Two serious cycle crashes in a week have raised fresh concerns about road safety for those choosing to travel in the city on bike.

Early yesterday morning, a cyclist was involved in a crash with a car at one of the city's busiest roundabouts.

Emergency services were called to The Plain with eyewitnesses stating there were five police cars and one ambulance at the scene.

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The same eyewitness claimed a taxi was involved in the accident.

This comes as last Wednesday, Alison Hill, chairwoman of the Cyclox campaign group, was taken to hospital with serious leg injuries after a crash with a coach in the city centre.

Oxford Mail: Alison Hill, chairwoman of Cyclox Alison Hill, chairwoman of Cyclox (Image: Alison Hill)Cyclox confirmed yesterday that Ms Hill, who is in her 70s, was involved in the crash.

Ms Hill remains in the John Radcliffe Hospital after the crash between herself and a white Volvo coach at the junction of Park Road and Banbury Road at around 3.35pm.

Thames Valley Police has confirmed that no one else was injured in this incident and no arrests have been made as police continue the appeal for eyewitnesses and CCTV or dash-camera footage.

The police said that it would not comment on yesterday’s crash at the Plain Roundabout but confirmed no arrests had been made.

The force did not provide an update on the condition of the persons involved in the accident.

A spokeswoman for Cyclox said: "Sadly, we have seen a number of serious and fatal collisions in the past few years involving people cycling.

"The occurrence of another incident is undoubtedly concerning. It highlights the ongoing need for effective safety measures."

The group has recorded 16 instances of cyclists being killed or seriously injured at The Plain roundabout over the last decade. 

But the spokeswoman said there have been 12 in the last seven years since the roundabout was designed and three in the last two years. 

Only last year a crash at the roundabout took the life of a cyclist.

"The measures are therefore short-term improvements, but we want to see long-term changes to get this number down to zero," the spokeswoman added. 

Dr Ling Felce, aged 35 was knocked down and killed by unlicenced HGV driver Robert Whiting on The Plain in March.

40-year-old Whiting was sentenced to eight years in prison in September after Oxford Crown Court found he was high on cocaine behind the wheel.

Since the fatal accident, new road studs, bollards, cycle stands and light cycle lane segregation units have been installed at the site.

A peak-hour loading ban has also been put in place and Oxford’s highways chief has approved plans to install automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras at the roundabouts.

There is also a restriction in place to stop road-users making the illegal turn, but council officers claimed this was not being followed by vehicles.

Oxford Independent county councillor Damian Haywood said: “I am unaware of the outcome of this latest incident. I hope it is not too serious.

“We need a solution urgently. There are several options."

Mr Haywood said these options included operational traffic filters and an alternative cycling route through Christchurch similar to the one in Marston.

On the cycling route, he added: "This will be difficult as it requires significant cooperation with current landowners. Traffic filters are the answer with significant restrictions on motorised traffic.”

Data shows the geographical area where Iffley Road and Cowley Road join The Plain has seen a higher number of road safety incidents than anywhere else on the roundabout.

The Cyclox cycling group has been contacted for comment.

What has the county council said on the crashes? 

A spokesman for the council said: "Improving safety at The Plain, especially for vulnerable road users such as cyclists, has been a priority for Oxfordshire County Council ever since we made a commitment to Vision Zero – the elimination of deaths and serious injuries from road traffic collisions in Oxfordshire by 2050 – last year.

"The Plain is the busiest roundabout for cyclists in the county, and one of the busiest in the country.

"That is why in the last 12 months we have made a series of safety improvements, including amendments to road markings and traffic signs, the installation of road studs, bollards and cycle stands, the installation of light cycle lane segregation units, vegetation clearance, put in loading restrictions and, most recently, approved an ANPR camera to enforce a banned left turn from Cowley Road on to Iffley Road.

"We will continue to monitor what difference these measures are making to safety and amend where necessary.

"As always in these cases, we will wait for any police report into this particular collision to see if any lessons can be learned. Any investigations into the cause of a collision will be a police matter.

"More widely, 18 months ago we established a Vision Zero Cycle Safety Group to explore ways to improve safety for cyclists on our roads.

"Local cycling campaign groups, including Cyclox, are members and provide their expertise to highlight areas we need to focus on and provide feedback on proposed measures."