Mourning for the death of St Catherine’s student Emilie
Harris continued this week as the Council approved a
multi-million pound road safety project for Cowley Road. Flowers and tributes have piled up at the Catz lodge and near
to the spot on Cowley Road where she was fatally hit by a bus
last Wednesday. Emilie’s parents have released a statement
saying “Emilie was a popular, vivacious girl who had lots of
friends and always lived her life to the full. She was having the
time of her life at Oxford.” An inquest into her death is
being opened by Oxfordshire coroner Nicholas Gardiner.
Emilie’s funeral is expected to take place at a church near
her home in Shawford on 9 June. Meanwhile a £1.3m road safety scheme for the Cowley Road has
been voted through Oxfordshire County Council after pressure from
Green Party councillor Craig Simmons. Simmons explained that
whilst the scheme had been in the pipeline prior to Emilie’s
death the “tragedy underlines the dangers lurking in this
road”. Over the last five years there have been 101 fatal
accidents on the 1.1km stretch between the Plain roundabout and
Magdalen Road, one third involving cyclists, making this the most
dangerous road in Oxfordshire. The proposals include creating a 20mph speed limit for a 650
metre stretch through the busiest shopping area, cycle lanes in
the 30mph limit and protected footway build outs at junctions to
prevent illegal parking and to improve visibility. Extra
pedestrian crossings and “community areas” with widened
footways, trees and street furniture are also planned. Council
transport officer Samantha Tharme told Cherwell, “We believe
that this scheme will deliver a radical accident reduction.”ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004
Cycle safety for Cowley Road
