New Campus Cycle Path

By 6 comments

Following on from the post early last week about the Icknield Way path into the Campus from Wantage direction being closed, we have found out further information.

The path in-between Icknield Way at the Tank Farm restoration and the Campus (Eighth Street) is being re-surfaced and a new path being built alongside the car park by the Innovation Centre. This will mean that cyclists will be able to get onto Sustrans 544 without going around the Innovation Centre or going the wrong way down the one way system through the car park. 

This work should take two weeks.

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    • February 19, 2023 at 6:59 pm #5695
      admin
      Member

      Good news – new campus cycle path being built

      [See the full post at: New Campus Cycle Path]

    • March 7, 2023 at 9:41 am #5706
      stevewest
      Member

      Morning all,

      Re. the part of the path between the car park and Icknield Way: Apart from the muddy bit in the dip, my perception is that the surface is now worse to cycle on than it was before they started work. Previously, it wasn’t in great condition but you could pick a reasonably smooth line through it. Now it’s like a washboard with patches of large loose stones on it. Anyone else agree/disagree?

      Steve West

    • March 7, 2023 at 9:49 am #5707
      Andy Male
      Member

      I completely agree with you Steve, it is now really uneven with big loose stones poking up. I would have expected them to grade the dip to provide some drainage but it was already starting to pool this morning.
      My thoughts on the new piece of cycle track is that it will get used by less than 10% of cyclists as it has tight bends and drops back right into the traffic line and is not wide enough to pass side by side. (anyone know if this was Campus Facilities or OCC?)
      Cheers
      Andy

    • March 7, 2023 at 9:52 am #5708
      RobbieDinn
      Participant

      A washboard surface is a good description! It might bed in in time of course but there might have been some way of hurrying it along via a roller or a vibrating plate. Oh well…

      The other thing missing is that the strip of tarmac pavement that they have put in along the side the short stretch of one way road which is intended to provide a contraflow doesn’t work because they haven’t put in a drop curb so you can access it. I am not going to attempt to bunny hop up the curb when I habitually have two panniers full of camping kit. I cycle the wrong way on the one way instead.

      • March 7, 2023 at 10:45 am #5709
        MatthewWild
        Member

        When I left work last night it looked like they had started work on adding a dropped kerb to the top end of the new path.

        Not sure I’ll bother using it too much for the reasons already mentioned. And, agree, the scraping of the track has just made it worse.

    • March 7, 2023 at 12:48 pm #5710
      Tamas
      Member

      Hi Steve,

      I wanted to write a similar post but couldn’t figure out how and given up. I quite agree with you, the path may smoothen out on the most ridden line by time but the loose stones will never bed in. Once they are knocked out new potholes will form and we are back to square one.
      I seriously wonder why the building of cycling infrastructure, at least in the Wantage direction, are contracted out to companies who have no idea about cycling.
      Re path next to car park, I think it is quite useless, at least I have never had any problems cycling the wrong way through there. The new path is so narrow and bendy that it is not comfortable to cycle at normal speed.

      Happy cycling,

      Tamas

    • March 7, 2023 at 1:15 pm #5711
      R.Bunton
      Participant

      Can I suggest, if you haven’t done so already, to register these issues on the Didcot Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan consultation page:
      https://app.placechangers.co.uk/campaign/312/overview

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