Councillor calls for BMW to keep its hands off Bridleway 75
23 December 2002 00:01
A Blackbird Leys councillor is campaigning for a bridleway used by generations of car workers and local residents to be kept open after BMW announced plans to have it closed off. The path, officially known as Bridleway 75, runs along an old Roman road from Watlington Road, to the left of the old Hartwells garage, into the BMW factory.
Councillor Stuart Craft of the Independent Working Class Association (IWCA) will be lobbying against the proposal at the next South East Area Committee meeting.
According to the County Council, BMW hasn’t yet made a formal application to close off the path but have ‘made their intentions clear on proposing to extinguish the path for security reasons.’
‘It is not clear what these security reasons are,’ said Mr Craft, ‘as the path is lined by an eight-foot high steel fence.’
BMW have told the council it will provide an alternative route for its employees. But car workers who use the bridleway have complained to the IWCA that they haven’t been consulted at all.’
As one employee explained, ‘This decision is totally out of order. First BMW put turnstiles on the factory gates to stop us bringing our bikes in, now they are trying to block an ancient right of way. If BMW shut off the footpath it will just encourage those who use it to drive to work rather than cycle the extra distance all the way round to the main gate. This will add more traffic to an already congested road.’
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