Culham Cycling FAQs

This page should be a collection of useful information for cyclists using the Culham site. If you have a question which isn't answered here or you find some information which is out-of-date, please e-mail me and I'll update the page.

Is there a Culham cycling mailing list?

Not any more - the old mailing list was hardly ever used, and was becoming the target for spam.

Stay informed about Culham cycling issues by joining the forum.

Isn't cycling dangerous?

Not really, no, so long as you keep an eye on the cars around you. And the health benefits vastly outweigh the risks. The DfT Active Travel Strategy says:

[T]he actual risk of cycling is tiny. There is one cyclist death per 33 million kilometres of cycling, while being sedentary presents a much greater risk. Over 50,000 people die in the UK each year due to coronary heart disease related to insufficient physical activity, compared to around 100 cyclists killed on the road. Research suggests that safety risks are outweighed by the health benefits by a factor of around twenty to one.

Is CCFE/The Authority signed up to a Cycle To Work scheme?

The Department for Transport's Cycle To Work scheme allows an employee to buy a bike effectively tax-free. This allows big savings (up to 40%!) on a decent bike. UKAEA Culham is currently signed up to CycleScheme. Halfords, Evans and others also operate the scheme.

If your company is signed up, please let me know and I'll add it here.

Where are the bikesheds?

A map of the site showing the locations of the bikesheds is available at the bottom of this page.

Where are the showers?

This is a list of showers that I am aware of (see the site map below). Please let me know if there are others I have missed.

Where can I clean my bike?

There is a hose at the north corner of building J14 (see site map below), which we've been told we can use. J14 is the first building on the left following the "Fork lift truck" warning signs on the south-east perimeter road (Farm Way), and the hose is around the back. Please leave this area as tidy as you find it. Obviously usage may be subject to any water restrictions etc. which might be in place at the time.

I have trouble getting my pass out at the gate. Is there an easy fix?

Many people wear their passes on the lanyard, threaded so that it always faces forward, and hoick it out from beneath their jacket before they get to the site entrance. Both hands can then be kept on the bars to negotiate the humps safely.

Alternatively the pass office make available arm bands which will hold the pass and mean you can keep both hands on the handle bars whilst negotiating the speed bumps. The pass office is on the ground floor in K2 and is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 10:00am to 12:00. There is usually a queue, so get there early.

I have a suggestion/complaint about site cycling facilities. What do I do?

In the first instance it's probably best to open a ticket in Marval. If you are reporting something you think is potentially dangerous and should be rectified as soon as possible, invoke your company's internal safety procedures (e.g. if you are CCFE, raise a UNOR).

What are the UK road laws governing cycling?

Cycling is covered by the Highway Code, which has a subset of rules specific to cyclists. If you're visiting Culham from overseas and would like to cycle, there's more information on this page.

Where are local bike shops?

There are links to lists of shops on the useful links page. If you can particularly recommend one (or warn against one), please let me know!

Alternatives to the A415

From Abingdon it is possible to use Thame Lane to avoid the fast section of the A415/worst bit of the cyclepath (between the top of Culham village and the site). Thame Lane is the narrow road which runs from near the Waggon and Horses, behind the European School, up to the northwest corner of the Culham site, and beyond. It is tarmac'ed at the school end but pot-holed at our end, and hence heavily puddled after rain. There is then a decent surface from the NW corner down to the gatehouse/reception but you have to know about the little gate which allows you onto the perimeter road. It's near the tennis courts and is supposed to be unlocked between ~6:30am and 8:00pm. If you end up on Culham No.1 site you've missed it! It makes a nice alternative to riding beside the A415 for anyone with a suitable bike (tyres > 28mm suggested). It's especially nice on a sunny spring morning!

Lobbying for upgrading the A415 cycle path

Some recent exchanges from the mailing list on the state of lobbying for the improvement to the cycle path alongside the A415 can be found here (CCFE Intranet link).

Oxford-Culham cycling

It's about 11 miles from the centre of Oxford, via Kennington and Abingdon, to Culham. Going via the A4074 via Nuneham Courtenay is a bit shorter but not recommended: cyclists are regularly killed on that road.

The following has also been mentioned:

Some lobbying for the cycle path between Oxford and Abingdon (Route No. 5) would be good. This is an official cyclepath but especially the part going along next to Kennington is almost uncycleable.

There is the annoying diversion one has to make southbound from Radley making a diversion along the River Thames to Abingdon and then using the A415 cyclepath to Culham. The other day I tried to cross Abingdon lock across the Thames and to head back eastbound along the southside of the Thames ending up at the Culham motocross area. Unfortunately it was raining and it was very muddy. But, if there would be a decent cycle path along southside of the Thames then crossing the field up to Culham it would be a great alternative to the A415 cyclepath (and also favourable for the OXF->CUL cyclists). (Maybe this is just a dream since the area might be flooded in springtime.)