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ePetition details

Grit the cycle tracks in Marston, Oxford

We the undersigned petition the council to Grit the cycle tracks in Marston, Oxford to keep them safe and usable in winter.

The cycle tracks in Marston are vital in connecting the neighbourhood to the city centre and to North Oxford.

Over 1,500 cyclists, and many pedestrians, use the University Parks cycle track every weekday, to commute to and from the city centre, avoiding heavy road traffic on the much longer route via St Clements.

The busy Marston Ferry Road cycle track provides a fast and safe route to North Oxford. Over 73% of nearly 1,800 secondary school students at The Cherwell School travel to school by bike or on foot. Many of these students use the Marston Ferry Road track each day to travel to school independently and sustainably.

These routes can become unsafe to use for days at a time in winter because snow, ice and heavy frost on the tracks is not treated. As a result, transport becomes problematic, or dangerous, for users who have to travel across the city, despite the weather.

Councils in Cambridge and York grit cycle paths and have vehicles specifically for this purpose. Oxford has the second highest rate of cycle usage in the UK, yet the cycleways are not treated.

Please grit the cycle tracks in Marston, Oxford to keep them safe and usable in winter.

Follow us on Twitter - http://twitter.com/marstongrit

Started by: Bill Coumbe

On reaching 9 signatures An officer will investigate the matter further

This ePetition ran from 15/02/2013 to 14/03/2013 and has now finished.

530 people signed this ePetition.

Council response

Response:

The cycle routes detailed are generally not currently something that either Oxfordshire County Council or Oxford City Council treat during wintry conditions, as our resources are directed towards the clearance of the main road network across the county. Currently we do not have the appropriate plant or resources to be able to undertake the cycle track work requested.

Our winter service is reviewed at the end of each season, and this request will be included on the agenda as part of the review. We will consider the whole of the cycle path network, particularly in Oxford, rather than just covering the Marston area as suggested in the petition.

We cannot give any guarantees that we will be able to include these in our winter service programme going forward.