ROADWORKS in North Oxford are turning winding country roads into busy A roads not safe for horses or cyclists, it has been claimed.

Work on the Cutteslowe and Wolvercote roundabouts has led to cars using roads between Elsfield, Woodeaton and Beckley as a rat run, according to a regular horse rider.

Anna Davidson, from East Oxford, keeps her horse Mr B at an equestrian school in Elsfield and said the last few months had been a nightmare.

She said: “I have been riding around these roads for probably about five years and it has never been as bad as this. The roads cannot cater for the sheer volume of traffic using them every day.

Top News

“I was on the road between Elsfield and Woodeaton the other day at 4pm, before rush hour even, and I counted more than 80 cars pass me in a half-mile stretch. In the mile back to the junction a further 110 cars went by – the roads are no longer safe for cyclists or horses.”

Oxfordshire County Council’s £9m roundabouts scheme started in the summer and is not expected to be completed until November.

The work includes the widening of the A40 and A44 on the approach to both roundabouts, installation of traffic signals, and supplementary work such as resurfacing, street lighting and drainage.

The 61-year-old called for drivers to take more care between now and November. She said: “Something needs to be change, it’s not just horse riders and cyclists, the roads aren’t prepared for the size of vehicles either.

“There are potholes all over them and we are being forced out onto the edges which are in an even worse state.

“Some car drivers are considerate and slowed down but the number that don’t bother is alarming.”

Ms Davidson said the county council had fixed potholes at her request before but only to certain depth and would not return to a road twice in six months.

A spokeswoman for Oxfordshire County Council, Emily Reed, said: “All roads to and through Cutteslowe and Wolvercote are open and remain the most suitable routes for the vast majority of people.

“However, drivers can use other routes if they choose.

“Drivers are required to drive with care and attention at all times regardless of which routes they take.”

She added: “We monitor the condition of all roads in Oxfordshire and will do the same on the roads highlighted.

“We’ve already carried out some surface repairs and minor patching work and any defects found in the future, whether by us or reported via Fix My Street, will be repaired as normal.”