Cycle lanes in Headington
The new contra-flow cycles lanes in Kennett Road and in New High Street (both otherwise one-way streets) are now complete, except that the one in New High Street has not been connected at the south end to its new narrow entrance (and indeed it is difficult to see how this can ever be achieved).
There was a consultation about these two lanes in the Football Supporters Club in 1999, and in early 2001 the City Council voted to bring them in (see Oxford Mail of 14 February 2001). The council men with their cycle stencils appeared seven months later. Both lanes are discretionary rather than mandatory (indicated by the fact that they are marked with a broken rather than a solid white line), and they are not painted green, which was part of the original plan.
The Highway Code rule relating to a discretionary cycle lane reads, "Do not drive or park in a cycle lane marked by a broken white line unless it is unavoidable." Sadly, most motorists seem to find it unavoidable, and rather suprisingly parking in a cycle lane is never a traffic offence per se, even if a lane is mandatory: the traffic wardens only have recourse to the double-yellow-line offence – which of course has an exemption allowing people to stop to collect or deliver goods and to collect or drop passengers.
Kennett Road lane
The Kennett Road cycle lane would have been of some use if parking had been removed from the east side of the street. But in parts of the lane there is only a single-yellow line, so cars can and do park in it at night. (In practice, of course, cars park in it during the day as well.) But at least the council has decided to start it at the top of the road, which was not in the original plans. It will be interesting to see if the presence of the new cycle lane deters the people who wait for their offspring while they take their driving-theory test in Kennett House: neither the double-yellow lines nor the irony of the situation has ever prevented them from parking there hitherto.
The dreadful weed-infested planter has been removed and the street sign transplanted in order to make an entrance to the cycle lane: but this was a pointless exercise, as a car is usually parked at this spot, so in practice cyclists will have to enter Kennett Road meeting cars head-on.
More seriously, however, the council does not seem to have given any consideration to the question of how cyclists are expected to turn right into Kennett Road from the London Road: this is a dangerous junction where cars frequently overtake stationary buses, and huge delivery lorries add to the congestion. There is no safe place to wait until there is a gap in the traffic.
The council sent an individual letter to every household in Kennett Road inviting the people most likely to be affected by the lane to give their opinion. Only eight people out of these 60 households were interested enough to write: two were in favour and six against.
New High Street lane
The lane in New High Street, which runs eccentrically up the middle of the road, is felt by many local people to be dangerous both for pedestrians (especially those living in the sheltered accommodation at the top of the street) and for the cyclists themselves, who will be emerging the wrong way on to the busy London Road. There are two consolations: the lane has been designed in such a way that cyclists can only turn left when they reach the London Road,.and a gap has been left so that cyclists will not be knocked flying when people in parked cars open their doors.
There is only one other cycle lane quite like it in the country (in Bristol), but that one does not emerge into an area as dangerous as this section of the London Road, which is one of Oxford's accident blackspots. It is very unclear exactly where the cyclists going down the road are supposed to go, and no doubt some of them will think that the cycle lane in the middle is two-way. In practice, however, cars will also have to drive in the cycle lane, as there is nowhere else for them to go either. The only way a cycle lane could have worked properly in this street is if the parking had been removed on the west side of the road. (And indeed, given the number of flats there are at the top of the road, perhaps it should then be made two-way for all traffic, instead of forcing people from the flats to drive down New High Street, along Bateman Street, up Kennett Road, and back almost to where they started in order to get out and turn left into the London Road.)
Again, every household in New High Street was invited by an individual letter to express an opinion on the proposed cycle lane there. Out of the 162 households invited to respond, only six bothered (of whom one was in favour and five against). Thus over 96% of people in New High Street were justifiably deemed by the council either to approve of (or not have any view on) the proposal. Rather surprisingly, however (now that it is too late to do anything) almost everyone in New High Street seems to be against the lane.
Accidents in cycle lanes
Cyclists should be aware that cycle lanes are extremely dangerous, and they must not be lulled into a false sense of security when using them. I am speaking from personal experience. (Those with strong stomachs may like to see the gory photograph at the foot of this page.)
I hope to get up-to-date information soon, but here is an analysis of the cycle accidents at the three main London Road junctions in the centre of Headington between 1995 and 1997. Note that these are only the serious accidents where police and ambulance are called: many more minor cycle accidents are not reported.
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Cycle accidents in London Road
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| Junction |
1995
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1996
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1997
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| Lime Walk |
3
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0
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0
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| Osler Road / New High Street |
1
|
0
|
1
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| Windmill Road / Old High Street |
1
|
0
|
0
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The Oxfordshire Casualty Report and Road Safety Plan 2001/2 shows that while proper cycle track separated from the road reduces accidents by 67%, any evidence about the efficacy of cycle lanes on the road is inconclusive. This suggests that people are no safer in the cycle lanes of Headington than on any other stretch of road. In the year 2000, in the city of Oxford alone, two cyclists were killed, 14 seriously injured, and another 149 injured. These are not mad young cyclists taking risks: the largest number of cyclists injured in Oxfordshire fell into the 30–39 age-group (57 of them).
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This photograph shows just how vulnerable cyclists are when they use the cycle lanes of Headington. It was a bright morning on 18 May 1998; my brakes were working; I had right of way as I cycled passed Lime Walk in an empty cycle lane at normal speed; but a car coming out of Lime Walk didn't bother to stop at the stop line and hit me so hard that I somersaulted together with the bicycle and landed on my head. I became RTA/J/22/98 and received head injuries and facial scarring; the driver was fined a mere £75 for driving without due care and attention and his licence was endorsed by three points. |
 Photograph taken on the day after 21 stitches were inserted at the John Radcliffe |
