Spotlight on school travel: no safe routes for children in Headington - Part 2

Spotlight on school travel: no safe routes for children in Headington - Part 2

The first post in our series on school travel looked at the reasons behind the lack of infrastructure enabling active travel for children in Headington. This second post looks at the infrastructure available to children in other parts of Oxford and compares this with what we have in Headington - finding Headington at a serious disadvantage compared to its neighbours.

Let's take a look at enabling infrastructure in other areas of Oxford...

For example, in North Oxford, Swan School and Cherwell School pupils have the benefit of…

…the Marston Ferry Road cycle track, forming part of the bollard-protected OXB cycling and walking route, with both school entrances accessed via that route…

Entrance to Swan School on Marston Ferry Road cycle track
Entrance to Cherwell School South site on Marston Ferry Road cycle track (approach from Marston)
Entrance to Cherwell School South site on Marston Ferry Road cycle track (approach from Summertown)

… a subway to enable them to cross Marston Ferry Road safely and without delay, and from 2025 a traffic filter on Marston Ferry Road that will substantially reduce traffic volume and associated road danger and pollution…

Subway under Marston Ferry Road (approach from Marston/Cherwell School South site)
Subway under Marston Ferry Road (approach from Marston/Cherwell School South site)
Subway under Marston Ferry Road (approach from Summertown/Cherwell School North site)

…with both the South and North sites of Cherwell School on the OCR 5 cycling route, which provides a traffic-free/low-traffic route to school along car-free paths and roads through North Oxford low-traffic neighbourhoods, avoiding the busy Banbury Road…

Cherwell School North site entrance on OCR5
OCR5 route outside Cherwell School North site
Walking and cycling route from Cherwell School North site to Marston Ferry car park and Summertown
OCR5 walking and cycling route between Cherwell School North site and Lonsdale Road
OCR5 walking and cycling route between Cherwell School North site and Lonsdale Road
Entrance to OCR5 walking and cycling route from Lonsdale Road (notice how much narrower this is than Cuckoo Lane between Osler Road and Sandfield Road, where cycling is prohibited)

(Not forgetting that this same infrastructure also benefits pupils at fee-paying private schools such as Oxford High School, d’Overbroek’s, St Clare’s and Dragon School.)

And pupils going to SS Philip and James School in Jericho have the benefit of…

…the school being situated within an access-only neighbourhood (aka LTN) and a rising bollard at the end of Aristotle Lane during school-run times to prevent people from driving on the roads surrounding the school unless permitted…

Map showing the low-traffic neighbourhood in which St Philip & James School is situated
Rising bollards at the entrance to Aristotle Lane

…‘quiet’ cycling route OXR1 running past the school on Hayfield Road and Kingston Road and many of the surrounding roads being low-traffic, thanks to:

  • the Hayfield Road modal filter
  • one-way traffic on Polstead Road and other nearby roads
  • new housing developments being built as low-traffic neighbourhoods

providing multiple safe, low-traffic routes to the school…

Map showing low-traffic neighbourhoods surrounding St Philip and James School (green = LTN; red = non-LTN; blue rectangle = school site)
Modal filter on Hayfield Road near St Philip and James School
One-way infrastructure at the entrance to Polstead Road near St Philip and James School (with 2-way cycling and access for cyclists)
Rutherway (new development built as an LTN)
The Waterways (new development built as an LTN)

And pupils at Cutteslowe Primary School benefit from:

  • the school being situated in an LTN and on ‘quiet’ cycling route OXR5
  • all the Cutteslowe roads leading to the school being LTN roads, and
  • the pedestrian/cycle bridge over the A40 Elsfield Way enabling people to walk and cycle across the ring road safely and without delay:

Map showing Cutteslowe Primary surrounded by low-traffic neighbourhoods and next to a pedestrian and cycling bridge over the A40
Entrance to the A40 walking and cycling bridge from the North side of Cutteslowe
Entrance to the A40 walking and cycling bridge from the South side of Cutteslowe by the school
Drivers’ view of the Cutteslowe walking and cycling bridge

