Gate marks the entrance to the first of Oxfordshire's newest quiet lanes
Measure has been introduced at Shepherds Pit Lane near the crematorium in Barton
Last updated 1st Oct 2026
The first of 10 streets to be blocked off to through traffic, Shepeherds Pit Lane has been closed with a gate across it at the Bayswater Road end near the Oxford Crematorium in Barton.
The gate has a 1.7m gap to allow access for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders.
Access is also maintained for residents, farmers, landowners, businesses and emergency services with a 20 mph speed limit, and other through-traffic will be re-routed along the adjacent B4027 Wheatley Road and Bayswater Road.
Conservative county and West Oxfordshire councillor Thomas Ashby has spoken out against the measure.
He said: “I am personally not a supporter of quiet lanes, as I see them as a continuation of an anti-motorist agenda.
“Support in this area is far from conclusive, and I’ve been contacted by local residents who are genuinely concerned about how this affects them.
“The county council doesn’t always know best – local residents, stakeholders, and parish councils must be properly consulted, and final decisions should be based on the majority of feedback from those directly affected.”
Mixed opinions have been shared in a Barton community group.
Ali Youngster said: “It is Oxfordshire County Council overstepping their authority again sadly.”
They described the road as “another LTN”.
Ali noted the national guidelines for the scheme would have been to put up signs and reduce the speed limit, saying “we all know OCC, they went full on, let’s put up some gates to prevent use of the road”.
This sentiment has been echoed by Independent Oxford Alliance councillor David Henwood.
He said: “My concern is not with the principle of making rural roads safer. It is about consistency.
“There are already quiet lanes across the country which operate under the established national guidance. ”
Mr Henwood suggested the county’s “own interpretation” risks creating “confusion for road users”.
The council has acknowledged that it is going beyond government guidance, but a spokesperson said the quiet lane “does not prevent people from using Shepherd’s Pit Lane”.
Aaron Marsh said: “Personally, I’m for the idea.
“I’ve often walked or cycled from Stanton St John to Headington and been very aware of how dangerous it is for vulnerable road users.
“I am very much in favour of the closure. It was not a useful road as Bayswater Road to B4027 is much quicker.”
The Shepherds Pit Lane restriction has followed concerns about road safety between Stanton St John village and Oxford and, according to the council, it was “shaped by local engagement carried out during 2025 and 2026”.
Mr Henwood said: “There are clearly residents who support making Shepherd’s Pit Lane safer for people walking, cycling and riding horses, and that should be acknowledged.
“But there are also residents who have raised concerns, and those concerns need to be taken seriously rather than simply being treated as an obstacle to the scheme.”
The nine other lanes are set to be put in place following a decision made by the county cabinet in May earlier this year.
The locations of those have not yet been revealed, but could include proposed streets in Blackthorn Village, Fawler, Towersey, Goring, Kennington, and Aston Rowant
Launching the consultation on the lane, county transport boss Gareth Epps said: “Quiet lanes are part of our commitment to making roads safer and encouraging sustainable travel.
“By removing through traffic, quiet lanes can reduce vehicle numbers and speeds, lower the risk and severity of collisions, and make minor roads feel calmer and safer for people who walk, cycle, wheel and ride horses.”
He added: “I would encourage anyone with an interest in the trial to share their views.”
A consultation will run for at least six months, with the trial set to run for at least a year, with a decision to be made on its permanent future “considering feedback alongside monitoring data”.
A council spokesperson said: “The Shepherd’s Pit Lane trial has been introduced lawfully using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), made under the county council’s existing powers as the local highway authority.”
They added that the “filtering” is being used because evidence, including Department for Transport evaluations and findings from the Transport Research Laboratory, found “sign-only quiet lanes generally deliver little or no reduction in traffic volumes or vehicle speeds”.