Let's Make Cycling Easier

2.56.46pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 18th Mar 2008

Speaking about the money coming to Oxfordshire from Cycling England for cycle training, and on cycling generally, Councillor Roz Smith, Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Transport, said, "The money for training cyclists is very welcome, of course. But to really encourage people to use cycles instead of cars for short journeys they need to feel safe on the roads; training plays a part in this but so does having safe, well-maintained cycle routes and secure cycle parking at their destinations.

"A quarter of all car trips are less than two miles. If some of these journeys were made on two wheels, we could make a real difference to congestion, air quality and noise.

"One problem is that many of the existing cycle routes in Oxford City in particular suffer from not being joined-up, which means that cyclists suddenly find themselves having to push back onto busy roads. If we can work together with local residents and cycling groups to find solutions to some, admittedly tricky, issues and join up the existing routes this could make a huge difference to the network, making it more flexible and encouraging more people to take up this healthy and quick method of travel.

"The Council's current transport plans suggest no improvement to be made to cycling routes - they provide merely for a stand-still situation. I hope, however, that they will change their minds now and do more to improve the cycling network and facilities."