Eynsham cycle path campaigners hold commuter challenge

A campaign group that pit cyclists against buses and cars on a route into Oxford has said the results demonstrate the need for a new cycle path.

An electric bike rider was the first to finish a seven-mile time trial between Eynsham and Queen Street earlier.

He completed the route in 22 minutes; the fastest bus user took 52 minutes.

Bike Safe chair Ian Leggett said although all the bikes came in before any car or bus user, people were "scared stiff" to use the route.

Bike Safe, which organised the challenge, wants the county council to build a four-mile "community path" between Eynsham and Dean Court to improve safety and encourage people to use the route.

Mr Leggett said the current route was not safe for people running or cycling.

He added: "We wanted to have a mobility scooter take part but Shop Mobility refused to let us have it because it failed their health and safety assessment."

A roller blader who took a longer route along the A40 arrived after 38 minutes, almost quarter of an hour before the first car user.

Previously an Oxfordshire County Council spokesman said: "The proposed cycle route from Eynsham to Oxford is a long-term aspiration which has been included in the council's Local Transport Plan, covering the next 18 years up to 2030.

"However, the council has limited resources and the delivery of any major scheme during this time-frame will inevitably be dependent on the financial circumstances of the day and the competing demands for investment across the whole county."