Oxford city centre has been overtaken by construction in the last few weeks. It’s very annoying. I finally decided to figure out what is going on, and was a little startled to find that, come 2012, most of the centre of Oxford will be pedestrianised!

The current work on High St will see minor improvements, but in the next few years, they will be removig all of the buses from Queen’s St (currently a major hub for at least a dozen bus routes), and pedestrianising it, along with George St and Magdalen St. This is an incredible change for the centre of Oxford. I believe it will create a much more vibrant culture as more people are able to wander the roads more freely, and hopefully will see the introduction of more outdoor cafes. I’m sure it won’t all be rosy, though. With so many central thoroughfares to be removed, more than a few people will have to revise how they get into, out of, and about town. Still, it looks like a good project.

I’m just glad I won’t be in Oxford while they tear everything up!

P.S. you might want to also have a look at what’s going on in Oxford’s West End.