Dr Alison Hill, chair of campaign group Cyclox, gives her views on the latest plans for the Oxpens development and how they will affect cyclists.
On January 20 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.
The site has been designed as a car-free development, with good public transport, and cycling and walking access.
We are grateful to OXWED who has involved Cyclox from the start of the project to ask our views on access for people on bikes to the site. We contributed ideas as the scheme evolved. This week we submitted our comments to the city council on the transport planning aspects of the development.
So, what are our comments? The first thing to say is that we are delighted that OXWED, Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council have all prioritised walking, wheeling and cycling in the site’s transport plan. The proposals include wide cycle lanes and a narrowing of the main carriageway along the Oxpens Road, a new Zebra crossing between the mini-roundabout at Osney Lane and the Westgate car park, a new mini-roundabout design at Osney Lane, and a junction redesign at the Westgate car park junction.
The designs can’t yet consider changes to traffic flows arising from the implementation of the Central Oxfordshire […]
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