Charter for cycling in Oxford developed by friends of killed cyclist

Friends of a cyclist killed in Oxford have launched a new charter for cycling safety that has been backed by the city council.

Claudia Comberti, 31, was hit by a bus after she fell from her bike on Botley Road in May.

As we reported at the time, Ms Comberti, originally from London, was close to completing her DPhil dissertation at the University of Oxford. One of her supervisors said that her research into the impact of climate change on indigenous people in the Amazon had been recognised as important by the United Nations.  

Friends from the city’s Broken Spoke Co-Op said she was a ‘strong cyclist’.

The Claudia Charter for Safer Cycling pushes for ‘greater respect’ for ‘vulnerable’ cyclists, along with ‘continuous, segregated cycleways’.

A director of the Broken Spoke Co-Op, Sam Chappell, told the Oxford Mail: “There are problems that are very familiar. It’s not just things that have come out of nowhere. It’s one reason, the death of Claudia. There are many more.
“There are people who don’t feel safe. This charter is trying to remind all road users about the vulnerability of users.

“It’s just not about better infrastructure, it’s about trying to have a dialogue about people who choose to move around by motor vehicle, bicycle or those who walk.”

It was supported unanimously by Oxford City councillors on Monday.

Nearly 20 per cent of people in Oxford ride a bike to work.