By Robin Tucker and Alison Hill
Six hundred people gathered in Oxford on 5 and 6 July for the UK’s biggest annual conference on enabling healthy and active travel. It’s called Cycle County Active County 2023, but it covers much more than cycling, and looks at cities as well as counties.
By Kay Jass
I learned how to cycle in my youth, rode for fun and then upgraded to motorised transport, as you do. My bicycle gathered dust for years until I reached a point where the number of hours spent in the car and in traffic was excessive. I decided that getting ‘on my bike’ would be a far more pleasant and speedy way to travel for shorter solo journeys.
By Andy Chivers
We were promised that the legacy of the London Olympics in 2012 would be a new enthusiasm for sport and fitness in the UK. There was a brief increase in physical activity, but it didn’t last. So what about elite cycling? Will that get more people riding bikes?
By Alison Hill
It’s midsummer and festival season in Oxford city is in full swing. To mark our twentieth anniversary Cyclox had a stall at all these amazing festivals (and there are more to come). Our stall is a focal point for people interested in cycling, even if they are not themselves bike riders. We hold rich conversations about a variety of issues.
By Nicole Kalinowska
Sanctuary Wheels was launched in May 2022 to provide bikes to refugees and asylum seekers across Oxfordshire. Its goal was to make Oxfordshire a more welcoming home for those who have moved here to escape from conflict. A year on more than 600 bikes have been donated, repaired, and given to people who have fled here.
By Robin Tucker
Bike Week 2023, from 5 to 11 June, is the 100th annual celebration of all things cycling. There are few places better to cycle than Oxfordshire, and cycling groups will be putting on special rides and events across the county.
A brand new cycle map of Oxford has been launched, showing low-traffic routes in the city. It shows routes that are car-free, protected, and walking-only, as well as road crossings.
By Andy Chivers
Cycle parking at Oxford station is in a woeful state. The knee-deep piles of leaves from last autumn made the station bike parking area look desperately neglected. Forgotten bikes dangle at crazy angles from their rusty locks. The covered area is hard enough to get in and out of even if you find a space, but the open area is like an assault course that you leave with scratched shins and elbows.
By Alison Hill
On 30 April the Oxford Mail reported that there had been 135 personal injury claims submitted to Oxfordshire County Council over the last year. One of the leading causes was potholes.
