Focus of work
Cyclox’s Vision Zero Oxford ambitious campaign aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries of people walking, wheeling and cycling in Oxford by 2030, and to dramatically reduce road deaths in Oxfordshire over this time.
Its campaign aims are:
- High-quality protected cycle lanes to reduce conflicts with motor vehicles.
- Safe junctions and crossings for people walking and cycling.
- A 20 mph speed limit across the city.
- Safety standards for HGVs coming into the city.
- Fewer car trips to make roads safer for walking and cycling.
As part of its FIT funding, Cyclox undertook the following:
- Participating in strategy meetings with the County Council.
- Campaigning for all residential roads including city arterial roads to be 20mph by making several representations to the County Council.
- Responding to Oxfordshire’s County Council Vision Zero strategy, advocating that it should include minimum level 3 Direct Vision Standards in future fleet and contracts, rather than Level 1 proposed.
- Running a pilot junction review using its Junction Assessment Tool, and undertaking further reviews with the Cycle Safety Group at the County Council and working with the County Council on their proposed Side Road Entry Treatment design.
- Running three Kidical Mass rides to campaign for better infrastructure.
- Collaborating with other organisations to ensure the Central Oxfordshire Travel Plan is implemented, including hosting speaker events promoting the traffic filters (a major component of that plan) to help win hearts and minds on what is a complex and contentious but game-changing intervention.
- Holding a public workshop on “car brain” that aimed to change the conversation about who and what the city is for (i.e. challenge motonormativity).
- Promoting support for parents to launch “bike buses” to school in Oxford.
Impact
Vision Zero will benefit the tens of thousands of residents and millions of visitors to Oxford annually who choose to walk, scoot, wheel, cycle or use public transport. In particular, safer streets will benefit the more vulnerable members of society, whether the young or elderly and those who can’t afford a car.
Road safety is consistently the biggest perceived barrier to more people adopting cycling as a mode of transport, so by making their streets safe, Cyclox calculates that they should see a further 10,000 residents choosing cycling for their commute. Indirectly, Cyclox hopes their inspiration will benefit many more thousands across the UK.