The Oxford Commuter Challenge 2004 showed that for short city journeys using a car is by far the slowest way to get around – a real waste of time unless you’re carrying a heavy load. Cycling and walking are convenient, fun and healthy – and they’re actually quicker, too. At 8.15 am on 15 June, cyclists took 10 mins to cross the city, while doing the same journey by car took the same amount of time as walking. See report and photos, follow links below.
Oxford Commuter Challenge 2004
CYCLOX (the Cycling Campaign for Oxford), OxPA (Oxford Pedestrians’ Association) and OxFoE (Oxford Friends of the Earth) did a COMMUTER CHALLENGE from the Bingo Hall on the corner of Cowley and Magdalen Roads to Oxford railway station at 8.15 a.m. on Tues 15 June.
We timed everyone travelling from Cowley Rd to Oxford railway station to see how quick each mode of transport is. This year’s results match almost exactly the times recorded on Botley Rd last year (2003). Again the cyclists came first, taking only 10-11 mins; a motorised wheelchair user, the bus riders and a unicyclist all took 20 mins; but the biggest surprise was that the walkers arrived in just 35 mins, only 1 min after the car driver who came via Longwall St / Banbury Rd (34 mins). The car driver who drove via Donnington Bridge / Abingdon Rd arrived in 26 mins. SEE FULL RESULTS LISTED BELOW.
James Styring, Cyclox co-ordinator and organiser of today’s event, said: “Yet again, on a different cross-city route, the bike is more than three times quicker than any other form of transport at peak commuting times. And even walking the 2.2 miles from Magdalen Rd to the station is no slower than going by car. The Challenge shows that for short city journeys using a car is the most expensive and slowest way to get around – a real waste of time unless you’re carrying a heavy load. Cycling and walking are convenient, fun and healthy – and they’re actually quicker, too.”
We chose 15 June to promote National Bike Week (12–20 June). Cyclox has organised bike rides every night of National Bike Week, with fun rides for cyclists of any age and ability. We want to show people the little-known cycle path and towpath routes that can make cycling in Oxford such a pleasure. Details on www.cyclox.org.
We will do another challenge on this same route in a year’s time to compare journey times on Cowley Rd before and after the £1m safety improvements have been implemented.
RESULTS BREAKDOWN Oxford Commuter Challenge 2004
Cyclists Jonathan Wheeler (Cyclox) 10 mins
Penny Jaques (Cyclox) 11 mins
David Jaques (Cyclox) 11 mins
Les Hitchins (Cyclox) - on a folding bike 11 mins
Electric scooter (motorised wheelchair) Robin Brooks (Oxford City Council Shop Mobility manager) 20 mins
Unicyclist Peter Lister (Cyclox) 20 mins
Bus Alastair Lane 21 mins
Peter Riches (Oxford Bus Company) 21 mins
Ray Jones (OxPA) 21 mins
Walkers Corinne Grimley-Evans (OxPA) 35 mins
Jill Haas (OxPA) 35 mins
Car drivers Karl Wallendszus (OxFoE) - Donnington Br/Abingdon Rd 26 mins
Ros Weatherall (Cyclox / OxPA) - Longwall St 34 mins
www.cyclox.org
We timed everyone travelling from Cowley Rd to Oxford railway station to see how quick each mode of transport is. This year’s results match almost exactly the times recorded on Botley Rd last year (2003). Again the cyclists came first, taking only 10-11 mins; a motorised wheelchair user, the bus riders and a unicyclist all took 20 mins; but the biggest surprise was that the walkers arrived in just 35 mins, only 1 min after the car driver who came via Longwall St / Banbury Rd (34 mins). The car driver who drove via Donnington Bridge / Abingdon Rd arrived in 26 mins. SEE FULL RESULTS LISTED BELOW.
James Styring, Cyclox co-ordinator and organiser of today’s event, said: “Yet again, on a different cross-city route, the bike is more than three times quicker than any other form of transport at peak commuting times. And even walking the 2.2 miles from Magdalen Rd to the station is no slower than going by car. The Challenge shows that for short city journeys using a car is the most expensive and slowest way to get around – a real waste of time unless you’re carrying a heavy load. Cycling and walking are convenient, fun and healthy – and they’re actually quicker, too.”
We chose 15 June to promote National Bike Week (12–20 June). Cyclox has organised bike rides every night of National Bike Week, with fun rides for cyclists of any age and ability. We want to show people the little-known cycle path and towpath routes that can make cycling in Oxford such a pleasure. Details on www.cyclox.org.
We will do another challenge on this same route in a year’s time to compare journey times on Cowley Rd before and after the £1m safety improvements have been implemented.
RESULTS BREAKDOWN Oxford Commuter Challenge 2004
Cyclists Jonathan Wheeler (Cyclox) 10 mins
Penny Jaques (Cyclox) 11 mins
David Jaques (Cyclox) 11 mins
Les Hitchins (Cyclox) - on a folding bike 11 mins
Electric scooter (motorised wheelchair) Robin Brooks (Oxford City Council Shop Mobility manager) 20 mins
Unicyclist Peter Lister (Cyclox) 20 mins
Bus Alastair Lane 21 mins
Peter Riches (Oxford Bus Company) 21 mins
Ray Jones (OxPA) 21 mins
Walkers Corinne Grimley-Evans (OxPA) 35 mins
Jill Haas (OxPA) 35 mins
Car drivers Karl Wallendszus (OxFoE) - Donnington Br/Abingdon Rd 26 mins
Ros Weatherall (Cyclox / OxPA) - Longwall St 34 mins
www.cyclox.org
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