About this blog
Hello, I'm Roger Symonds and I have created this blog to highlight local and wider cycling issues. Given the incredible interest and increase in cycling we must not miss this opportunity to provide the the infrastructure that gets even more people out on bikes in a safer environment.
Author Archives: Roger
Are Oxford’s Roads Dangerous?
According to figures from the national road traffic accident database (reported recently in the Times), over the past 3 years the “top ten” roads in the country, outside of London, for crashes involving people riding bikes, included several in Oxford … Continue reading
Posted in Riding bikes in Oxford
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A Great Opportunity to Increase Cycling in Oxford
So now we know! Oxfordshire County Council have been successful in bidding for Government funds to enable people to safely socially distance in our towns and cities as lock down is relaxed. We now also know where the money will … Continue reading
Posted in Oxford bike issues
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Which bike?
We have speculated in past columns about what happens to people who have started riding bikes during the present pandemic, but surveys find that a majority do not wish to go back to how the world was before the Virus. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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What happens to cycling after Covid 19?
At the time of writing, we have been in lockdown for three weeks. People have permission to exercise once a day. A maximum of two people – if they are in the same household – can ride together, but group … Continue reading
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Cyclists or people on bikes?
I am not a cyclist. As Mikael Coalville-Anderson, author of Copenhagenize said: “I am just a modern city dweller, who happens to use a bicycle to get around because it is safe and efficient”. I suspect that different countries and … Continue reading
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Should wearing cycle helmets be compulsory?
I have noticed that many people cycling in Oxford do not wear helmets. Is this because people feel safe on Oxford roads? Or is the demographic predominantly young and less worried about crashes? Whether or not to wear helmets has … Continue reading
Posted in Oxford bike issues, Roger's opinions
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Bike Tourism – An opportunity missed in Oxford
My partner and I are recent Oxford residents and we love the city. We moved from Bath at the beginning of August 2019. One of the main reasons for the move was that Oxford is flat. Also we were impressed … Continue reading
Posted in Oxford bike issues, Uncategorized
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Riding a bike in Oxford
My partner and I moved to Iffley in Oxford nearly three months ago. We had lived in Combe Down in Bath for the past 25 years. We had a number of reasons for moving to Oxford, not least among them … Continue reading
Posted in Roger's opinions
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Chew Valley Lake Recreational Trail
In October 2013 I published a highly critical blog post about Bristol Water’s (BW) attitude towards constructing a shared path round the perimeter of Chew Valley Lake, available to people on foot and on bikes. I had been taken on … Continue reading
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Trains and Bikes and Planes – a cautionary tale of taking bikes to Italy
It must be the travelling cyclists’ worst nightmare – to arrive at a foreign airport with a damaged and unrideable bike. That’s what happened to my partner Nic and I in Bologna in 2004. One bicycle had no stem or … Continue reading
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