Rapid traffic growth will bring changes to Oxford West bridge 'bottleneck'

During a typical round of golf at the London Hunt Club, one must navigate deep bunkers, sudden gusts of wind and tricky putts on the green. 

But the day's biggest challenge might come after the round wraps up, while trying to turn left onto Oxford Street West to get home.

That's because traffic on Oxford Street West has grown in recent years.

"It can be scary trying to turn left when the traffic gets bad," said Jon Nusink, the Hunt Club's general manager. "We're looking forward to any infrastructure upgrades that might help the traffic flow." 

To get there, city staff have started studying ways to ease congestion on what has become an essential but very busy gateway between London and the rapidly developing areas at the city's western edge and beyond. 

The curved bridge over the Thames River has two traffic lanes now but was built with expansion in mind. The best way of adding two new lanes to the bridge along with other infrastructure upgrades are the topic of an environmental assessment study now underway. Roundabouts where Oxford intersects Westdel Bourne and Commissioners Road West are also possible.

City staff say the area sees a daily average of 11,000 vehicles on Oxford near Commissioners to a high of 20,500 vehicles daily near Sanatorium Road.

Pick up and drop off times at two nearby schools — St. Thomas Aquinas and Matthews Hall — are particularly tricky. 

"It's supposed to be 60 kilometres an hour but sometimes, people are going like 80 or 90," said Nusink.

In a public information session held online last week, city staff said London's growth will bring more pressure to that section of Oxford Street West and to the bridge, with long delays being the inevitable result. 

More than 60 people tuned in to the information session, which you can watch here. Many were concerned about traffic and noise. When CBC London reported about street racing and muffler noise last fall, Oxford was a frequent source of complaints. 

The plan for that section of Oxford isn't intended to just be about vehicles, it will also include changes to improve the safety of the bridge crossing for pedestrians and cyclists.