Community Association and backs the petition, is pressing the council to broaden the minibus offering to include mornings, afternoons and weekends. A comparable request was turned down twelve months earlier.
She stated that she regularly uses Hinksey Baths and suffers from significant knee problems, with swimming being an activity she values. She explained that without bus access, she would need to walk for approximately 20 minutes on paved surfaces, which exacerbates her knee condition.
An Oxford Bus Company representative indicated that falling passenger numbers on the 46 route have compromised its commercial sustainability, though the company would deploy minibuses if financial support were provided.
The bus company representative noted that the firm recognises the vital connections that bus services crossing Donnington Bridge can offer local residents and understands the frustration expressed by those behind the petition. The company added that it would be willing to run a service across the bridge using smaller vehicles but would need subsidy funding, as the reduced capacity of such minibuses would make the operation unprofitable without external financial backing.
Ms Secker further commented that it is simply not acceptable that the service will not be utilised, and in the interim, someone must provide a considerably improved temporary bus arrangement.
Labour councillor Brad Braines, representing the Isis division, has also initiated a petition calling for intervention.
He stated that the council must take whatever steps are required to restore the link between Abingdon Road and Iffley Road, while simultaneously reintroducing a complete timetable service using smaller vehicles in the short term. He noted that the number 46 bus was secured after significant campaigning by local residents and Labour councillors following the discontinuation of the number 16 service in 2022.
Technical assessments have established that the bridge requires either strengthening or full reconstruction before standard-sized buses can resume crossing. Strengthening work could require approximately £4 million and span two years, while complete replacement might cost up to £30 million and demand considerably more time.
The council indicated that investigative work examining potential solutions is scheduled for completion by summer, though enhancing the existing service would, regrettably, prove unfeasible from a practical standpoint.