“Shared provision does not work for pedestrians or cyclists”: Plans for 126-metre bike path could lead to conflict, campaigners warn – but council admits “this is as good as we can do”

Plans for a new 126-metre-long shared-use active travel path in Oxfordshire, which aims to improve road safety in the area by creating more walking and cycling routes, have been approved by the county council, despite warnings from campaigners that the infrastructure could instead force pedestrians and cyclists into conflict.

Oxfordshire County Council confirmed this week that a new shared-use pedestrian and cycle path, Toucan and Puffin crossings, and bus stops will be installed on Bicester Road, south-east of Kidlington, to provide active travel provision for the new housing developments in the area.

According to the plans, a new Toucan crossing designed for cyclists and pedestrians will be installed on Bicester Road, close to its junction with Oxford Road.

On the east side of this new crossing, a 126-metre section of the existing footway will be widened to 3m and converted to a shared-use path, which the council says will allow “both pedestrians and pedal-cyclists to safely access the crossing facility”.

Two bus stop ‘clearways’, restricting stopping except for local buses, will also be installed along the length of the shared path, while further down the road a Puffin crossing will be introduced.

However, despite the council giving the green light to the project this week, the local authority’s public consultation for the scheme saw a number of objections raised by local active travel campaigners.

In comments submitted as part of the consultation, the Bicester Bike Users’ Group criticised the project’s “poor design” and argued that “shared provision does not work for either pedestrians or cyclists”.

“It is concerning that the plan also shows a proposed pedestrian-only crossing to the north connecting to a shared cycle and pedestrian path,” the group said, while Oxfordshire Liveable Streets also noted in the consultation that it has “a number of concerns”.

> Bats to be given twice as much space as cyclists and pedestrians on “incredibly popular” shared path, as campaigners say new layout will be “too narrow” and “create safety issues”

Cycling campaign group Cyclox, meanwhile, was more forgiving, welcoming the “inclusion of a signal-controlled toucan crossing and the provision of a wider footway/cycleway, which will improve crossing opportunities”.

Nevertheless, Cyclox also pointed out that there remains an “opportunity to further strengthen the scheme so that it better reflects current best practice”. The group argued that the approved design could “lead to conflict and reduced comfort for both pedestrians and cyclists”.

Opinions were also divided among Kidlington’s residents. One local praised the decision to introduce a Toucan crossing, writing: “Drivers regularly disregard the zebra crossings, even when people are crossing on them.

“It’s so dangerous. As a driver I use this road almost daily and have witnessed many near misses involving adults and children. A Toucan crossing would help improve safety so much before some innocent person, likely a child, loses their life in a totally preventable tragedy and parents lose their child,” they said.

One resident also noted that the scheme represents “good news for cyclists as it’s extremely unsafe to cycle on the parallel Oxford Road due to the vast number of potholes”.

However, another objected to the shared-use nature of the proposals, noting that a similarly laid-out path on the northern side of the road is “in very poor shape”, forcing cyclists to use the busy road.

> Coach driver tells cyclist with child he “shouldn’t be on the path”… right under a shared use path sign

Responding to the criticism from Oxfordshire’s campaign groups, the Oxford Mail reports that the Liberal Democrat-controlled council’s deputy leader Neil Fawcett admitted that knows the “scheme could be better”.

However, Fawcett told the council that he understands that “this is as good as we can do”, arguing that the proposal “is within the standard rules” for cycling infrastructure in the UK.

The councillor also claimed that funding and land development constraints had impacted the decision-making process, concluding that he was “satisfied” with the scheme as it stands.

> Drivers slam “special treatment” for cyclists as council proposes new ‘quiet lanes’ to make rural areas calmer and lower risk of crashes

The debate surrounding Kidlington’s divisive new active travel project comes a week after the county council announced that a series of new ‘quiet lanes’ are set to be rolled out across Oxfordshire.

These ‘quiet lanes’, which have already been introduced in certain parts of the county, will restrict motor traffic, reduce speeds, and encourage active travel on designated minor roads, as part of a pilot scheme designed to make rural areas “calmer and safer” for cyclists, pedestrians, and horse riders.

However, rather predictably, the county council’s plans to clamp down on motorists using rural roads as cut-throughs sparked an intense game of anti-cycling bingo among some disgruntled locals, with one driver complaining that the scheme amounts to “special treatment” for cyclists.