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Oxford cycle path divided into two lanes because so many children are using it

Cherwell School says around 68 per cent of its pupils cycle in for lessons every day

A cycle route in North Oxford has been divided into two lanes after 600 students from nearby Cherwell School signed a petition requesting the change. The school said that separate lanes were needed due to the large number of children using the path as around 1,300 of its 1,900 pupils cycle in for lessons every day.

The petition was handed to Oxfordshire County Council cabinet member for transport, David Nimmo Smith, and the work has now been completed.

Teacher Tony Gray, who is also a member of the Cherwell Cycling Club, told the Bicester Advertiser that the cycle route alongside Marston Ferry Road had become so busy during peak hours that it was no longer safe.

“As a school we have campaigned for this change because we believe strongly that it will make a difference.

“We have a huge volume of students going down there in peak hours and our responsibility is to help facilitate that in a safe way. But it is also used more widely by many local people.”

Cherwell school has been giving pupils road safety lessons and Gray said having two lanes would make things clearer and safer. “This will make best practice that little bit clearer for everyone and help reinforce our messages about safety.”

St Margaret’s county councillor John Howson, who supported the campaign, said that the change was a good example of a small change that makes a big difference. “It is absolutely wonderful news and the school is already reaping the benefits with better lane discipline and more effective use of the cycle track.”

Nimmo Smith said the county council was supportive of changes that would improve cycle routes for school pupils. “Anything that improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists can only be a good thing and that is something the council continues to look at across the county.”

A number of cycling projects are currently planned for the area. However, last month saw criticism of a proposed cycling link between East Oxford and the city centre using a new bridge over the Thames. Campaigners say that it is not needed.

Nimmo Smith believes the bridge will go a long way towards creation of a joined-up cycling network, providing a route from Iffley Road into the centre, but Simon Hunt, chair of cycling campaign group Cyclox, said the money could have been put to better use.

“It’s not well spent at all, it’s very bizarre. I don’t understand how this has come about. It’s not how we would have spent £3 million, it’s pretty low priority stuff. That doesn’t mean we don’t welcome the funding but we think it’s been misspent.”

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15 comments

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Edgeley | 8 years ago
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It is a great bit of infrastructure. And shows that if you have Dutch style bicycle provision, you get Dutch levels of cycling.

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robonabike | 8 years ago
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This is my favourite street view of there (or indeed of any UK location):

https://goo.gl/maps/efcka

People often assume it's posed or a special bike event, but it's just a normal school day. Build good infra and we'll use it.

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farrell replied to robonabike | 8 years ago
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robonabike wrote:

This is my favourite street view of there (or indeed of any UK location):

https://goo.gl/maps/efcka

Really?

Mine was the one on Temperance Street in Manchester where some bloke got clocked by the camera car getting a handjob off a prostitute.

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congokid | 8 years ago
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When roads for motor vehicles become insufficient for the volume of traffic they carry, the normal response by councils/road departments is to make the roads wider.

It's very telling that a similar solution didn't occur to anyone in this instance.

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teaboy | 8 years ago
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How did they educate all the drivers in the area to drive in a way that makes cycling feel safe enough that kids want to ride to school, and parents are happy to let them?

Oh, right.....

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Travis | 8 years ago
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Looking at the Google pics.. that is what cycle lanes should be like.

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PJ McNally | 8 years ago
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I wrote about this exact location, and the CTC's bizarre interpretation, back in August 2013:

http://triptogenetica.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/cycling-to-school-with-ctc-...

TL,DR _ CTC claims the school's cycling success is all due to CTC style tinkering little interventions, uses the school as a "Cycletopia" case study, refuses to mention the infrastructure.

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bdsl | 8 years ago
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Google street view also has pics, e.g. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.775529,-1.251613,3a,84.3y,110.91h,57.88t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sPKbgXu3S2tTMw7cZ61X46Q!2e0

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skull-collector... | 8 years ago
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Pics?

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CarlosFerreiro | 8 years ago
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Centre lane on cycle only route that's wide enough might be a help, centre line on a shared pedestrian and cycle route that (sounds like it is) too narrow might not be so great.....

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nielsamd replied to CarlosFerreiro | 8 years ago
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It is quite wide... about the width of a car lane.... and there is an additional pedestrian pavement segregated by grass next to it, tho runners usually use the cycle lane ...at least they did before the markings (which include painted bicycle symbols).
In this old Google Earth view the cycle lane is the entire bottom lane of the 3 lanes visible with the pedestrian path below it:

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Olionabike replied to CarlosFerreiro | 8 years ago
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CarlosFerreiro wrote:

Centre lane on cycle only route that's wide enough might be a help, centre line on a shared pedestrian and cycle route that (sounds like it is) too narrow might not be so great.....

It is essentially a road with a pavement, except instead of just cars on the road there are just bikes. It is a great bit of bike infrastructure, I used to ride to school on it.

The google maps image doesnt show the huge bank with a hedge on the top that separates it from the road for much of its length. It blocks the noise of the adjacent A road and is covered in daffs in spring.

Back in my day it used to have packs of friends riding across it either end of the school day. A line encouraging them to ride behind each other would be good IMO. At any rate it does no harm & costs practically nothing. Its worthwhile just to demonstrate to school kids that sometimes nagging the council works.

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bdsl | 8 years ago
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So this means they've added a centre line. I'm a bit skeptical about that being much use to anyone.

Presumably nearly everyone cycling on the path already knows to pass those going the opposite way on the left. If the flows are highly tidal then it makes sense to use the right half of the path for overtaking, which the centre line discourages.

Centre lines have been removed from some roads which is claimed to make cycling safer by encouraging wider overtaking by motorists.

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David Barron | 8 years ago
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I wonder if the kids will stick to the lanes. I avoid cycling on that path before and after school hours because most of them are oblivious to the possibility that there might be someone going in the opposite direction to them!

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2 Wheeled Idiot | 8 years ago
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Is this actually a good news story about bike lanes  13 ( and is it real...April 1st and all that)
But srsly, its incredible that 1300 ride their bikes each day to school, I know where I go its <1% of that figure.

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