And children attending schools in East Oxford and Cowley, such as East Oxford Primary School, Larkrise Primary School, Oxford Spires Academy, SS Mary and John Primary School, St Christopher’s Primary School, Tyndale Community School, St Frideswides Primary School and Greyfriars School have the benefit of…

…the bollard-protected Meadow Lane walking and cycling route…

Meadow Lane between Fairacres Road and Donnington Bridge Road

…the bollard-protected Barracks Lane walking and cycling route…

Entrance to Barracks Lane walking and cycling path from Bartlemas Close
Barracks Lane walking and cycling path at top of Kenilworth Avenue (near Oxford Spires Academy)
Entrance to Barracks Lane walking and cycling path from Hollow Way (near Tyndale Community School)

…the bollard-protected walking and cycling route between Collins Street and Union Street that runs past East Oxford Primary School…

Entrance to walking and cycling route by East Oxford Primary School from Collins Street
Entrance to walking and cycling route by East Oxford Primary School from Union Street

…the modal filters from the 1980s on Collins Street, Union Street and East Avenue around East Oxford Primary School…

Modal filter (gate) on Collins Street
Modal filter (gate) on Union Street
Modal filter (bollards and kerb build-outs) on East Avenue

…every minor residential road between and off Cowley Road, Iffley Road, Hollow Way, Between Towns Road and Church Cowley Road being low-traffic/access-only thanks to the new Cowley and East Oxford LTNs and a large number of historic LTNs…

…and every school being situated within one of those LTNs (with the exception of Our Lady’s Primary School)…

Map showing low traffic neighbourhoods in East Oxford and Cowley (green = low-traffic neighbourhoods)

And pupils travelling to Oxford Academy in Littlemore have the benefit of…

…some of the best sections of the Ring Road cycle path on the OXC cycling and walking route…

Ring road cycling and walking path between Cowley and Littlemore
Ring road cycling and walking path between Cowley and Littlemore
Ring road cycling and walking path between Cowley and Littlemore
Ring road cycling and walking path between Cowley and Littlemore
Ring road cycling and walking path between Cowley and Littlemore

…a clearly-signposted and bollard-protected route on the OXE12 walking and cycling route direct to the school site…

…a bollard-protected subway on the OXE12 cycling and walking route to enable pupils to cross the Ring Road safely and without delay…

Littlemore subway under the Ring Road
Littlemore subway under the Ring Road
Littlemore cycling and walking path next to the subway

…and lots of low-traffic roads and car-free routes around and leading to the school site.

Map showing low traffic neighbourhoods in Littlemore around the Oxford Academy (green = low-traffic neighbourhoods)
Priory Road modal filter (gate)
Priory Road railway bridge

And children travelling to St Nicholas Primary School in Marston have the benefit of…

…the Marston Ferry Road cycle track, forming part of the OXB cycling and walking route, with the school entrance accessible via that route…

Entrance to Marston Ferry Road cycle track from Oxford Road (access to St Nicholas Primary School on path to the left)

…a subway to get across Marston Ferry Road from Old Marston safely and without delay plus a traffic filter on Marston Ferry Road from 2025 which will further reduce traffic and its associated danger and pollution…

Entrance to Marston Ferry Road subway from Oxford Road, Old Marston

…a network of low-traffic roads and bollard-protected walking/cycling paths around and to the school…

(Unfortunately there is a rat-run through Old Marston via Elsfield Road, Oxford Road and Old Marston Road – this could be fixed by having bus gates on either side of Cherwell Drive at both Oxford Road junctions.)

Map showing low- and high-traffic roads around St Nicholas' Primary School (green = low traffic with walking and cycling through-access; blue = low traffic with no walking and cycling through-access; red = high-traffic cut through)

And pupils at Bayards Primary School in Barton have the benefit of…

…most of the roads in Barton being low-traffic roads… (although this has been undermined recently by allowing car access to the new Barton Park development from Barton Fields Road – this could easily be fixed with a bus gate at the Barton Fields Road/Barton Village Road junction, eliminating the red route shown below and turning it green)

Map showing low- and high-traffic roads in Barton (green = low traffic with walking and cycling through-access; blue = low traffic with no walking and cycling through-access; red = high-traffic cut through)

…and lots of walking/cycling shortcuts (as shown with red dots above).

