Towpath signs painted following pedestrian death

A number of "Pedestrian Priority" warning signs have been painted on a stretch of towpath, four years after a pedestrian died after being struck by a bike.

Polly Friedhoff, 81, died in November 2022, two weeks after colliding with a cyclist on his bike on the River Thames towpath near Iffley Lock, Oxford.

Safety campaigners had called for signage to "give confidence to vulnerable pedestrians".

Oxfordshire County Council said the new markings on the Thames Path, warning riders to make way for walkers, were in response to "safety concerns".

Friedhoff died in hospital 12 days after she was hit while walking with a friend.

Cyclist, Edward Bressan, 56, of Newton Road, Oxford, was cleared of causing bodily harm by wanton or furious driving following a trial at Oxford Crown Court.

In a statement released in 2024, Friedhoff's family highlighted "the dangers arising from an ungoverned shared space, which she herself had warned about".

In a prevention of future deaths report issued following an inquest into Friedhoff's death, coroner Darren Salter called for a review of safety on the path.

He said "clear signs" should make cyclists aware "of the need to take care and slow down around pedestrians".

Oxford Pedestrians Association said it had also asked for the markings to be painted as "clarification" for Thames Path users.

"The Thames Path is not wide enough to be officially shared use for cyclists and pedestrians, and pedestrians (including people with supported mobility needs) are the more vulnerable users of the path," it added.

Oxfordshire County Council said: "The signs are in response to safety concerns and are painted periodically between Osney Mead and the Eastern bypass and near Castle Mill Stream."

"We would remind everyone who uses the Thames Towpath to be aware of others and to take care, particularly so where the path becomes narrow at certain points.

"In most instances pedestrians and cyclists interact safely but we are aware that some pedestrians have concerns with sharing space with cyclists," it added.