Oxford has been home to one of the world's most famous universities since the 11th century, inspiring learnt thinking among its “dreaming spires”.
Given the city's tagline, high-end bed shop And So To Bed sounds like the perfect local business. But after 25 years Patrick Clacy's outlet in the south-east of the city is now under cloud.
The looming imposition of traffic restrictions as the local council seeks to reduce the city's car journeys by a quarter by 2030 threatens to cut his customers off from the shop, he says.
For example, drivers of private cars will need a permit to travel through traffic filters at certain times of day, or risk a fine. While residents and some people living in nearby areas will get 100 day passes a year, Mr Clacy is left also wondering how he will get to work.
“I run the shop and I live 25 miles away,” he said. “I will be amazed if they give me 100 passes to commute into Oxford.”
Traffic measures are becoming an increasingly hot issue in UK local politics, not least in academic Oxford where some locals accuse council leaders of declaring war on the car.
Oxfordshire County Council has adopted the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan, under which it aims to cut one in four car journeys by 2030 and deliver a net-zero transport network by 2040.
Its goals are “reducing the need to travel, discouraging individual private vehicle journeys and making walking, cycling, public and shared transport the natural first choice”.
Some people see the various proposed and implemented measures as the only way to secure safer streets with cleaner air, while others regard the plans as nothing short of an affront to democracy and personal liberty. It is a debate that echoes across the UK.
The expansion of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez), became a pivotal issue in the recent by-election in Boris Johnson's former constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
Traffic-reducing and so-called 'pay-to-pollute' schemes have been proposed in several UK cities.
The schemes range from sophisticated systems using automatic number plate recognition cameras to photograph offending vehicles (and consequentially fine the registered keeper of the vehicle), to bollards or large wooden planters blocking off certain roads to create low-traffic neighbourhoods.
Liberal Democrat Andrew Gant is a councillor and cabinet member for highway management on Oxfordshire County Council.
“There are too many cars. It's unhealthy and it's unsafe,” Mr Gant told The National. “There's a general assumption that road space is somehow a resource which we can just help ourselves to as much as we want, whenever we want.
“The fact is, it is finite. It is a public good and it comes at a cost – a financial cost and a societal cost.”
Exactly how the council is going to reduce the number of car journeys has caused a good deal of confusion and anger.
Bus gates
Like many British cities, Oxford already has a degree of traffic control in place. At various points in the middle of the city, bus gates restrict vehicle movement.
Bus gates are not actual barriers, but short sections of streets which only buses and other authorised traffic, such as emergency vehicles, taxis and motorcycles, can use during the day.
Most vehicles can pass through the bus gates during the evenings and at night.
Covered by number plate cameras, those who ignore the restrictions will receive a £70 ($89) penalty.
In Oxford, these bus gates have been in operation for about 20 years.
Zero-emission zone
Right in the centre of Oxford, a few streets now comprise the zero-emission zone.
In this handful of streets, again covered by ANPR cameras, vehicles that create no emissions, such as fully electric motorcycles, cars and vans, move about without incurring a charge.
Petrol and diesel vehicles, including hybrids, incur a daily charge if they are driven in the zone between 7am and 7pm, unless they have an exemption.
The zone is considered to be a pilot scheme, having been in place for about 18 months. But the county council plans to significantly expand it within a few years.
Some still don't think it goes far enough.
“My concern is that the ZEZ is not actually zero-emissions, as it allows for emitting cars as long as the drivers can afford to pay,” Green Party councillor Ian Middleton told The National.
“So it's essentially a pay-to-pollute scheme.”
Conservative councillor Ian Snowdon told The National that on a societal level, the zone is fundamentally unfair.
“Your wealthy Oxford citizens who live in places like North Oxford, whose children go to private schools in Oxford, can drive there very simply,” Mr Snowdon said.
“They just pay a few pounds for the ZEZ and drive the empty streets of [central] Oxford, whereas the carers, the cleaners and the shop workers have to sit in buses in the congestion.
“It's madness that we've made these quiet roads for the wealthy, while for the least affluent we’ve made their days longer.”
Traffic filters
Traffic filters act very much like bus gates, but their supporters point out there are crucial differences. This is where the real clash happens between the council and those who accuse it of waging war on the car.
Traffic filters are specifically designed and placed to reduce private car use. When the council talks of reducing one in four car journeys within seven years, the traffic filters are where it will happen.