And pupils at Sandhills Primary School have the benefit of the school and all surrounding roads in Sandhills being low-traffic/access-only roads…

Map showing low-traffic roads in Sandhills (blue = low traffic with no walking and cycling through-access)

…a subway under the A40 to enable people to get from Risinghurst/Thornhill Park & Ride safely and without delay (although it’s a pretty poor subway)…

Entrance to subway from Sandhills
Entrance to subway from Thornhill P&R

…a bollard-protected walking and cycling route to the school (although this crossing should really be a zebra or pedestrian crossing and be made much narrower)…

Crossing at Sandhills entrance from A40

And pupils at St Ebbes Primary School in Grandpont (near Hinksey Park) and New Hinksey Primary School in Hinksey benefit from…

…the schools and all the surrounding roads being in a low-traffic neighbourhood and on ‘quiet’ cycling route OXR21 along Marlbourough Road, Millstream and Whytham Street and through Bertie Park…

Map showing low-traffic roads in Grandpont and New Hinskey (green = low traffic with walking and cycling through-access)
Map showing official cycling routes in Grandpont and New Hinskey

…the cycling and walking path along Millstream by Hinksey Lake (between the ends of Whytham Street and Lake Street)…

Entrance to Millstream walking and cycling path from Wytham Street
Millstream walking and cycling path
Millstream walking and cycling path
Entrance to Millstream walking and cycling path from Lake Street

… a School Street for St Ebbes Primary School on Whitehouse Road to reduce traffic on this cul-de-sac even further…

St Ebbes Primary School Street

…and a School Street for New Hinksey Primary School covering Lake Street, Stewart Street, Summerfield, Gordon Street, Vicarage Road, Green Place, School Place and Vicarage Lane, to reduce traffic and poor parking on those LTN roads even further.

Whereas in Headington…

Our last post explained how nearly all the Headington roads that are designated as on-road “connecting” and “quiet” routes on the Oxford LCWIP Cycle and Walking Network Map are major motor vehicle rat-runs, which would have been solved had the Headington low-traffic neighbourhoods been implemented as planned in Spring 2022:

Map showing proposed LTNs in Headington (Blue circles = suggested/likely positions of modal filters; shaded areas = the low-traffic/access-only neighbourhoods the modal filters would have created; roads marked in red in shaded areas = existing high-traffic/cut-through routes in Headington’s neighbourhoods)

So instead of having safe routes to school on Oxfordshire County Council’s designated “quiet” and “connecting” cycling routes, children and families travelling to Headington Quarry Foundation Stage School, Windmill Primary School and St Andrews Primary School face a constant stream of traffic coming off (and heading to) the ring road at Quarry Hollow junction, creating a dangerous environment where children are physically at risk and subjected to unacceptable levels of health-harming air pollution...

…Quarry Hollow, right outside Headington Quarry Foundation Stage School, is made dangerous, polluted, noisy and hostile by the stream of rat-running traffic…

…dangerous traffic movements when crossing the Wharton Road junction, with regular near-misses of cars reversing into children crossing the entrance on their way to Windmill Primary School (and people scurrying across so as not to inconvenience drivers waiting to turn)…

Wharton Road junction with Margaret Road

Headington Quarry Foundation Stage School, Windmill Primary School and St Andrews Primary School are all on rat-runs - Quarry Hollow, Margaret Road and St Leonard’s Road. (This wouldn’t be the case if the Headington Quarry LTN had been implemented…)

Map showing high- and low-traffic roads in Quarry/Rock Edge (green = low traffic with walking and cycling through-access; blue = low traffic with no walking and cycling through-access; red = high traffic cut-through)

Wood Farm Primary School and the Slade Nursery are on a rat-run - Titup Hall Drive. (This wouldn’t be a rat-run if the Headington Quarry LTN had been implemented…)

