Son of Oxfordshire lady calls for towpath improvements following the tragic passing of his mother
Polly Friedhoff's son Andrew has shared his thoughts on how safety could be improved on the towpath, after his mother was struck by a cyclist two years ago
Andrew Friedhoff the son of Polly Friedhoff has described her as a "wonderful and loving" mother who was "full of life".
Polly Friedhoff sadly died 12 days after being struck by an overtaking cyclist on the River Thames towpath, near Iffley Lock in Oxford.
The cyclist, Edward Bressan, was cleared of causing bodily harm by wanton or furious driving.
Speaking by the towpath Andrew said: "The charge is from 1861 and was actually created for horses and carriages, which is insane.
"We're in 2024 now and this law feels long overdue for being updated."
Andrew also spoke about improvements he believes could be made to make shared spaces such as the towpath safe for everyone to use.
"It's a path that's been resurfaced not that long ago and is therefore very attractive for cyclists and I understand that, but the main issue is that it's not clear to people using it who has priority.
"There are some places in Oxford where the signage is quite good, clearly outlining that pedestrians have priority but that considerate cyclists are welcome.
"I believe that's a good example of signs they could introduce here, because although there are signs they're not in the correct places and there aren't enough of them."
Polly was out for a walk with her friend Eva Huggins at the time of the incident, and the route was a frequent one for the pair who enjoyed going on walks together.
Andrew recounted to us how he and his brother would walk along the towpath with their mother on what was one of her favourite routes.
Speaking about the impact of his mothers passing Andrew said "There are local people who are thinking twice about using this path, regularly my mother would shout after cyclists who came past and didn't ring their bell.
"It was an accident waiting to happen and it was a shock when it did happen, but also it was tragically inevitable.
"I'm not saying that cyclists shouldn't use this path but they need to take care of the more vulnerable path users, in particular elderly pedestrians.
"My mothers legacy is and always will be in our hearts, but the other legacy for us is that no other family ever has to go what we've been through."