Cabinet approves delivery of four cycle schemes across Oxford

The Council's Cabinet has approved the delivery of four cycle paths at Donnington Recreation Ground, Boundary Brook, Marsh Park and Oatlands Park, as part of £900k funding from the Oxfordshire Growth Deal.

The cycle projects, which are moving forward for delivery by Oxford City Council, are:

• Donnington Recreation Ground cycle scheme-  the creation of a new shared cycle and pedestrian path across Donnington Recreation Ground from Meadow Lane to Cavell Road
• Boundary Brook cycle scheme – a maintenance scheme to improve the existing surface
• Marsh Park cycle scheme – the creation of a new shared cycle and pedestrian path, replacing and expanding the current pedestrian pathway
• Oatlands Park cycle scheme – the creation of a new shared cycle and pedestrian path from Oatlands car park to Earl Street (not including the bridge over the river)

The four schemes aim to provide quieter, more direct cycle routes away from busy roads while also remaining linked to the local cycle network. The schemes aim to ensure a suitable route for all weather use which can potentially link to future projects across the city.

These routes also support Oxfordshire County Council’s commitment to Vision Zero which aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries from road traffic collisions in Oxfordshire.

The original schemes were proposed by Oxfordshire County Council, and to be delivered by the City Council. However, following more detailed work, the schemes were unable to be delivered and a refined list of schemes was proposed. The refined list kept Donnington Recreation Ground, and Boundary Brook, and proposed two new schemes at Marsh Park and Oatlands Park. The four schemes on the refined list agreed by Cabinet ensures that the Growth Deal’s funding requirements were still met.

The schemes will be delivered by ODS and will be completed by March 2023.

Marston Road Crossing, which was another one of the schemes originally proposed, will be delivered by Oxfordshire County Council as part of a wider improvement works. In order to complete this work, £140k of the original Growth Deal funding will be returned to Oxfordshire County Council to install this scheme.

Encouraging active travel journeys

Oxford City Council wants to encourage more cycling and active travel journeys across the city.

The Council is supporting a range of initiatives to cut pollution in the centre of the city, and providing more cycle routes will make it easier for residents to use one of the cleanest forms of transport.

In addition to improving general health and fitness of riders, cycling is often a quicker, cleaner, less congested way of travelling. Research shows that swapping the car for walking, cycling or e-biking even for just one day a week makes a significant impact on personal carbon emissions in cities.

In order to achieve a Zero Carbon Oxford by 2040, a 30% reduction in the use of vehicular transport through increases in cycling, walking, home-working, and car sharing and car clubbing is needed – as identified in the Zero Carbon Oxford Roadmap.

“Not only does travelling by bike reduce congestion and pollution, but it also helps you stay healthy. If we want to encourage more people to cycle, then we need to ensure that there are direct and quiet cycle routes available for them to use. For people who are new to cycling, or just not confident on roads, it is particularly important that we have routes that are completely away from traffic. These four cycle schemes will provide new or improved routes for cyclists, that are completely away from cars. I am looking forward to cycling along all of these schemes.”

Councillor Louise Upton, Cabinet Member for Health and Transport at Oxford City Council