Map showing high- and low-traffic roads in Wood Farm (green = low traffic with walking and cycling through-access; blue = low traffic with no walking and cycling through-access; red = high traffic cut-through)

…the main would-be ‘quiet’ cycling route to Swan School from Headington (St Andrew’s Road, Dunstan Road, Saxon Way and Copse Lane) is a dangerous and congested rat-run caused by people driving to and from for the JR or Summertown, avoiding the main road junctions in Headington (as shown in this video of rush hour traffic in Old Headington). The planned modal filter on Dunstan Road would have stopped this rat-run and created a safe cycling route for Swan School pupils from Headington…

…and from Copse Lane children have to choose between the wooded path between Copse Lane and Marsh Lane (unlit and prone to mud after rain), waiting ages at the Marsh Lane crossing and either crossing Cherwell Drive from Elms Drive or cycling the ‘wrong way’ along Cherwell Drive and waiting ages at the Oxford Road crossing

OR

crossing Headley Way from Copse Lane and dealing with the awful Headley Way/Marston Road junction, which resembles a motorway interchange with its 8 lanes of motor traffic rather than a quiet residential area…

Entrance to wooded path from Copse Lane (no dropped kerb for cyclists to access)
Crossing on Marsh Lane
Exit from Elms Drive onto Cherwell Drive
Crossing at Cherwell Drive by access to Marston Ferry Road cycle path. (Note the post on the right obstructing cyclist access to the on-footway cycle path.)
Exit from Copse Lane onto Headley Way (cyclists have to cross 4 lanes of traffic at this point to reach the paint-only cycle lane on the other side).
Headley Way/Marston Road/Cherwell Drive junction (at Copse Lane looking towards Cherwell Drive).

…the only good traffic scheme to happen in Headington – the Windmill School Street – has failed in its core purpose to create a safe area around the school since the swich from using physical barriers and stewards to ANPR cameras.

Since ANPR was introduced, numerous cars, taxis, vans and even lorries drive through, so the area outside the school is no longer a safe space.

This is due to:

  • a large number of contraventions (people driving through in breach of the traffic order),
  • a large number of exemptions/permits allowing drivers through, and
  • abuse of exemptions, such as taxi drivers driving straight through or dropping their own kids at school.

Most of the contraventions are due to the huge volume of rat-running traffic through Quarry, which enters the School Street zone from the Wharton Road closure point in the mornings – and of course this traffic wouldn’t be there if the Headington Quarry LTN had been implemented.

See our earlier post, Review of the Windmill School Street for further detail…

The area outside Windmill Primary School that should have almost no motor traffic in it during the School Street operational hours.

…and despite the clear need, none of St. Andrews Primary School, Wood Farm Primary School and Slade Nursery, Headington Quarry Foundation Stage School or Cheney School are included in the next batch of schools to get School Streets – as far as we’re aware they’re not even ‘on the list’…

Cheney School is immediately next to a major road traffic junction and close to another, yet has no adequate segregated cycle paths, low-traffic neighbourhoods (whether pre-existing or new) or subways to mitigate this for pupils travelling to school from the East side of the school catchment area…

Satellite view of the Gipsy Lane/Old Road/Roosevelt Drive/Warneford Lane junction outside Cheney School
Satellite view of the Gipsy Lane/Headington Road junction outside Brookes University and near Cheney School

There are so many problems with these junctions, particularly for anyone using a bike, and particularly for children using bikes:

…cycling is prohibited on the only useful car-free routes in Headington: Bury Knowle Park and most of Cuckoo Lane…

Entrance to Cuckoo Lane from Sandfield Road
Entrance to Cuckoo Lane from Osler Road
Entrance to Cuckoo Lane from Old High Street
Sign in Bury Knowle Park: note "No unauthorised cycling" prohibition - what it "unauthorised cycling"? The Council's cycling and walking network map shows the Bury Knowle Park path forming the OXR9 quiet off-road route, so how can cycling be prohibited here?
Snippet from the Oxfordshire County Council cycling and walking network map, showing quiet off-road route OXR9 going through Bury Knowle Park.

