A 13-year-old schoolgirl has been left with a potentially serious wrist injury after a fall from her bike on an icy pavement in Oxford, igniting a fierce debate over the local council's winter maintenance responsibilities.
Dangerous Morning Commute Leads to Hospital
Ruby Jane, a Year 8 pupil at Cherwell School, broke two bones in her wrist yesterday morning while cycling to school. The accident happened on the subway that runs beneath Marston Ferry Road, a key route for students. The path was reportedly covered in thick ice. Ruby was taken directly to hospital, where she was fitted with a half-cast and sling, and told she might require surgery. She is due to return to hospital for further assessment.
Family Fury Over Council's 'Lack of Interest'
Ruby's father, Guy Jane, expressed anger at Oxford City Council, stating the path had not been gritted and was 'extremely dangerous'. He reported seeing numerous other children and parents falling in the same area. "The council hadn't gritted it at all. It was untouched," he said. He believes it should be compulsory to grit major pedestrian and cycle routes, especially those serving schools.
Ruby's aunt, Lucy Coulbert, who contacted the council, claimed the authority 'doesn't care'. She highlighted the irony of councils encouraging cycling through Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) and congestion zones, while failing to ensure the safety of these alternative routes. "If you can't make something safe for over a thousand people, then don't open the school," she argued, referring to the three major schools using the underpass.
School and Council Respond
A spokesperson for Cherwell School confirmed that a 'small number' of pupils had fallen due to the icy conditions and that the school has contacted the council to request more regular gritting of the underpass and maintenance of salt bins.
In response, a spokesman for ODS, the council's in-house company, stated they follow Oxfordshire County Council's gritting policy. Arterial roads are prioritised, while off-road cycle paths and footways are generally not pre-salted. However, they confirmed the Marston Ferry Road cycle track was gritted in the early hours of Wednesday, 7th January. They added that public grit bins across the city were checked and topped up at the start of winter.
The incident has thrown a spotlight on the tension between active travel policies and the practical infrastructure support needed to keep cyclists and pedestrians safe during winter months.
