A Pashley sister of mine is currently living in Scotland, and recently took a trip to Oxford, only to discover it is a wonderland of cyclists!
She sent me some pictures so that I might revel in the glory from this side of the Atlantic.
I am posting them for you guys, so that we might enjoy it together.
Like this business dude - well done!
Zoe (my Pashley sister) sold her hunter green princess sovereign before she moved. I see she spied a fellow Pashley sister in Oxford.
And just for good measure, even though there aren't any bikes, here is the physics building.
I like it. It reminds me of the cold war-esque architecture here in Edmonton.
And check out this bike rack!
So glorious.
Thank you for the Oxford photos, Zoe!
5 comments:
Hi Sarah!
We've recently visited England and took a trip to Oxford (as well as Stratford upon Avon and London) and did not find it cycle friendly at all - yes, there are lots of cyclists, but it is not an environment that feels friendly or safe. We did not cycle in Oxford, but it was VERY hectic and we saw a pedestrian hit by a car.
We did cycle in Stratford and were quite literally horrified. The separate paths were lovely, but cycling on the street was a disaster. Motorists buzzed us constantly and shouted at us and such. And we were on lovely Pashleys! Just my personal experience, but I would not want to live and cycle here.
Jax - EGADS, well that doesn't sound so promising! Hopefully the strength in numbers thing will catch on there, and the motorists will learn to share the road.
Separated lanes are always nice, but in order for cycling to be practical you just have to be able to use the roads too. Unless there is a wonderland somewhere, where you can get everywhere you want to go on a dedicated bike path.
I live in Cambridge, which has the highest density of cyclists of any town or city in the UK, and I must say that I enjoy cycling to work every day. I would say I only encounter an obnoxious car driver once every couple of months, which isn't too bad considering the no. of cars I pass everyday.
Not sure why Oxford would be worse than Cambridge. It's in the top three most well know cycling cities in the UK (Cambridge, Oxford, London). I have cycled in London & Oxford a couple of times previously also, and not had any bad experience. I think the key is to cycle assertively (but considerate of course).
Having said all that, the cycle infrastructure sucks big time in the UK.
I've never cycled in these places but they are or can be very busy - Stratford is a nightmare to drive through at the best of times so cycling must be a pain. If the cycle paths are anything like they are in Tamworth, they start and stop in really odd places and are pretty much non-existent. And, if there is a hint of sunshine, Stratford is packed! Can you imagine having to negotiate amplified traffic and tourists? Urgh.
Having said that, I lived in North Wales growing up and cycled everywhere all the time. Being a tourist trap in the summer, hoards of tourists would migrate here so the roads were noticably busier, but I always felt safe and don't remember being cut up by the tourists. Narrow country roads and big cars were never an issue - I found that the tourits drove in the middle of the road so as not to scratch their paintwork on our beautiful stone walls!
I guess what I'm trying to say is people get used to what they have and utilise daily, it becomes second nature to them, so when you see something so different in another place it can shock or amaze. I do wish there were more cycle paths here though...
Yeey! Oxford! I lived there for 6 years, and cycled daily. Coming from a right-hand-driving country the first few days felt like taking your life into your own hands, but after that it was fine. But it is suicide-driving indeed at some places, especially the High Street (buses!) and The Plain, a roundabout where you simply have to throw yourself into the traffic (eep!). There is a constant an not-so-underground war going on between the cyclists and the busdrivers, so most near-misses occur in that realm. Still, it's an excellent way to get around in this magical city.
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