…people using disability-adapted bikes, cargo bikes or other non-standard bikes or mobility scooters and wheelchairs are prevented from using car-free routes where cycling is permitted due to discriminatory barriers…

Barriers in the alleyway between Valentia Road and Grays Road
Barriers on the walking and cycling access to Churchill Drive from Massey Close
Barriers on the access to Cheney Lane from Headington Road
Barriers on the walking and cycling path between Northfield Road and Barton Road
Barriers on the walking and cycling access between Gardiner Street and Mattock Close
Cycling and walking access from the ring road cycle path to Old Road

...Most of the alleyways in Quarry also have barriers, presumably to try to prevent them being used by cyclists and people using wheelchairs or mobility scooters...

Entrance to Vallis Alley from Quarry High Street
Entrance to Chapel Alley from Quarry High Street
Entrance to Chapel Alley from Quarry Hollow
Entrance to Coppock's Alley from Quarry Hollow
Entrance to Coppock's Alley from Quarry High Street
Entrance to Masons Alley from Quarry School Place
Entrance to Spring Lane from Trinity Road

…the potentially useful route through Lye Valley and over Warneford Meadow that could provide a car-free link between Lye Valley and East Oxford, the Churchill Hospital, Old Road Campus, Warneford Hospital and Headington Care Home is currently inaccessible for walking, wheeling or cycling by disabled people and is unlikely to ever be accessible by all due to legal issues holding up the building of a proper cycling and walking path over Warneford Meadow and refusal to allow construction of accessible paths and bridges in Lye Valley for environmental reasons...

Potential route across Lye Valley and Warneford Meadow shown in pink
Lye Valley footpath entrance from Lye Valley
Entrance to Warneford Meadow from Hill Top Road

…the County Council is planning to turn this useful cycling-permitted car-free route to Barton Leisure Centre and Waynefleet Road into a bus highway that cuts across the A40 cycle path as part of its Bus Service Improvement Plan…

Entrance to walking and cycling route to Waynefleet Road from the A40 cycle path

…cyclists are told to dismount and presented with barriers on all the ‘official cycle routes’ around/under Green Road Roundabout and by Thornhill Park & Ride…

…and the subways are too narrow, poorly lit, put cyclists and pedestrians in conflict, have sharp turns preventing visibility through to the other side, and feel unsafe, particularly for women and girls…

Such "cyclists dismount" and "no cycling" signs don't seem to exist for equivalent infrastructure elsewhere in Oxford.

…there’s no subway or safe at-grade crossing to get across the busy 5-lane Bayswater Road junction and it’s around 160m to the nearest pedestrian crossing near Waynefleet Road…

Unsignaled pedestrian/cyclist crossing point over Bayswater Road at Green Road Roundabout

…unlike Marston Ferry Road or the Ring Road cycle path leading to Oxford Academy, the A40 cycling and walking path between Green Road Roundabout and Thornhill Park & Ride is exposed, noisy and hostile, with no physical protection between people walking and cycling and heavy, fast-moving traffic (and this is a route that children going to Sandhills Primary School use)…

…cyclists using the A40 cycle path to get from Thornhill P&R into Headington have to cross a dangerous, busy A40 slip road junction at Collinwood Road…

A40 cycle route (South side) where it crosses Collinwood Road

(This danger could be removed by closing that entrance to motor traffic, as was done at the Horspath Road access to the Eastern By-Pass in Cowley many years ago.)

Horspath Road closed-off ring road entrance

…and take their chances with drivers rat-running through The Roundway in Risinghurst to avoid Green Road Roundabout…

(This danger would also be removed by closing the Collingwood Road entrance to motor traffic.)

