In his first full day in the job, newly elected county council leader Tim Bearder was set to decide whether to give the plans approval on May 21, but delegated the decision to his deputy, Neil Fawcett.
The shared-use pavement and cycleway, bus stops, toucan and puffin crossing, will provide access to new developments on the road in Kidlington.
Raising objections in a consultation on the proposals, the Bicester Bike Users’ Group said: “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.”
It questioned the policy compliance of plans, saying it had “poor design”.
Cycling advocacy group, Cyclox supported the scheme, saying it welcomed “the inclusion of a signal-controlled toucan crossing and the provision of a wider footway/cycleway, which will improve crossing opportunities”.
However, it said there is “opportunity to further strengthen the scheme so that it better reflects current best practice” noting how the current design of the bike path could “lead to conflict and reduced comfort for both pedestrians and cyclists”.
Oxfordshire Liveable Streets also had a mixed response, stating “we have a number of concerns”.
Responding to objections, Mr Fawcett explained he understood that “this is as good as we [the county council] can do and it is within the standard rules” for bike lanes in part due to funding agreements.
Neil Fawcett
He noted he could see how the scheme “could be better” but said physical and development agreements constraints impacted decisions and that he was “satisfied” with the plan.
The new additions will be paid for by developers building next to the road as part of a Section 106 agreement.
Residents had mixed responses.
One believes the toucan crossing could save lives.
Bicester Road, Kidlington (Image: Google Maps)
The anoymous resident stated: “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.”
An Oxford United fan said they thought the plans would be “beneficial to stadium users”.
Another resident noted: “This is good news for cyclists as it’s extremely unsafe to cycle on the parallel Oxford Road due to the vast number of potholes.”
One member of public objected, saying another shared-use path on the northern side of the road is “in very poor shape” leading to danger for cyclists in the busy road.
