Dr Ling Felce: Road safety camera plan for site of cyclist's death

Dr Felce's death inspired the council's Vision Zero project to end all road deaths and serious injuries

A camera aimed at deterring dangerous driving is being introduced at a busy junction where an Oxford University scientist was killed on her bike.

Dr Ling Felce, 35, was hit by a lorry being driven by Robert Whiting at The Plain roundabout in Oxford in 2022.

Whiting, who had taken cocaine and was uninsured, was jailed for eight years.

Oxfordshire County Council said it was installing an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera at the site to stop motorists making illegal turns.

The authority plans to install the camera early next year as drivers still regularly ignore signage ordering them not to make the dangerous turn from Cowley Road into Iffley Road.

It said it would be issuing fines of up to £70.

A bike memorial has been set up at the site in honour of Dr Felce, who died at the scene in March 2022

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for transport management, said: "This will be an extra measure to help improve safety at The Plain for all road users, especially the most vulnerable such as pedestrians and cyclists.

"This is a very busy roundabout and the banned left turn is a road safety hazard, which increases the risks for all users.

"There is a good deal of support for the installation of a camera to deter this."

It will be funded as part of the council's Vision Zero project, a project aimed at ending all road deaths and serious injuries by 2050.

The death of pharmacology researcher Dr Felce, a mother of two, previously prompted changes to the road layout, including the introduction of a designated cycle lane.