cycling

Cycle Paths and Signs

TonyOX3

The first of the roadworks under the Access to Headington project is just about finished – changes to the junction of Old Road, Gipsy Lane, Warneford Lane and Roosevelt Drive. I went down to have a look. On the whole the junction looks good (it will be better when the Skanska work-site has gone). There are new traffic signals with advance cycle boxes on all four sides. We’ll have to see how the junction works in practice, especially when the next stage means all traffic leaving the Churchill will go this way.

But – and you can imagine my heavy sigh – once again it’s lack of attention to detail that spoils the final effect. @TomBedford12 was first on twitter to point out that the off-road cycle path (good) on Old Road approaching the junction can’t actually be reached without getting off and lifting your bike up a six inch kerb (very bad). That just isn’t going to happen.

The other issue is that the smart new cycle route signs are – once again – much too far off the ground. Cyclists’ eye-line tends to be horizontal or lower, and their focus closer than a motorist’s. They need to look at the ground to avoid obstacles and potholes in a way motorists don’t. Signs for cyclists need to be at about their eye-level.

This is a point I and others have made before. The first I remember locally was when the “NE Quiet Route” signs went up on the route from the Headington Roundabout via Old Headington and the JR to Jack Straw’s Lane and on to the City. I know for a fact that I and several others made the same point in the various consultations on the overall Access to Headington project1. Yet here we are with brand new signs well over 2 metres from the ground.

I’ve tried to find if there are any regulations about the height of traffic signs but I’ve not found any2. So why are these signs placed so high? My guess is that it’s a lack of detailed and intelligent supervision on the construction site. The drawing says “put this sign here”, so a standard pole is stuck in the ground and the sign put on top of it. All it needs is someone with sense to be saying “Hang on, it’s a cycle sign. Use a short pole instead.” Similarly, intelligent supervision would have seen that the Old Road cycle lane needed a dropped kerb.

I just hope we can get the message across in time to avoid a huge crop of problems of this kind when the really big works are done.

1. See for example my response (July 2015) to Access to Headington and Oxford Civic Society’s response (Oct 2015) to the Oxford Transport Strategy. I’ve made the same point in face-to-face discussions with the Highways engineers at consultation events.

2. I’ve searched the up-to-date TSRDG2016 (Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016) and the out-of-date Manual for Streets, but despite minute detail on the height of lettering, the size of sign panels, even the colour of poles, I couldn’t find anything fixing the height off the ground. So signs for cyclists can indeed be put at a sensible height.

Headington Headlines #221

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 29 June – 5 July.

@OxfordshireCC surprised us with an announcement of £12.5m to be spent on a project called “Access to Headington”, covering Headley Way, Old Road, The Slade and Horspath Driftway. A consultation has started – more information here. Do go and see the proposals if you can: the County has opened a formal consultation which expires on 7 August. The display board images are on the consultation website. People who cycle will welcome the changes (with some modifications) but I suspect the most controversial aspects of the plans will be the loss of some grass verges, trees and on-road parking spaces.

Six people turned out for @QuarryVelo‘s inaugural Sunday Social ride, an easy-paced 25 miles round Otmoor ending with a jaunt through the City centre.

There was a small car fire in Atkyns Road, Wood Farm in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Police are investigating it as a possible case of arson.

Remember the story from April of a man in a car in Barton dying after being stabbed, and the subsequent arrests in Cowley on other charges? Now as part of the same investigations another man, Radoslaw Litwiak, has been charged with conspiracy to kidnap and rob.

Work has started to replace the street lights in Staunton Road but progress seems rather slow. Sandfield Road is next.

Active posts on the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum this week:

  • Silver joggers
  • £12.m transport improvements for Headington: exhibitions and consultation
  • Lord Lieutenant presents local company with second Queens Award
  • Peggy Seeger Fundraiser Concert Friday 10th July
I cover news from the OX3 postcode in Headington and out as far as Barton, Sandhills and Risinghurst (see map). To feed into next week’s summary you can comment on this article, or tweet either with the hashtag #ox3 or @mentioning @TonyOX3.

Headington Headlines #217

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 1 – 7 June.

As the draft @HeadingtonPlan moves into a six-week consultation period, the first of six drop-in sessions took place on Saturday. Each session focuses on one topic in the plan – Saturday’s was on Amenity & Green Spaces – but you can get information and discuss any aspect of the draft plan. The drop-in sessions are at The Hub, which is on the north side of the London Road east of the lights, from 10am to 4pm. There’s more on the Plan website.

A new hairdressers Kenny’s Hair Boutique @KennysHairBout has opened at 6 Cinnaminta Road.

Nascent cycle club @QuarryVelo is holding a ‘strategy meeting’ open to all on Tuesday this week (9 June), 8pm @MasonsArmsHQ.

Phone lines and internet were disrupted @WindmillOxford school on Tuesday when builders working on the school extension damaged a cable.

The @TheWhiteHartH is advertising for a chef to join their team. They assure me that the gravy is not threatened. They are also looking for bar staff – just take your CV in and talk to them.

Local efforts to preserve the Stansfeld Outdoor Centre as a benefit for the community took another step with a meeting on Thursday to form a Friends of Stansfeld Group.

Another meeting to try to keep a community asset was held on Friday – this time in support of the Ampleforth Arms in Risinghurst. The Ampleforth is noted for being C S Lewis’s local when he lived at The Kilns in Lewis Close.

Active posts on the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum this week:

  • Headington Neighbourhood Plan – Draft Pulished
  • Risinghurst Summer Fete 7th June 2015
  • Plasterer needed
  • Cafe Culture
  • Parking at the JR Hospital
  • Electronic issues in St Leonard’s Road Car Park
I cover news from the OX3 postcode in Headington and out as far as Barton, Sandhills and Risinghurst (see map). To feed into next week’s summary you can comment on this article, or tweet either with the hashtag #ox3 or @mentioning @TonyOX3.