…children who attend Barton Park Primary School have to walk or cycle 790m to get to the Barton Park crossing of the A40, 915m to the Barton Village Road subway or 1.35km to Green Road Roundabout in order to get across the A40…

Route from the school to the new Barton Park crossing
Route from the school to the Barton Fields Road subway
Route from the school to the Green Road Roundabout subway

…and if they use the Barton Park Crossing they have to cross at road level in 4 stages, waiting up to 8-9 minutes to cross at busy times…

…it’s hostile, unpleasant, noisy, smelly, with no shade and no shelter from rain…

…there's barely enough distance to avoid spray from vehicles when it's wet…

…children are apparently kept in a protective huddle when waiting on the main central island…

…people sometimes end up stuck on the 1.2m wide "island", directly adjacent to HGVs…

(See Danny Yee’s Barton Park and the A40 presentation for further detail.)

Satellite aerial view of the Barton Park crossing, with the crossing stages numbered

…and the road right outside the school has proven to be very dangerous, with 3 car collisions happening recently: Oxford Mail report

Cycle stands outside the school flattened by a car collision

…children going to Cheney School, Quarry Foundation Stage School and Windmill Primary School have to choose between the Green Road Roundabout subway (and their inadequacies described above) or the road-level crossing near Kiln Lane. And if they use the Kiln Lane crossing they have to…

…cross at road level in 3 stages…

…wait up to 8-9 minutes to cross at busy times…

…the waiting spaces are unsafe, particularly with children walking or scooting right next to fast-moving traffic…

…as with the Barton Park crossing, it’s hostile, unpleasant, noisy, smelly, with no shade and no shelter from rain or spray from vehicles when it's wet…

Satellite aerial view of the Risinghurst crossing, with the crossing stages numbered

…the London Road cycle lane stops and dumps cyclists onto the carriageway at insanely dangerous points, putting cyclists at risk from rear-coming traffic…

London Road outside Shell garage/Little Waitrose: cyclists have to enter the carriageway at the busy Osler Road entrance
London Road approaching Headley Way junction
London Road approaching Wharton Road
Headington Road approaching Gipsy Lane junction

…the Old Road cycle lane similarly stops and dumps cyclists onto the carriageway at the worst points, putting cyclists at risk from rear-coming traffic and creating an incoherent and mostly useless cycle lane…

Old Road approaching Churchill Drive junction
Old Road near Lime Walk
Old Road approaching Gipsy Lane junction

…there’s no safe cycling provision through Headington centre, because it appears the Council prioritises through motor traffic and free, on-road car parking for drivers who are usually (a) buying tiny amount of shopping that could easily be carried in a rucksack, bike pannier or shopping trolley, (b) parking in a disabled space without a blue badge and/or (c) idling their engines, harming everyone around them with toxic exhaust…

…none of Headington’s cycle lanes or footways are protected, so they’re constantly obstructed by vehicles, forcing people walking or cycling into the road or into conflict with each other…

(The plant boxes and additional cycle parking installed by Councillor Roz Smith on Windmill Road westside have improved but not completely solved the problem there; we need more interventions all over Headington to prevent this happening elsewhere.)

Taxi blocking cycle lane outside Brookes University on London Road (this happens multiple times every day)

… atrocious driving and parking behaviour by a minority of parents endangers pupils at Cheney School on Gipsy Lane, Warneford Lane and Cheney Lane every day, enabled by the lack of protected footways and cycle lanes or a School Street…

…the London Road cycle track is wholly inadequate: obstructed by lampposts, pedestrian crossing signal posts, signposts, trees, tree routes, vehicles and bus stops; no priority or direct passage over side roads; merging into shared space with pedestrians around bus stops, putting pedestrians and cyclists into conflict and at risk; ending abruptly from all approaches at Headington Centre with no protected or even just painted cycle lanes through the shopping area. (This requires a whole post dedicated to its shortcomings, but there are a few ‘highlights’ below)…

