Have you decided how you will vote yet? On Thursday most of us will be off to the election polls. I always find it a funny 10 minutes of my life, every five years visiting the local school that can afford to give the students a day off or finally seeing what the inside of your community centre looks like.

But all fooling aside it’s an important aspect of our valued liberty that we should really look forward to and put some effort into our decision.

Admittedly, a week ago I was uninterested, nonchalant if you prefer, about who to vote for. Voting can feel a little bit like a roulette when hindsight makes you feel pretty much disappointed that you chose something you believed in when really you had no chance of winning and were better off staking your bets.

But instead of concentrating on the bigger picture I have decided to vote local. This time round I will be taking a real interest in the local candidates, and choosing a politician who supports cycling is obviously a major issue for me. I hope many other cyclists in Oxford will do the same, as I will certainly not feel bullied into voting by any canvassers who come knocking at my door.

It’s hard to assess the cycling merits of politicians without having them in one room and just asking them their opinions, and that’s why I consulted Cyclox’s election page to assess the candidates for this May election. If cycling is important to you then the opinions of your local MP on the matter will be significant to you as well.

Cyclox, the cycle campaign group for Oxford, have conducted a great survey of the candidates for the two seats Oxford west & Abingdon and Oxford East, asking them in turn whether they have pledged support for the CTC’s space for cycling campaign and whether they support Cyclox’s aim to make Oxford the UK’s premier cycling city.

They all have the chance also to explain why people who cycle or would like to cycle should vote for them and what they plan to do if elected to promote active travel in their respective constituency.

Some candidates have been honest and said they haven’t joined the respective campaigns yet but quite a majority do know what they are and give support. Many are daily cyclists, one is even vocal on the matter that he no longer feels confident or safe cycling on our roads. Clearly though Cyclox have done a very good job in enabling me to see clearly who is dedicated to improving the infrastructure for cyclists and who just toes the party line on the issue.

As an everyday cyclist, transforming Oxford into a cycling mecca is obviously quite important to me, mostly because I’d really like everyone to have the chance to experience our city in a safe way when riding.

All too often, we focus on national issues when a General Election comes around.

I think this time I’m going to put my X next to the candidate who will keep these issues in mind when they get to the Wonderland of Westminster and put real time and effort into promoting the greener ways of sharing space in Oxford.