THE family of an elderly lady who died after being struck by a cyclist on the towpath have called for more governance on shared paths.

Polly Friedhoff, 81, was struck by cyclist Edward Bressan on the River Thames towpath, near Iffley Lock, on November 22 last year.

Ms Friedhoff, who retired from her job as St Antony’s College’s first public relations and development officer in the mid-2000s, died in hospital 12 days later as a result of her injuries.

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Mr Bressan was charged with cycling ‘wantonly or furiously’ on his B’Twin bicycle and recently stood trial at Oxford Crown Court but was found not guilty by a jury.

Now, Ms Friedhoff’s family have released a tribute to her following the court proceedings, calling for more rules prioritising pedestrians in shared spaces which can be used by cyclists as well.

They wrote: “Firstly we, Polly Friedhoff’s family, want to pay tribute to our wonderful and loving mother and sister, who was so full of life and the source of such limitless kindness, joy, and inspiration.

“Her loss is and will forever be very deeply felt.

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Although significant, the recent court case was not the focus in our search for justice. Polly’s life being cut short was an avoidable tragedy resulting from the dangers arising from an ungoverned shared space which she herself had warned about.

“Usually, we don’t allow bicycles on pavements, yet this path is no wider than one. Current notices are often not clearly visible and the language is not strong enough: it relies entirely on good will and does not reflect the realities of human nature and actions taken under pressure or in haste.

“These spaces need clear rules prioritising pedestrians (reflecting the Highway Code) and, if necessary, enforceable laws to back them up.

“It is deeply upsetting to walk there now and still feel that an accident is waiting to happen and that another family could suffer a loss like ours.”

During the trial, the jury heard from Mr Bressan that he was ‘very sorry’ for the accident but had described it as ‘unavoidable’.

He said that Ms Friedhoff had stepped into his path despite alerting her by ringing his bell.

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“I’m very upset and sorry this very unfortunate accident occurred,” he said. “However, I do not believe I was cycling carelessly or dangerously.

“I was fully aware of my surroundings and gave adequate warning for the pedestrians to move out of the way.

“She moved into my line and made the accident unavoidable.”