THE Oxford Mail can today give full details of where £367,000 of council cash is being spent on city cycle improvements.

Oxford City Council’s John Tanner asked for ideas on what the cash should go on after we reported just £15,000 had been spent since 2012.

Mr Tanner said all the cash had now been earmarked for improvements like cycle ramps, cycle parking and cycle path resurfacing.

The Labour councillor said he would like to have spent the cash on changes to help cyclists using city roads.

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But this would have needed the approval of Oxfordshire County Council, the highways authority.

The board member for transport said: “We could have spent this 10 times over.

“We have spent it on some good schemes but they have been mostly off-road schemes such as the resurfacing in Hinksey Park and more cycle parking at the Park and Rides.

“It is true at the moment the county council has a moratorium on extra on-road cycling schemes. It’s a bit frustrating.”

He said: “I would like to see parked cars being banned from cycle lanes in Oxford but the county council said they would only look at it once they agree on Oxford’s transport strategy.”

Of the cash, £69,000 has gone on completed projects including new cycle route signs in Headington and resurfacing paths in Hinksey Park and Meadow Lane.

The rest is on projects that have yet to be completed and the cash has to be spent by 2016.

Elle Smith, director of Broken Spoke Bike Co-op in Oxford, said: “I want to see more money being put into cycle training and resources enabling people to cycle more confidently.

“Infrastructure changes can be beneficial but won’t make a large difference to cycling behaviour.

“They do cost such a huge amount of money and you can spend less money and have more of an impact.”

Cyclox campaign group chairman Simon Hunt said: “They are all worthwhile schemes – signage is high up the list of priorities, which is good, but only one cycle route has been improved.

“In the grand scheme of things it has not improved things which need to be done, there are other things higher up the list of priorities.”

Linking cycle paths, education and maintaining cycle lanes in bus lanes are key issues, he said.

Where the money will be spent

THE schemes are:

  • Headington cycle route signs – £15,000
  • Removing barriers and painting street lines – £8,000
  • Resurfacing cycle route through Hinksey Park – £27,000
  • Resurfacing Meadow Lane path – £19,000
  • Headington cycle ramp – £2,500
  • Contribution to improvements at The Plain – £50,000
  • Contribution to towpath upgrade between Walton Well Road and Aristotle Lane – £72,000 (completion spring 2015)
  • Willow Walk resurfacing – projected £72,500 (completion next summer)
  • Cycle parking at Redbridge Park-and-Ride – projected £56,000 (completion summer 2015)
  • Seacourt Park-and-Ride cycle parking – projected £45,000 (completion next summer)
  • Total – £367,000

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