Cyclists are hoping to make roads safer (From The Oxford Times)
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Cyclists are hoping to make roads safer
7:00pm Monday 30th April 2012 in Oxford
By Damian Fantato, covering Summertown, Jericho and North Oxford. Call me on 01865 425429
Simon Hunt
Headington residents have grouped together to make their streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
The group has been formed following criticism of the £500,000 Oxfordshire County Council scheme to make road conditions for cyclists and pedestrians safer in the area.
Some of the group’s suggestions so far include preparing a map of cycle-friendly routes through Headington and lobbying for better cycle tracks.
The group will also press for cycle lanes to be repainted and is thinking about organising a bike repair service at the suburb’s monthly farmers’ market.
Stephen Road resident Dom Francis said: “One of the issues we talked about was promoting cycling to work and to schools.
“In the UK as a whole the percentage of journeys carried out by bike is lower than the rest of Europe, so if we can encourage people to cycle to work more then hopefully we have done a good thing.
“There are also issues with people riding on pavements around the shops.”
The group held its first meeting last week.
It hopes to meet with local councillors to discuss ways in which it can influence safety on Headington’s roads in future.
Fellow member Simon Hunt, who is also a member of Oxford cycle campaign group Cyclox, said: “I hope Headington can benefit from having a group like this, and there are precedents in West Oxford.
“But there are an awful lot of things which need to be done.”
The county council started work on the New Headington Transport Improvements scheme last year.
But the project has come in for criticism from some residents.
They branded the revamped junction of London Road and Windmill Road one of the most dangerous in the city for cyclists.
The county said it was monitoring the junction in the light of the complaints.
It also said it had worked with residents to develop the transport improvements scheme and believed it was a good use of funding.
Comments(13)
regerme.com
says...
8:00pm Mon 30 Apr 12
cynicality
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8:59pm Mon 30 Apr 12
Sid Hunt wrote:Agree totally - the OM headline about cyclists wanting to make roads safer for *them* made me angry - most of them a) go the wrong way down one-way streets; b) jump red lights at pedestrian crossings; and c) cycle on the pavement. There are very few who actually obey the rules of the road all the time (like wot I used to when I cycled, 30-odd years ago).
Conservatively, I would estimate that 1 in 10 of the cyclists I see are actually on the road. The rest are on the footpath.
TypicalStudent
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9:59pm Mon 30 Apr 12
Boring.
Pundit
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7:18am Tue 1 May 12
the wizard
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8:28am Tue 1 May 12
The thing is Oxford is stuck in a time warp, and until it gets a good shaking, and the sh~te shook out, it will remain so.
A modern approach, with lots of new faces in positions that matter would go a long way to serving this city better, until then, you will remain, a dull, dark, dingy, dirty place that offers little in the balance of life that is needed between the incumbent population and the students, and those that matter in the colleges are happy for things to continue as they are as they are getting THEIR way over that of the rate paying population.
L0RD PETER MCVEY 0X2 6EG
says...
9:27am Tue 1 May 12
regerme.com wrote:And if us motorist were a petty minded and had a similar website it would crash (no pun intended) in ten minutes with all of the pics of anti-social and dangerous cyclist breaking the law en-masse.
regerme is the peer pressure solution to road safety. Cyclists can post constructive comments or incriminating pictures on the site and timeline the actions of persistent inconsiderate, anti social or simply dangerous drivers. Although unable to be used for prosecution the site can be used for intelligence. Search regerme, log on and post a constructive comment or picture and make a difference.
Wanchai
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12:18pm Tue 1 May 12
Pundit wrote:Do it. I can understand your frustration with cyclists on the pavement. When you do cycle on the road though, you must be continuously on your guard against bad driving. Regular problem areas include the lights next to Kwik Fit on Hythe Bridge St. Not the easiest set of lights to understand it seems, and the advanced stop line for cyclists is guaranteed to make your average car driver’s blood boil. And Gloucester Green bus station. Bus drivers pulling out of the station while checking their phones don't appear to think about any cyclists who may be passing.
It may be boring but it is true. Pedestrians are put at risk by cyclists and the police prefer to do nothing about it. I think pedestrians need to challenge cyclists breaking the law to see if they can get through to them just how selfish and arrogant they are. If the police won't act perhaps it is time for a few vigilantes to step forward.
Christine Hovis
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1:00pm Tue 1 May 12
go with the logic of your arguments here. If being on the road is too dangerous, and there are no concessions to cyclists, then they'll go on pavements and jump lights etc. Make it better, and they'll be safe on the road where they should be.
Simples.
King Joke
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3:09pm Tue 1 May 12
djlw84
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8:52am Wed 2 May 12
Madi50n
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10:55am Wed 2 May 12
The same old lines, the same old rubbish.
King Joke
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10:59am Wed 2 May 12
djlw84 wrote:We've been over this before. Pathway cycle paths are fine for children and older cyclists but no use for commuters. Next question.
The most frustrating thing about cyclists for me is when they ride on the road when there is a cycle path on the pathway!
Sid Hunt says...
7:10pm Mon 30 Apr 12