JERICHO ECHO ARTICLE
October 1996
In August there was a workshop about the canal at St. Barnabas School. The majority of participants came from outside Jericho - from lands as distant as Walton Manor and Upper Wolvercote - but almost all the issues were of concern to Jericho people. British Waterways and the City Council want to develop the canal as, among other things, one of Oxford's tourist attractions. Some local residents, however, see a danger of the canal becoming too neat and 'yuppified'. Instead they want it to keep its semi-rural character and to enjoy 'benign neglect' - saying that British Waterways should concentrate on basic maintenance. One of the most contentious issues was the conflict between cyclists (sometimes even motor cyclists) and pedestrians. Many people argued that the towpath was just too narrow and that bikes of all kinds should be banned. At present, the legal position is a bit hazy. Theoretically, cyclists need a permit from British Waterways but almost no-one has one. This scheme is apparently to be replaced with some kind of registration but this does not seem any more likely to be used (or supervised). So for the time being pedestrians have no option but to jump out of the way. The meeting also discussed issues like the surfacing of the towpath. Few people had a good word to say for the tarmac surface from Isis Lock down to Hythe Bridge Street. The preferred alternative is some kind of gravel, even if this eventually sinks into the mud and has to be replaced. Most people wanted to see another bridge with better wheeled access - for wheelchairs as well as bikes. At present Jericho cyclists have to carry their bikes over the bridge at Whitworth Place, and there is no access for the disabled. This could change as a result of the new housing development that will appear between the canal and the station. This includes plans for a new bridge with a ramp, though there are no plans to link the road through the development with the bridge - something which cyclists would like to see since it would offer a cycle path from the station to Jericho.