A resident has raised concerns over cyclists going too fast on a towpath shared by pedestrians after an elderly woman died two weeks after being knocked down by a hybrid bike.

Concerned Headington resident Geoffrey Sutton believes the accident at Iffley Lock raises questions about the need for speed limits on shared pedestrian/cycling routes. 

He said: "An obvious problem is the towpath is a shared highway between cycles and pedestrians but with no separation and no speed limit, making it particularly dangerous for pedestrians if cycles are speeding.

He added: "This is a very rare event but as more people migrate to walking and cycling, accidents will rise further, especially pedestrian/cyclist accidents."

According to retailers, hybrid bicycles are relatively heavy at between 13kg to 18kg.

And while Class 1 and Class 2 ebikes stop providing electric assist once the rider is pedalling up to 20mph, Class 3 ebikes stop providing electric assist once the rider has reached 28mph.

There is only one class of ebike legally allowed in the UK which is limited to 250W and only gives assistance to 15.6mph.

Mr Sutton fears with the increasing numbers of cyclists on the road, excessive cycling speeds, particulary hybrid assisted, and heavy cargo bikes, vulnerable pedestrians such as the elderly are at risk.

He added: "Further issues are untrained cyclists, of cycle training, or the lack of it, cyclist's adherence to the laws of the road, or the lack of it, appropriate licencing and regulation or the lack of it and insurance/liability or the lack of it."

He said not having a speed limit on the towpath runs counter to Oxfordshire County Council's Vision Zero objectives to eliminate deaths and serious injuries from road traffic collisions in Oxfordshire by 2050.

It was adopted by the county council in response to the deaths of four young women while riding bicycles in Oxford in the last two years.

At the time Dr Alison Hill, chair of cycling campaign group Cyclox, which is part of the cycling safety working group, said: “We need to design out danger, particularly for people who cycle and walk.”

A spokesperson for the council said: "The thoughts of everyone at Oxfordshire County Council are with the friends and family of the woman killed.

"While the incident remains a matter for the police, we will look at what lessons can be learnt to make the situation safer for all users in the future.

"In recent years, we have been involved in towpath improvement work and installing signs calling on people to be considerate and respect other users on spaces that are shared by those walking and those cycling.

"Our ambitions for Vision Zero will involve learning lessons from incidents and working closely with other organisations to ensure people can move around all of the Oxfordshire network safely."

Thames Valley Police did not comment as an investigation is ongoing.

 

 

Read more from this author

This story was written by Miranda Norris, she joined the team in 2021 and covers news across Oxfordshire as well as news from Witney.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Miranda.Norris@newsquest.co.uk. Or find her on Twitter: @Mirandajnorris

Profile: Miranda Norris Journalists news from the Oxford Mail

Profile: Miranda Norris Journalists news from the Oxford Mail