This is not an anti-cycling campaign. It is a call to protect those who use Hinksey Park precisely because it is not a through-route or road.

Hinksey Park is one of Oxford’s most valued green spaces. It is used daily by residents of all ages, from families with children to elderly neighbours, swimmers, dog walkers, and people simply looking for a peaceful place to be outside. But despite clearly marked “No Cycling” signs, and a designated cycle path running outside the park, cyclists continue to ride through it, creating persistent and growing safety risks. Encounters between cyclists and other park users are common, especially in warmer months when the park is busy.

Nationally, between 2005 and 2015, there were 3,414 pedestrians injured by cyclists in England, with 763 either killed or seriously injured (Source: Ram, T., Green, J.M., Steinbach, R., & Edwards, P. (2022). Pedestrian injuries in collisions with pedal cycles in the context of increased active travel: Trends in England, 2005–2015. Journal of Transport & Health, 24, 101340). While overall numbers are small compared to vehicle collisions, the conditions in Hinksey Park of narrow paths, mixed foot traffic, and no enforcement significantly increase risk.

Hinksey Park is not a shortcut or a cycle route; it is a shared public space, one of the few car-free, traffic-free areas in central Oxford. During the Council’s 2024 consultation on proposed parks bylaws, Hinksey Park was explicitly identified by residents as a place where the cycling ban must be kept. Even those broadly supportive of lifting the citywide ban agreed Hinksey Park should be an exception. The Council listened and confirmed Hinksey Park would be included in a special no-cycling schedule. That commitment is welcome as well as local efforts to reduce cycling through the park (such as the installation of bike racks and emails to allotment users) but all of these have not addressed the core issue: the absence of active enforcement. Without it, or even penalty signage, the byelaw exists in name only. Hinksey Park currently has just two “No Cycling” signs and none mention the byelaw, consequences, or who enforces it. If budgets limit options like park keepers, upgraded signage should be the bare minimum.

Byelaws like the no-cycling rule in Hinksey Park are enforceable. While enforcement is minimal now, it is within the Council’s power, as landowner, to treat breaches as criminal offences. The Council has a duty to protect those who use this shared space. Failing to do so could expose the Council to reputational and legal risk if someone is seriously injured due to lack of enforcement.

The risk is clear. The byelaw exists. It’s time to enforce it.

This ePetition ran from 27/05/2025 to 08/07/2025 and has now finished.

36 people signed this ePetition.