THE HEIGHT OF THE MATTER
Cycling action group Cyclox are working towards solutions to make an Oxford railway bridge safer for everyone – and enlisted the help of a stiltwalker for their measurements.
At a recent meeting with Cllr David Robertson & County Officers, discussions degenerated into a disagreement over the height of the Railway Bridge. Cyclox previously measured the bridge and again later with a surveyor’s rule and theodolite, calculating the height at 4.165 meters to the pavement. Officers using lasers measured it to 4.0m to the road surface.
On Sunday October 25, Cyclox members took their own measurements below the bridge, in a bid to find a feasible solution to the dangers there.
This is the latest step in an ongoing campaign by Cyclox to make the area around the bridge safer. In September, the group produced a leaflet giving a choice of a “quick fix” and “best solution” to the problems in the area. The “quick fix” involved narrowing traffic lanes by just 150mm (6”), rather than the usual three metres, while the “best solution” involved raising the pavement and placing a cycle lane below a suspended walkway.
Simon Banks, of Cyclox, said: “The county council claim there isn’t room for either of our plans, but we’ve measured it very carefully and our measurements are different from theirs. They say it’s 4 metres from floor to ceiling, but we don’t get a vertical measurement less than 4.165 metres plus the height of the 120mm kerb.”
“The County Engineers quoted modern design standards that require a 2.1 metre headroom for pedestrians and cyclists and 300mm for a concrete walkway deck. We think a 20mm steel deck will be ample: It is for the millennium bridge across the Thames.”
“County Engineers mentioned lots of reasons why they could not alter the height of Network Rail’s bridge, but failed to realise they could lower the cycle lane on their road. They just don’t want to be very innovative. It’s easier to maintain the status quo and blame the individual cyclists for the accidents that kill them”.
The area is already well-known for accidents. In April this year, a cyclist was seriously injured after a collision with a lorry outside Mick’s Café in Botley Road, while in May 2000, Rachel Barker died after her bicycle was in collision with a tipper truck near the junction of Cripley Road and Botley Road.
In July this year, a 34-year-old woman suffered chest injuries when her bike was dragged under the wheels of a lorry as it turned into Roger Dudman Way.
Cyclox have submitted a range of different proposals to the county council. Cllr Robertson agreed with Richard Mann when he said: “We have given the County a number of options to consider, but doing nothing at all is not an option.”
Contact: Simon Banks – 07901 668665 or 01 865 252675
Background notes:
In September 2003, Cyclox carried out a sample survey of cyclists along Botley Road. The conclusion of this survey was that cycling facilities there are wasted because the narrow road below the railway bridge is so dangerous and unpleasant that it actually discourages cycling. Simon Banks said at the time: "This is contrary to the objectives of the county council and Cyclox, both of whom want to increase cycle use.”
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