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Christmas is RUINED… by a cycle lane: Traders blame the “most disappointing” Christmas Market on a key cycling route

The new organisers claimed that Oxford deserved a better Christmas Market — one without a cycle lane splitting it into two

'Tis the season to... hate on cycle lanes? Oxford's Christmas Market has been called from things like the "most disappointing" to a "disgrace" by traders and locals alike who haven't been too keen on the fact that a cycle lane hasn't been closed to make way for the chalets, with the previous organiser quitting over the row and the new ones blaming the supposed public disapproval on the key cycling route through the city centre.

The Christmas Market, which is hosted in the city centre for two weeks, had been put into jeopardy earlier this year when the organiser announced that they'd be pulling out after an impasse with the council over the shutting of the cycle lane for that period.

Oxfordshire County Council maintained that the bike lane in Broad Street was a key route for many cyclists and that it had taken steps to ensure the safety of pedestrians. It managed to get a different organiser on board to keep the tradition of the Christmas Market going, but they have also come out and criticised the cycle lane.

"If you didn’t have the cycle lane there, it would be an improvement," said Dermot McGillicuddy, operations director of LSD Promotions, which organised this year’s event. "Previously it was one site, and you could create everything in that, but it’s now two separate sites. It's just not conducive to creating the best atmosphere."

He added that Oxford "deserved a better Christmas market" and even flirted with the idea of moving it to St Giles, reports Oxford Mail.

> “They’ve prioritised cyclists over small businesses”: Cycle lane running through Christmas market forces organiser to step down over “safety fears”

Tian Chaudhry, of dog food company Butternut Box, told BBC Oxford that the Market this year had been "disappointing". She said: "There's not that much variety, there's not that much music. I think the footfall is quite low.

"Last year was a lot better when people weaved their way through the different chalets. It felt more Christmas-y. This could almost be a high street any time of the year."

Khia Spencer, of Iuvo Skincare, lamented the loss of chalets, which have been swapped out for gazebos this year. She said: "The chalets were something quite quintessential about Christmas, having quite a community feel, and pulling people from other cities and towns... for the whole ambience of the market."

However, she added while the wooden huts were "sorely missed", there were still "smiley faces" and "brilliant products".

Pam Clark, a visitor to the market, said: "It's more like a food market than a Christmas market. I expected to see more Christmas items. We thought it would be covering a lot more things."

> Christmas is RUINED… by a Low Traffic Neighbourhood

However, the organisers have said that the traders reported their takings being "on par" with previous years and that "considering we’re in a recession, they’re happy with that".

Luciana Malanga, trading at the market for the first time, said: "It's been lovely, so I'm just happy to be here. People are well within their rights to have their feelings, but so far we're happy."

The fears put forward by the previous organiser Nicole Rahimi, who has managed the festivities for the past 14 years, were also down to "safety fears" for pedestrians getting hit by cyclists.

The cycle lane runs between the two public spaces where the market is pitched up on Broad Street, and is separated from the tat and kangaroo meat-filled stalls. Visitors to the market are able to move between each side through informal crossing areas, the council said.

> Bike parking nightmare before Christmas as cycle racks to be removed for festive market

Last year, the county council closed the bike lane and installed a diversion route for cyclists while the market was in place. However, it says that the alternative route will not be viable this Christmas.

In fact, cyclists in Oxford hoping to attend the city's Christmas market by bike were left even more disappointed in 2022 after the council announced bike racks near the site would be temporarily removed during the festive event. 

Oxford Christmas market bike rack sign (Oxford City Council)

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman said: "The conditions regarding the cycle lane were in place when the Christmas Market application process started. The east-west cycle path through Broad Street is a key route and is important to maintain. Thousands of cyclists use it every day.

"We looked at things we could do to improve safety, such as reducing the width of the entrance to the cycle path to reduce bike speeds. Similar events have taken place in Broad Street with the cycle route in place, and these have not led to any reports of collisions. We are not aware of any reports of collisions at the site during this year’s event."

Many locals who criticised the market on social media, calling it a "disgrace" and "the most disappointing Christmas Market in the country" went on to lambast the council's 'anti-car' agenda, accusing them of "hating motorists" and having been "infiltrated by the extremist cycle lobby".

However, Pedal and Post Oxford, an eco-courier service in the city, claimed that keeping the east-west cycle routes open has enabled its workers to make essential Christmas deliveries on time in an ultra-low emission way.

Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after graduating with a masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Wales, and also likes to writes about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.

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8 comments

Avatar
Muddy Ford | 4 weeks ago
1 like

So what do these traders think of every high street in the country where the shopping area is split in two by a road full of cars speeding past? Perhaps they would have more customers if they sold genuine quality christmas fair rather than crappy tat imported on shipping containers and available on Alibaba for a tenth of the price or mulled vinegar for £10 a swig.

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zero_trooper | 4 weeks ago
1 like

Christmas market ruins cycle lane…

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eburtthebike | 1 month ago
3 likes

The organisers "Bah, humbug, we've got to blame something apart from the recession, high prices, low wages and general depression: must be the cyclists."

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Car Delenda Est | 1 month ago
3 likes

Seems like the common complaint from the actual customers is that it was a bit of a bleak Christmas market. I wonder why the organisers would try and blame it on a cycle lane?

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wtjs | 1 month ago
3 likes

And in Colwyn Bay, cyclists are selfishly destroying yet another townUnder new plans, roads will be narrowed and parking spaces will be restricted with road space reallocated for walking and cycling...That will be the final nail in the coffin," one resident said, while another blamed “taking away parking spaces, removing road space for cycling lanes etc...These idealistic councils will stop at nothing to impose LTNs, ULEZ and cycle highways few want on everyone, no matter what harm they do...councils starting to charge for parking and putting it up every chance they got, then out of town shopping and complete no cars in the towns and stupid cycle lanes taking out roads

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horace_goes_sking | 1 month ago
2 likes

It's funny as in Southampton, part of National Cycle Route 23 is almost completely blocked to cyclists by the Christmas market every year and all or at least part of the cycle stands put out of action and politically it's a non-issue, nothing is ever said about it.

In fact, most people who live there don't even seem to realise that it is part of that route, ask anyone and they'll complain about cyclists using it.... illegally.

I can just imagine the uproar if the Christmas market was downscaled to stop this from happening but then, there would be even more anger if a road was closed to cater for it believe me.

Admittedly, they did close Bargate Street this year although that road is off-limits to private vehicles.

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mattsccm replied to horace_goes_sking | 1 month ago
2 likes

Surely the obvious thing to do would be to close the lane for the market. It is hardly a long way to walk. Speaking as a lifelong rider. 

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Jogle replied to horace_goes_sking | 4 weeks ago
0 likes
horace_goes_sking wrote:

It's funny as in Southampton, part of National Cycle Route 23 is almost completely blocked to cyclists by the Christmas market every year and all or at least part of the cycle stands put out of action and politically it's a non-issue, nothing is ever said about it.

In fact, most people who live there don't even seem to realise that it is part of that route, ask anyone and they'll complain about cyclists using it.... illegally

You are right. After over 20 years of living in Southampton that is the first time that I've heard that NCN23 goes up Above Bar Street and that the pedestrianised area isn't a pedestrianised area. I've just checked Streetview and, although there aren't any no cycling signs, there are no blue bike signs to show that it is shared use.

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