By Owen McKnight
Did you see a parade of children cycling joyfully through Oxford at the weekend? Maybe you heard them ringing their bells, chanting and singing?
This was Oxford’s second ‘Kidical Mass’. It’s a family group ride in which adults keep children safe so they can experience cycling on the roads of the city they call home, Oxford.
By Chris Church
Earlier in March the government announced a massive £200 million cut to the active travel budget in England. The government has also delayed its roads programme. Many schemes will not be taken forward before 2030, if at all. With all this in mind it is astonishing that Oxfordshire County Council is pushing ahead with plans to spend over £296 million on one new road scheme.
By Robin Tucker
Let’s talk about freedom. On 18 February, around 2,000 people descended on Oxford to protest for freedom and against traffic filters. What concerns us here is their view of ‘freedom’.
By Alison Hill and Brenda Boardman
Over the last few decades, people have made fewer and fewer journeys on foot or by bike. Services and amenities have become dispersed, located in places only accessible by car. But the pandemic has resulted in a rethink of how we will live from now on. As home working has become accepted, people are increasingly aware of the value of staying local and not being dependent on cars or infrequent buses for most of their activities.
By Natasha Matsaert
Thanks to Cyclox’s campaigning, Oxfordshire County Council has adopted a Vision Zero strategy which aims to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries. But one category of vulnerable road user is absent from these discussions. Where is the mention of the wildlife that shares our streets?
By Andy Chivers
Here’s a game to play as you make any journey through town. Score 1 point for every car (or van or lorry) parked correctly. Then take off 1 point each time they are parked on the pavement. I score –2 if the vehicle has all four wheels on the pavement or if the pavement is so obstructed it will stop a child’s buggy or a wheelchair getting through. See if your journey ends up with a positive or negative score. Sadly my journeys tend to end in the negative.
By Alison Hill
On 20 January the Oxford Mail reported on the new multi-million pound plan for apartments, student accommodation, office space and a hotel at the currently dowdy, unloved, unattractive Oxpens site. OXWED, the joint venture between Nuffield College and Oxford City Council, submitted outline planning application for the site in January, and the consultation closed this week.
By Sir Tim Hitchens and Katherine Miles
Wolfson College has launched a trial to switch its parcel deliveries from vans to electric bikes. It is partnering with local cargo-bike delivery firm Pedal & Post. Bike deliveries will address the challenge posed by the estimated half a million packages a year received by 20 Oxford colleges alone.
By Brenda Boardman
We are gradually getting back on to our buses as fears about Covid subside. The government is encouraging us with the £2 single fare on most buses within Oxfordshire. This will last until the end of March, so make the most of it while it is there.
By Jamie Clarke
More than 100 people from across Oxfordshire gathered on the evening of Tuesday 25 January to kick start a campaign to put an end to cyclist deaths on our roads. This follows the tragic deaths of four young women cycling in Oxford over the past 2 years. Cyclox organised the event to initiate an ambitious plan to eliminate road deaths.
