Last week, Councillor Ian Hudspeth led a “powerful delegation” of local business leaders to find out why x is so far ahead of Oxfordshire in terms of technology, science and promoting economic growth.

Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University, argued it was all down to “making Cambridgeshire a better place to live”. Lord Drayson, motor-racing businessman and ex-minister, summed it up: “Oxford is not realising its potential because of issues like housing, congestion and skills … The striking thing is that economic success [in Cambridgeshire] was achieved while focusing on the quality of life of people living there.”

It comes as no surprise to hear that they keep coming back to “quality of life”, while condemning Oxfordshire’s traffic congestion.

Is our economic stagnation, then, a result partly of decades of bungled transport policy? Sir John observes: “Cambridge got £500m from the City Deal and they are spending it all on transport infrastructure.

“Oxford received £50m. I think the reason for that is the Government knows Cambridge has got its act together.”

Powerful truths indeed. So what will it take for Oxfordshire to “get its act together”?

Our learned traipsers to Cambridge could do worse than peruse Cyclox’s “Vision for Cycling in Oxford and the Surrounding Area” (www.tinyurl.com/mddjzsp). While readers of On Yer Bike know in their heart of hearts that bicycles alone can solve all of Oxfordshire’s problems, Cyclox’s Vision is a tad more realistic. And it chimes 100 per cent with what Hudspeth, Mitchell, Sir John and Lord Drayson have found.

The Vision begins: “We want a future where Oxford is a leading European and global city for learning, innovation, economic growth, tourism and culture, and where the wellbeing of the city is supported by clean air and active travel. We want to see cycling at the heart of that future.”

That isn’t to say that if we all cycle we will be saved, but more like reducing car journeys and massively funding cycling and green alternatives will make quality of life better.

Way back in 2008, Cyclox committee members travelled east with then council transport boss Ian Hudspeth and various city and county officers to see why Cambridge was streets ahead with cycling provision.

Cambridge has for a long time been comparable with Oxford demographically and politically, if not economically. The main difference we found in 2008 was a real commitment from a Conservative county council to get Cambridgeshire cycling, and using guided buses to connect major employment and residential sites around the county. There’s political commitment and massive investment. While Oxfordshire squanders millions on tweaks to the roundabouts encircling the city, making smidges of differences to car journey times, Cambridge has forged ahead with bold transport investment that has significantly raised the bar in terms of their quality of life.