Example of an existing greenway near Water Eaton.
Overview
The Oxford Greenways project aims to create safe, consistent, and well-connected cycling and walking routes, linking the surrounding Oxfordshire towns and villages and future development sites with the city centre and other key employment, cultural and economic sites in Oxford.
Currently the project is identifying an agreed network of proposed routes, and prioritising where additional design work will be most beneficial; and the design up to concept stage of the top priority routes.
Locations
The Oxford Greenways project will cover cycle routes of up to 10 km (~6 miles) from the Oxford Ring Road (A34, A40, Eastern By-pass and Southern By-pass) outwards. This is equal to roughly 13 km (8 miles) radius from Carfax Tower, in the centre of Oxford.
Overall, the project covers around 60 towns and villages within cycling distance (13 km) from Oxford’s centre some of which have adopted their own LCWIP’s (Abingdon, and Kidlington) and are not included within the project, although the project will identify the key access points and links to these urban areas. The Ring Road is also included within the project – meaning routes along the Ring Road and key access/crossing points.
The area within the ring road – the city itself – is not included in the project. You can find detail on the planned cycle infrastructure for Oxford city in the Oxford LCWIP.
Funding
The project is a shared endeavour, with most funding coming from Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council and University of Oxford, with an additional contribution received from Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.
This initial funding will deliver the Greenways Masterplan and detailed designs for key priority routes. Further design development of the proposed network and delivery of infrastructure will require successful funding bids and funding allocations.
Project Timeline
Work underway
In December 2023 PJA Associates were awarded the contract to produce the Greenways Vision and Masterplan.
This phase of the project is expected to take nine months and will be split into two stages:
- Stage 1 - Baseline and information gathering (January 2024 to March 2024)
- Stage 2 - Optioneering/development of priority routes (April 2024 to September 2024)
Have your say
The detailed programme for stakeholder and public engagement for this project is being finalised. There will be opportunities to contribute throughout the project.
In the meantime, you can contact us about this project at staylor@oxford.gov.uk.
