In 2021, after Robert’s hard-fought campaign, including debates in the House of Commons and a visit from the then Secretary of State for Transport to the A40, Robert was delighted to have secured £35 million in funding from the Department of Transport to build an 850 space Park and Ride at Eynsham with a dedicated access junction as well as a new eastbound bus lane between Eynsham to Wolvercote.
In June 2023, following the Council’s review into the scheme and its deliverability within the current funding package, Robert sought meetings with officials at the County Council working on the A40 improvements to keep the pressure on the Council and to work with them to find a way to deliver on these crucial upgrades on behalf of his constituents in West Oxfordshire.
Whilst Robert is aware of the good news that the Eynsham Park and Ride is near completion, he is calling on the Council to better manage the government funds given to deliver the scheme. He highlights the persistent delays in getting on with delivering other crucial aspects of the project, such as both eastbound and westbound bus lanes – with perhaps the most concerning failure being the lack of an access road to allow people to use the park and ride.
In response to meetings Robert held at County Hall, he has now met with his colleagues at the highest levels of government - the Housing Minister, Lee Rowley MP and the Minister for Roads, Guy Opperman MP - to help Oxfordshire County Council find a way forward and deliver on the scheme Robert fought hard to secure funding for on behalf of his constituents in West Oxfordshire.
Commenting, Robert said:
“West Oxfordshire residents have for much too long suffered on a daily basis with persistent congestion along the A40.
“In 2021 I was delighted to have helped secure the largest investment for the A40 in a generation.
“But residents across West Oxfordshire’s are rightly concerned that their County Council have - yet again - proven they cannot be trusted with public funds, this time due to the apparent significant overspending on the Eynsham Park & Ride. As a result, the Council has been left floundering to find the funds to deliver on the other essential components of the scheme – without which their completed Park and Ride is of no use at all.
“I have further scheduled meetings with officials from the Department for Transport to find out what exactly has gone wrong here and how best to move forward."
