A cyclist has died from injuries sustained in a collision involving a van on a road near Oxford where campaigners have fought for years to have safe cycling infrastructure installed, so far without success, with Oxfordshire County Council's cycling champion saying on Twitter: "For so long we feared the worst would happen on the B4044 - and now it has."
The fatal crash happened just after 6.30pm on Monday 28 October on Oxford Road in Farmoor, with the victim a 58-year-old man living locally.
He was treated at the scene before being taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he subsequently died as a result of a serious head injury.
Following the crash on Monday, Thames Valley Police arrested a 42-year-old man from Stonesfield at the scene on suspicion of driving a motor vehicle while unfit through drugs and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was subsequently released under investigation.
Investigating officer Sergeant Beth Walton of the Joint Operations Unit for Roads Policing, based at Bicester, said: “Tragically, the cyclist in this collision suffered fatal injuries.
“The collision occurred in the early evening, and I believe there would have been lots of vehicles in the area.
“I am appealing to anybody who saw the vehicle or pedal cyclist involved prior to the collision, or who may have dash-cam footage of the incident to please check this and make contact with police.
“You can call the 24-hour non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 43190336357 or make a report online.
“Alternatively, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
“Our thoughts remain with the family of the man who has died at this very difficult time.”
For a number of years campaign group Bike Safe has been calling for a safe cycle route to be put in place on the B4044 from Eynsham to Oxford, and in 2011 produced a video highlighting the dangers faced on the road.
In the video, which also puts the case for an off-road shared use path to be built on the existing grass verge, one local asks, “Does somebody have to die before they do that?”
Oxfordshire County Council has repeatedly said there is no money available for the infrastructure although today it’s own cycling champion, Dr Suzanne Bartington, took to Twitter on Friday, saying “For so long we feared the worst would happen on the B4044 – and now it has.”
Last week, Councillor Bartington also highlighted the lack of cycle provision in the £102 million project to turn the A40 between Eynsham and Witney into a dual carriageway.
I think it's time we got over ourselves. Most of us weren't alive during WWII, yet the last war still dominates our culture in a pernicious way.
If a road on which cycling is permitted is being made "totally unsuitable" for cyclists by car drivers, stopping cyclists using them isn't the only...
Pfft........
Friend in club has Rotor and is very happy with it, including Q rings, though he was not entirely convinced what difference they made. His problem...
Which police authority covers this area? Will road.cc post an update from the police about what they are doing?
That's the one but they don't deliver to England
They studied the triathletes?
It's such a weird response from Glos Police....
Probably not this, but worth checking the front and rear mech cables haven't got twisted around each other inside the frame. Unbelievably a...
I dont know. All i know is i bought a 5L tub of the stuff in 2017 and i still have more than half of it left but i usually re-use a lot of the...