Crossing by Northfield Road: signal posts obstruct cycle path; unclear what cyclists are meant to do here; cyclists and pedestrians/wheelers come into conflict at the crossing waiting point.
Gladstone Road crossing: cyclists have to give way to traffic turning into/out of Gladstone Road (they wouldn't if they were on the road); danger of being hit by cars coming from multiple directions when crossing; cycle lane width effectively halves and cyclists are forced to the left to cross.
Crossing and bus stop by Barton Road: cycle path becomes shared path with pedestrians; signal posts obstruct cycle path; unclear what cyclists are meant to do here; cyclists and pedestrians/wheelers come into conflict at the crossing waiting point; cyclists and pedestrians/wheelers/bus users come into conflict by the bus stop (cycle lane seems to go to the left of it).
Ramsay Road crossing: cyclists have to give way to traffic turning into/out of Ramsay Road (they wouldn't if they were on the road); danger of being hit by cars coming from multiple directions when crossing; cycle lane width effectively halves and cyclists are forced to the left to cross.
Erupted tree routes obstruct the cycle path and footway and cause an uneven, bumpy surface that can cause people (particularly children) to come off bikes.
Just before Wharton Road junction: a 20mph sign obstructs the cycle lane; cyclists are forced onto the bus lane; failure to look behind you before pulling onto the road could result in being hit by a bus from behind.
On-road cycle lane begins 'out of nowhere' just after Lime Walk - there is no cycle lane, not even just a painted line, through Headington from where the cycle lane ends just before Wharton Road (shown above) and here.
Latimer Road crossing: cyclists have to give way to traffic turning into/out of Latimer Road (they wouldn't if they were on the road); danger of being hit by cars coming from multiple directions when crossing; cycle lane width effectively halves and cyclists are forced to the left to cross.
Headley Way junction: cyclists are forced onto the carriageway; failure to look behind you before pulling onto the road could result in being hit by a bus, lorry, van or car from behind; there is no early filter for cyclists like there is coming in the other direction and no joint pedestrian and cyclist crossing phase like there are in all other directions - resulting in cyclist coming into conflict with motor vehicles in the tight space to the left of the pedestrian island; the cycle box/advanced stop lane is often blocked by vehicles, preventing access.
Headington Road approach to Headley Way junction: there is no cycle lane between Gipsy Lane and this junction (cyclists are directed into the bus lane); the bus lane is often blocked by buses, private school coaches picking up children from Headington School and taxis; it is often impossible to access the short stretch of cycle lane shown above due to queueing traffic, particularly when it includes buses and lorries - meaning that cyclists often can't take advantage of the early filter for cyclists that was introduced to improve safety for cyclists.
Headley Way junction: despite the cyclist early release signal, cyclists are still at risk of being hit by vehicles turning left as they cross the Headley Way junction, which is how Jennifer Wong was killed a few years ago (hence the white ghost bike there). Rather than make any effective and meaningful safety improvements for cyclists - which would involve removing space and priority for motor vehicles - they demolished the historical stonewall planter to encourage cyclists to cross via the pavement instead, creating even more conflict between cyclists and pedestrians.
White Horse pub car park entrance: cyclists have to give way to traffic turning into/out of the car park (they wouldn't if they were on the road); danger of being hit by cars coming from multiple directions when crossing.
Sandfield Road crossing: cyclists have to give way to traffic turning into/out of Sandfield Road (they wouldn't if they were on the road); danger of being hit by cars coming from multiple directions when crossing. As part of the Headington LTNs there was going to be a modal filter on Woodlands Road, which would have prevented drivers using Sandfield Road and Woodlands Road as a rat-run between London Road and Headley Way to avoid the Headley Way junction. If that had been implemented this crossing would be much safer for cyclists, pedestrians and wheelers as the amount of vehicle movements in and out of the junction would have drastically reduced.
Pedestrian crossing and bus stop by Dorset House and Latimer Road: signal posts obstruct cycle lane; unclear what cyclists are meant to do here; cyclists and pedestrians/wheelers come into conflict at the crossing waiting point; cyclists and pedestrians/wheelers/bus users come into conflict by the bus stop as the cycle lane seems to go between the bus stop and bus lane but there are no clear signs or road markings telling cyclists what they should do there - pulling into the bus lane at that point puts cyclists at risk of being hit by a bus or taxi from behind, and if a bus is pulled in at the bus stop, cyclists would be forced into the carriageway to get around the bus, putting them at risk of being hit by various motor vehicles from behind.
Horwood Close crossing: cyclists have to give way to traffic turning into/out of Horwood Close (they wouldn't if they were on the road); danger of being hit by cars coming from multiple directions when crossing.
Cycle lane outside Shell Garage/Little Waitrose: cyclists and pedestrians/wheelers have right of way across the entrance and exit, but this often isn't observed by drivers so there is a danger of being hit by cars coming from multiple directions when crossing, particularly from drivers who use the bus lane to bypass queueing traffic to 'nip in' to the garage. (Also note the roadwork signs, typically placed obstructing cycle lanes and footways!)
Pedestrian crossing by Stile Road: signal posts obstruct cycle lane; unclear what cyclists are meant to do here; cyclists and pedestrians/wheelers come into conflict at the crossing waiting point.
Cycle lane between Wharton Road and Ramsay Road: tree obstructs cycle lane (with bonus bin blocking the walking path and increasing conflict between cyclist and pedestrians/wheelers: cyclists and pedestrians/wheelers/bus users come into conflict by the bus stop as the bus stop is in the cycle lane and there are no clear signs or road markings telling cyclists or bus users what they should do there.
Approach to pedestrian crossing by Barton Road: tree, lamp post and pedestrian crossing signal posts obstruct cycle lane; unclear what cyclists are meant to do here; cyclists and pedestrians/wheelers come into conflict at the crossing waiting point.
Barton Road crossing: cyclists have to give way to traffic turning into/out of Barton Road (they wouldn't if they were on the road); cycle lane effectively halves in width and cyclists are forced to the left to cross; danger of being hit by cars coming from multiple directions when crossing. As part of the Headington LTNs there was going to be a modal filter on Barton Lane, which would have prevented drivers using Barton Road/Hawthorn Road/Ash Grove/Chestnut Avenue and Barton Lane as a rat-run between London Road and Headley Way to avoid the central Headington and Headley Way junctions. If that had been implemented this crossing would be much safer for cyclists, pedestrians and wheelers as the amount of vehicle movements in and out of the junction would have drastically reduced.
Sefton Road crossing: cyclists have to give way to traffic turning into/out of Sefton Road (they wouldn't if they were on the road); cycle lane effectively halves in width and cyclists are forced to the left to cross; danger of being hit by cars coming from multiple directions when crossing; confusing coloured ridged paving - what does it indicate? There's no crossing point or entrances there.
Pedestrian crossing by Northfield Road: signal posts obstruct cycle lane; unclear what cyclists are meant to do here; cyclists and pedestrians/wheelers come into conflict at the crossing waiting point.

