New bus shelters ahead

4:58pm Tuesday 29th January 2008

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Oxford will be home to 72 new bus shelters by next spring in a five-year scheme to update the city's bus stops.

The first will be installed in Blackbird Leys by the end of March, and more than 180 will go up across the city by spring 2013.

The project comes after Oxford City Council agreed a funding deal with outdoor advertisers Clear Channel UK.

Passengers will see two different styles of shelter in the coming months.

An 'Insignia' design, with silver seats and an Oxford Blue frame, will be used in the majority of the city and will be funded by Clear Channel.

'Landmark' shelters will be installed in the city centre and in conservation areas. These will be silver with Oxford Blue seats and mid-rails.

Both types will be able to carry real-time information boards for bus travellers, should Oxfordshire County Council wish to install the technology at a later date.

Planning permission has also been obtained for some of the shelters to carry advertisements.

Oxford City Council spokeswoman Louisa Dean said: "Some shelters will carry lighting which has been welcomed as it provides increased safety to users.

"These shelters will be lit by bulbs to a significantly lower register than the maximum level normally allowed within the city in order not to cause undue levels of light pollution, and the lights are on sensors which will activate illumination from dusk until dawn."

City council leader John Goddard said: "I would like to thank everybody who has worked hard to put together a good deal for the city and I am delighted that Clear Channel UK have met our aspirations."

Jean Fooks, executive member for a cleaner city, said: "The first shelter to be installed will be in Blackbird Leys and I am looking forward to seeing new, smart shelters across the city."

The outgoing shelters will all be recycled.

The scheme was first announced in September 2006 and work to replace existing bus shelters was set to start last autumn.

But contract negotiations, involving the location and design of the shelters, delayed their introduction.

In August, Oxford Civic Society chairman Tony Joyce expressed concerns about the advertising plans.

He said: "In a historic city like Oxford, bus shelters should be designed to be unobtrusive."