A COLLISION between a pedestrian and a bus in Oxford’s Gloucester Green on May 13 highlights its poor design.

The situation is painfully similar to that in Market Street since the 10am restriction for traffic entering Cornmarket Street as part of the Oxford Transport Strategy.

In both cases, vehicles are forced to reverse across areas where the general public as pedestrians have open and free access.

This affords the chance of both coming into conflict with each other, however careful drivers are or try to be, and with no steering wheel or handlebars, pedestrians can actually be the fastest and most dangerous thing on our roads.

The Plain after its revamp – when not flooded outside Sainsbury’s – exposes cyclists in particular to risk of collision due to the way it is marked. Traffic is forced to cross a solidly marked cycle lane (perhaps suggesting to the untrained cyclist that they have full right of way), while attempting to manoeuvre into St Clement’s travelling eastbound.

Colin Cook’s comment regarding Frideswide Square and the painted circle roundabouts, actually answered his own complaint to be fair.

All road users need only remember to give way to traffic entering and crossing the roundabout from their right, and if vehicle length means they are forced to cross the painted are, then so be it, on occasion when driving such a vehicle you have no other safe or realistic choice.

What really made me smile was his comment about there being “a few large potholes in the square near the roundabouts”.

Well there we go then. If even our mighty city councillors are complaining about the state of the roads that their county counterparts are responsible for, there might be hope for the rest of us yet? I won’t hold my breath.

DAVID WILLIAMS
David Walter Close
Oxford