And bear in mind that children from Barton, Risinghurst, Sandhills and Headington have to contend with this wholly inadequate cycle lane when cycling to Cheney School. Compare this with Marston Ferry Road – is it any surprise the cycling figures for Cheney School and Cherwell School compare like this:

Marston Ferry Road walking and cycling track, which serves Cherwell School and Swan School

In addition to the appalling infrastructure are three private school sites (four if you include Magdalen College School) that create significant additional car traffic to and through Headington, with and the additional road danger and pollution that traffic brings with it – particularly as a high proportion of it is SUVs, which are 8 times more likely to kill a child on impact and more polluting than standard cars.

We hope this post has shone a light on the huge disparity between Headington and other areas in Oxford in terms of infrastructure to provide safe and easy cycling, wheeling and walking routes for children to get to school, visit friends or get to activities after school/at weekends.

Without doubt, Headington's children deserve so much better. Our children have the same right to be safe and independent when travelling as children in the rest of Oxford, yet the Councils have failed to take any meaningful or effective measures to address Headington's traffic and road danger problems despite years/decades of parents and residents pleading with them to do something.

If you share our dismay at the lack of safe walking, cycling and wheeling routes for children in Headington, please email your councillors to tell them this and consider becoming a member of Headington Liveable Streets if you are not already (see link to membership page).