Wantage Road cycle lanes are making good progress, albeit behind schedule. Most of the construction works are finished but the central section by the Co-op garage and Sainsbury’s Local has still to be worked on.
HarBUG has delivered our leaflets to all resident’s of Wanatge Road, Manor Crescent and Sherwood Road. They have been available at the shops and take aways on Wantage Road as well as Woodlands Medical Centre, Didcot Hospital and the Civic Centre. In addition we have asked South Oxfordshire’s Waste Team and Biffa (the waste contractor) to make sure that wheelie bins are not left in the cycle lanes. We have also asked Thames Travel to distribute our leaflet to their drivers so that they know what to expect. We have made a big effort to make sure people know about the lanes and how they operate, hopefully this will result in the lanes being clear for cyclists to use.
We, HarBUG members, should monitor the status of the lanes, please take photos (with date and time) of vehicles blocking the lanes and email to chair@harbug.org.uk. The County Council have said they would review how the cycle lanes are working and, if needed, introduce parking restrictions but we need to prove there is a problem.
Over the past three weeks or more there has been a Jeep parked in the eastbound cycle lane by the shops on Wantage Road. It looked like it had been abandoned but it is owned by Barkers Funeral Directors. They have a problem in that they have to share one dropped kerb with the betting shop next door and they cannot get their hearses onto the forecourt to load coffins on and off. This is why they have, without permission, put a ramp on the kerb and into the cycle lane. The Jeep was parked to stop cars blocking their access to their forecourt. HarBUG spoke to Barkers and the Jeep has been removed, they have put a couple of traffic cones down instead. They have applied for planning permission to get extra dropped kerb space but this may take a few months. In the meantime please if you do get stopped whilst they are trying to get vehicles on and off their forecout remember, they have a problem and that it is being sorted so we should ‘cut them some slack’ for a few weeks or months.
The lanes are not officially open but we can use the stretches that are finished.