New cycle path created at Seacourt Park and Ride for cyclist and pedestrians journeys
Cyclists and pedestrians are now able to benefit from a new cycle path, which has been installed at Seacourt Park and Ride, aiming to encourage more active travel journeys in and out of Oxford.
The cycle path, which opened last week, was created as part of the Seacourt Park and Ride extension, and allows for safer access for cyclists and pedestrians travelling from Seacourt Park and Ride to Botley Road.
The installation was completed by ODS as part of the current extension works to Seacourt Park and Ride.
The Seacourt Park and Ride extension, will provide 595 additional parking spaces that will help to reduce traffic and congestion on the Botley Road and into the city centre. Additionally there will be a new bus terminal and cycle storage.
Seacourt Park and Ride provides a convenient way to access the city centre without having to drive in. The extension will make Seacourt an even better facility for workers and visitors and will bring additional benefits by reducing city centre congestion, which will also help to reduce harmful vehicle emissions.
The cycle path will also connect Oxfordshire County Council’s work on the Botley Road Improvement Scheme.
Encouraging active travel journeys
In 2015, the City Council installed 40 spaces at Seacourt Park and Ride as part of its Park and Pedal scheme.
The Park and Pedal scheme aims to encourage people to drive to the Park and Ride and take a bike to their final destination or to travel to the Park and Ride by bike and then travel on the bus.
In addition to improving general health and fitness of riders, cycling is often a quicker, cleaner, less congested way of travelling. Research shows that swapping the car for walking, cycling or e-biking even for just one day a week makes a significant impact on personal carbon emissions in cities.
In order to achieve a Zero Carbon Oxford by 2040, a 30% reduction in the use of vehicular transport through increases in cycling, walking, home-working, and car sharing and car clubbing is needed – as identified in the Zero Carbon Oxford Roadmap.
Oxford has the second highest prevalence for cycling at least once a week in the country (39% of residents), and the second highest rate of residents cycling to work (17% of residents).
Oxford City Council is supporting a range of initiatives to cut pollution in the centre of the city, and providing more bike parking will make it easier for residents to use one of the cleanest forms of transport.
Councillor Tom Hayes, Oxford City Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford, said:
"It's great news for cyclists and pedestrians that they can access the new cycle path at Seacourt Park and Ride. Created as part of the extension of Seacourt, the installation of this new cycle path will reduce congestion within the city by making it safer to cycle and walk from the Park and Ride to Botley Road. Every time somebody cycles, walks or rides the bus, they're helping to reduce the city's carbon footprint and helping to create a net zero carbon city by 2040 or sooner."
Jason Munro, Director of Operations, ODS, said:
“The expansion of Seacourt Park and Ride is an important step forward to ensure the Park and Ride sites are able to meet the needs of our customers. We were delighted to work with Oxford City Council on this project and were thrilled to be once again delivering critical infrastructure for the city that benefits residents and visitors of Oxford. It has been a great project to be involved with and the result demonstrates our expertise and positive track-record for delivering significant civil engineering projects.”