STAFF at Oxford cycle courier service Pedal & Post has picked out Hythe Bridge Street as one of city’s worst cycling streets.

They spoke out after cycling campaign group Cyclox called for nominations for the ‘most useless cycle lane in Oxford’ after a string of complaints about cars parking across cycle lanes and pavements.

Pedal & Post director Chris Benton tweeted: “Hythe Bridge Street is arguably in the top five worst cycling streets in Oxford.

“The lane ends as you enter the roundabout; the road surface is awful.”

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Oxford Mail:

He added: “This problem has been with us for some time and there is a lack of enforcement by the police.

“If a vehicle is parked across a cycle lane then we have to merge with the traffic to go round it - it poses a huge safety risk for cyclists.

“There needs to be more enforcement by the police but they don’t have the resources to deal with this.

“We want to get to a situation where cyclists in Oxford aged eight to 80 feel safe using cycle lanes and that’s definitely not the case at the moment.

“If cycle lanes were segregated - protected by a physical barrier - that would be an improvement and it would be difficult for vehicles to park across cycle lanes in those circumstances.”

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Alison Hill, chairwoman of Cyclox, said vehicles parking across cycle lanes was a growing problem in the city. She added: “We have been noticing that this is happening all the time in Oxford - it is seen as a huge problem by cyclists.

“Drivers are not thinking about the impact they are having on cyclists and pedestrians and I think the police should take action.”

Ms Hill added that ‘mandatory’ cycle lanes have unbroken white lines.

But without double yellow lines, parking or stopping in mandatory cycle lanes can only be enforced by the police, with a £30 fixed penalty notice. A broken white line is an advisory marking telling motorists they should not park in cycle lanes unless absolutely necessary.