Again, they will be covered by number plate recognition cameras and will be strategically placed at six points on busy roads inside and outside the city centre.
Private cars will be prohibited from driving through the traffic filters without a permit at certain times of day. Again, there is a £70 penalty.
Residents of Oxford and a few other outlying areas will be able to get 100 day passes a year, letting them drive through the filters free of charge.
Zuhura Plummer, the campaign director for Oxfordshire Liveable Streets, told The National that the traffic filters and the other traffic reduction plans are about changing behaviour.
“What it really does is make you think about the journey,” Ms Plummer said.
“If you drive more than twice a week, then you will have to think about a different way of getting around for those three days [not covered by free passes].
“So you might think about changing your working patterns; you might actually just go around the ring road; you might cycle in the summer months and save your passes for the winter months. There are all kinds of possibilities.”
One of the proposed traffic filters is scheduled to be placed almost directly outside Mr Clacy's shopfront, leaving him contemplating a longer journey round the ring road.
Low Traffic Neighbourhoods
Oxfordshire County Council describes a Low Traffic Neighbourhood as “an area where motorised traffic is prevented from taking shortcuts through a residential area”.
“This creates quieter and safer streets where residents may feel more comfortable when making local journeys by cycling, wheeling or on foot,” it says.
Basically, the neighbourhoods prevent “rat runs”, roads that commuters drive down when the main routes become congested.
Bollards or large wooden boxes, or planters, containing small trees are placed at the end of a road, preventing traffic from cutting through a particular area.
In Oxford, these neighbourhoods tend to be outside the city centre. They have been controversial in places such as East Oxford and Cowley, where bollards and planters have been vandalised.
Opponents claim low traffic neighbourhoods simply feed vehicles on to already busy arterial roads.
Taxi businesses claim they have forced up fares because journeys take longer. Businesses complain that the neighbourhoods have disrupted their deliveries and customer footfall.
However, academic studies have found that they do reduce traffic.
“When we've looked at low-traffic neighbourhoods in London, we've generally found that they do increase levels of walking and cycling,” Rachel Aldred, professor of transport at the University of Westminster, told The National.
“They do tend to reduce car ownership and/or use, and we've also found that they're associated with a reduction in road injury.”
But for Conservative councillor Mr Snowdon, who also owns a business in East Oxford, they are counterproductive.
“Taxi drivers charge extra now in East Oxford, just because they know it's going to take them longer and they don't really want to do the journey,” he said.
Irritations and implementations
Oxfordshire County Council's traffic plans have brought crowds out on to the streets in protest.
In a society with a high car dependency, many say the council might have underestimated the strength of people's resistance to an attempt to change their behaviour.
“I think, not just in Oxford, these sorts of schemes almost become an indicator, a weather vane if you like, for deeper political views,” Dr Geoff Dudley, from the Transport Studies Unit at Oxford University, told The National.
“They're not just transport issues, they become almost basic political values and opinions that go quite deep, really. You get sorts of groups that latch on to these issues and can use them to promote wider political values.
“I think they [Oxfordshire County Council] were taken by surprise. I think they didn’t expect the degree of opposition.”
However, there is support out there, says Liberal Democrat councillor Mr Gant.
“I go to public meetings to try to hear concerns and to try to explain things. Part of the issue here is that people often genuinely don't understand exactly what the policy says,” he said.
“People say to me, ‘I'm not going to support you because you're going to make it impossible for me to drive and visit my gran.’ I say, ‘Well, it [the policy] just doesn't say that.’”
Growing population
Nevertheless, when faced with forecasts that Oxfordshire's population will grow by 39 per cent by 2040, the political players in this saga do actually agree that something should be done about the county's traffic challenges.
It's the what, the where and the how that are at the heart of the conflict.
For Mr Gant, improvements will certainly be part of the future implementation of plans.
“There's also the question: what's the alternative? If we don't do this, what do we do? Do we simply allow traffic in Oxford to carry on growing and getting worse? It's just out of the question. It's unthinkable.”
Mr Snowdon said: “We want to tackle the congestion, we want to improve air quality. That's a no-brainer.
“It's finding the best solution that works for residents. We want Oxford to be a thriving place where people actually have good work-life balance.”
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The 24-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea/Dortmund), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli).
Standby player: Laurent Ciman (Los Angeles FC).
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: N2 Technology
Founded: 2018
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Startups
Size: 14
Funding: $1.7m from HNIs
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
More coverage from the Future Forum
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
