I HAVE been asked if I have any tips for setting up a cycle campaign in an Oxfordshire town. My ruminations should apply to budding cycle campaigners countywide, from Banbury and Bicester down to Didcot and Wantage.

When I founded Cyclox more than 10 years ago, I was pushing at an open door. This was pre-social media, so I went to a local Friends of the Earth meeting to announce the campaign. Through ‘green’ groups and press releases, we found it easy to bring a band of campaigners together, and many of them are still active in Cyclox a decade later.

Cyclox quickly filled meeting rooms with people all raring to make Oxford a more civilised experience by bike. Getting them to agree to any one idea was another matter entirely, but there was a lot of enthusiasm.

In the early years, we used publicity stunts to raise the profile of cycling and to pressure the county council to do more. The most effective by far were ‘commuter challenges’, whereby various modes – car, bike, bus, etc – were pitted against each other on popular urban commuter routes at 8am.

The cyclists came first every time, once beating the bus from Witney to Oxford. Local media outlets like this kind of event. Try to throw in a tandem, a unicycle, or even a mobility scooter for variety. There are lots of interesting commuter challenge stories online.

After five years of agit-prop, Cyclox matured. The group was well known to local officers and councillors. We had a good rapport with Cllr Ian Hudspeth, then in charge of transport. Cyclox’s coup was (with the Pedestrians’ Association) to get 20mph limits in most parts of the city.

Yet despite increasing goodwill from the local authority, Cyclox has always struggled to get what is best for cyclists, as the recent Frideswide and Plain projects are testament. However, Cyclox remains an important part of the conversation and they are a clear voice for cycling in the city.

Anyone setting up their own campaign today should have two areas of activity: one political (like Cyclox) and the other social (rides). The political involves fun stuff like commuter challenges as well as the dull: planning meetings, assessing local road proposals and lobbying decision makers. Try to identify a specific problem or wish to campaign around. Note that petitions are surprisingly effective tools. But don’t forget the reason you’re doing it: it has to be about the rides.

Getting people to cycle is chicken and egg. If there aren’t facilities, no-one wants to cycle. If no-one cycles, politicians see no reason to provide for cycling. So putting on rides for kids as well as adults gives people the cycling habit and it creates demand for better facilities.

As part of your ‘social’ offer, organised via Facebook and Twitter, having members who can provide Bikeability training is key along with basic cycle servicing.

Above all, have fun and never give up!