Death junction alert 'ignored' (From Oxford Mail)

Death junction alert 'ignored'

9:10am Friday 20th April 2007

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Road safety officers were warned last year that the Oxford city centre junction where student Tsz Fok died was a danger to cyclists.

But the four-way junction where Broad Street, Parks Road, Holywell Street and Catte Street meet had not been identified as an accident blackspot.

Tonight, the county councillor who flagged up the potential perils at the intersection called for urgent action to prevent further accidents.

Deborah Glass Woodin, the Green county councillor for Oxford's Isis division, called for signs to be put up at traffic hotspots warning motorists that cyclists also use the roads.

The county council said an inquiry into Wednesday's incidentwould include a review of the traffic lights at the junction.

Last year, Mrs Glass Woodin received an email from a student warning her of the dangers to cyclists at the junction.

She passed it on to council highways officers, but claimed no action was taken because motorists in the city always received preferential treatment.

She said: "The potential danger of this junction was brought to my attention as a regular pedestrian-cyclist accident blackspot.

"I took it up with the council and was told there was nothing they could do, because it wasn't a priority for them to deal with.

"This accident highlights the fact that the views of cyclists are ignored.

"The bottom line is although we do not know the details of this incident, there are very simple - but key - procedures that could be undertaken to make people aware of cyclists, like warning signs.

"If the authorities want more people out of their cars and on their bikes they have to make if safe now - rather than when an accident happens."

In the five years to March, there were three injury accidents at the junction where Mr Fok died. County Hall said there were 300 places in Oxford with worse accident records.

Road safety officer Tony Kirkwood said: "As part of the standard investigations following a fatal accidents, all aspects of the control, signing and road markings at the junction will be reviewed, to identify any measures to improve safety."

However, he said it was too soon to say whether the authority would investigate Mrs Glass Woodin's ideas, which also included painting pictures of bicycles on the road surface.

James Styring, of Oxford cycling pressure group Cyclox, said: "I don't know what happened in this particular case, but some cyclists jump it (the junction) because they think it's senseless waiting if they can see nothing is coming.

"It might make more sense to have a mini-roundabout, with give-way signs so that cyclists can slow down, look, then go."

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