Businesses in Bicester warn they’ll be forced to close if the town is “split in two”

More than 100 Bicester businesses and market traders are urging the government not to “split the town in two” by replacing the London Road crossing with a footbridge.

They have signed a joint letter urging ministers to back an underpass at London Road, warning that a footbridge would “paralyse” the town.

The letter, led by local campaigners and The Fat Zebra café, has been signed by local employers from several local retailers, including individual and national brands.

It has been sent to Chief Secretary to the Treasury, James Murray MP, ahead of the Government’s final decision on the future of the London Road crossing.

“Bicester will collapse”

Jonathan Morgan, owner of The Fat Zebra café in the town says, “I don't think we'll just see job losses. I think we will see businesses crash.”

“When they have closed it London Road crossing off for maintenance and things, there's a definite 20% and upwards drop in sales.

“There's a lot of businesses on the high street that are, I won't say on the edge, but if they took a 20% or 30% drop in sales, there's no way that they would continue”, he said.

Adding: “There's no way I can continue. If we lost that sort of volume of business, it's going to kill Bicester as well as me personally.

“So, we won't be able to continue if we lose that sort of volume of business.”

Campaigners also warn that a bridge with lifts would be ‘unreliable and inaccessible’, pushing traffic onto already congested routes and driving customers away from local shops.

Calum Miller, MP for Bicester and Woodstock, who has been campaigning on this issue, said: “Bicester has shown what a united community can achieve. From market traders to cafés, pubs, and barbers, local businesses have spoken with one clear voice: we need an underpass that keeps our town connected.

"Volunteers have driven this campaign with real determination, showing the strength and pride that runs through our town. Ministers cannot brush this off.

"We’ve come too far to stop now. The Treasury must back the underpass that serves everyone, not a bridge that splits Bicester in two.”

A Government spokesperson said: “We are working with East West Rail Company to carefully consider options for the future of the London Road level crossing, balancing costs with any impacts on the community.”