A LEADING Oxford bike company has called for a law change to allow cyclists to ride through red lights – and the idea has sparked a fierce debate on cycling in the city.

Christopher Benton, founder of delivery firm Pedal and Post, thinks a system should be introduced in which bikes can roll slowly past traffic signals if the road is clear ahead.

Oxford Mail:

The entrepreneur, who has 10 bikes operating in the city centre, said his riders see between five and 15 ‘minor incidents’ per day on Oxford’s roads.

And Mr Benton believes a policy similar to one seen in Paris could help protect riders and encourage more people to get in the saddle on Oxford’s narrow streets.

Taking to Facebook and Twitter on the subject this week, he said: “It’s actually more often cars will jump amber and red lights which is far more dangerous.

“France and other cities are looking to allow bikes to jump reds, not punish it. So why not here? No accidents were caused by bikes running reds.

“For us, we're certainly biased, being able to roll through red lights if the road is clear is a huge advantage as we can deliver urgent parcels, medication, blood samples, veg boxes and all manner of things faster.

“To clarify all riders abide by the highway code and face disciplinaries and re-training if caught otherwise.”

Oxford Mail:

It is currently illegal for any vehicle to pass through a red traffic light, and the Highway Code states cyclists must obey all traffic signs and traffic light signals.

Figures released late last year by journey planner CycleStreets showed more than 2,000 cyclists have been injured in crashes over the city’s roads across a ten-year-period.

Key areas included Botley Road, where the Oxford Mail this week saw seven cyclists pass through red lights within 30 minutes.

And several cyclists approached admitted they take the risk when battling Oxford’s increasingly heavy traffic.

Karl Bergan, a cyclist from Oxford, was fined by the police for cycling through a red light.

He told the Oxford Mail: “It is an issue. Getting hit by a car by going through a red light makes no sense.”

And Oxford cyclist Adam Mackrell, who takes his young daughter on the back of his bike, said: “If there is no danger that I can see ahead, I do it, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

In a poll of 897 readers conducted by the Oxford Mail on the issue this week, 83 per cent agreed cyclists should not be allowed to run a red light.

Debating the issue on Facebook, Alex Nicolaou, who previously worked as a courier in Oxford, said: “The constant start stop, especially for couriers working eight hour shifts, is a killer for the legs.

“We are not suicidal, if you see us jumping a red, you can be 1000% sure that the road is clear of any cars.

“After you work a week as courier cyclist, you'll understand when, where and why we jump red lights.

“Most times it's late at night, when the roads are visibly empty and we are fed up of waiting in the damn cold for the light to turn green.”

Oxford City Council’s cycling champion, Louise Upton, said laws should ‘absolutely not’ be changed to give riders the ability to cross red signals.

Oxford Mail:

She added that an ‘early release’ green traffic light system in Oxford’s High Street, which gives a priority to cyclists before other road users, is ‘sensible’ and puts cyclists at an advantage.

Mr Benton’s suggestion caused anger among some Oxford Mail readers. Tina Matthews said on Facebook: Cyclists are always running red lights.

“Some even think that hopping onto the pavement and skirting round the lights means they can avoid them all together.

“If motorcyclists starting doing that there would be uproar.”

As part of the Oxfordshire growth deal, £1.4m of Government money has this week been agreed in a bid to attract new or inexperienced cyclists to take up the activity on Oxfordshire’s busy streets.

The project will see cycle and pedestrian access and safety improvements at various locations across the city.

No concrete proposals have yet been drawn up, and it is not clear yet if more priority traffic lights will be created in the city centre.

And Mr Benton believes that as well as the ability to roll through red lights, better infrastructure would encourage more people to ditch their cars in favour of two wheels.

He said: “Having more early release traffic lights would make cyclists feel safer and the safer people feel the more cyclists we will have in Oxford.”