Oxford's Lord Mayor hits out at police after stopping cyclists

Another side to this story.
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GOBSMACKED councillors have said ‘outrageous’ warnings from police about ‘aggressive drivers’ are ‘victim-blaming’ cyclists.

They said that though ‘well-meaning’ they have ‘missed the point’ and should be protecting cyclists, not deterring them.

Yesterday evening a mum was riding home with her two children down Warneford Lane when police officers told her it wasn’t safe to be cycling in rush hour.

Taking to Twitter, the woman uploaded a video saying: “I’ve just been stopped by the police who have just given me some very friendly advice, and this is at 5.48 on a Thursday evening, that I probably shouldn’t be cycling with my seven year old child on Warneford Lane because some drivers get quite aggressive and it’s probably not safe based on Oxford traffic.

“They were very kind and considerate but I think this just shows the issue we are facing at the moment that I am here with my small children in their bikes and we’re just trying to cycle home from nursery and we’ve been advised it’s not safe with Oxford traffic.

“That’s from police who are trying to protect us. Things need to change. We need structural change.�

The Lord Mayor, Craig Simmons, said: “I’m sorry TVP. I know you meant well but this is outrageous.

“You should be stopping the car drivers that are making our roads dangerous, cyclists are part of the solution not problem.�

Another Oxford councillor, Damian Haywood, said: “This is absolutely astonishing.

“However polite they are victim blaming. Furthermore it highlights how appalling Warneford Lane is for those riding a bike, with or without children.

“We need to do something urgently about this to normalise Katherine choice of travel.�

Mary Clarkson, another councillor in the city, also weighed in on the debate, saying: “That is disgraceful. The fault is the road layout and the fact you get hassled by impatient drivers if you keep well away from the dooring zone.

“I was once told off by a driver for allowing m then wobbly six year old to cycle with me when a responsible driver would have slowed down.�

https://www.heraldseries.co.uk/news/...ping-cyclists/