Oxford 'needs urgent improvement' for pedestrians and bikers

The Green group has put forward the motion to make Oxford a "truly walkable city" for the Oxford City Council meeting on Monday, November 25.

It calls for the city council to design a plan for improving walking in Oxford, to create a walkable map of the city for both tourists and locals, and to create a “Kerbside Strategy for Oxford” which would prioritise walking, street trees, benches, and local businesses.

It also asks them to consider introducing ‘Dutch style’ entry kerbs onto residential pavements, making it easier for wheelchair uses to access them.

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If passed, the council will also write to the government asking them to release its 2020 report into the issue of pavement parking.

The motion was proposed by councillor Dr Max Morris and seconded by councillor Emily Kerr.

The motion notes say: “Despite Oxford being a relatively small city with strong walking potential, the experience of walking or wheeling around the city needs urgent improvement.

“We could build on Oxford’s small size and strong reputation for walking to have a cohesive strategy to improve the pedestrian experience for everyone – and this would be relatively inexpensive to do with enormous health and wellness benefits.”

Oxford has previously been named as the UK’s most walkable city, and 22 per cent of Oxford residents say they walk to work, according to the 2021 census.

There have been initiatives across the county to encourage more people to walk, such as Oxford’s health walks and Bicester Blue Lines.

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