If you say “cyclist” to lots of people, you get an entirely predictable set of responses, mostly including the words “traffic lights” and “lycra lout”.

People who use bikes have become an out-group, that it is apparently fine to generalise about in a nasty way.

Of course, not all cyclists are saints, and people should obey traffic lights and other road laws, just as all motorists should keep to the speed limits.

It is ludicrous to generalise.

In the village I live in, Eynsham, there are a few of us who like to put on cycle specific clothing and ride long distances.

That’s because cycling is good exercise and really enjoyable.

We are on the edge of the hills but also next to the river, and can opt for flat or more hilly rides.

People like me are, on the whole, the same people who are confident enough to use the scary B4044 via Farmoor to Botley, with its persistent minority of appalling drivers who think it is a good idea to pass us with inches to spare at 60mph, even though we will pass them again at the toll bridge or on Botley Road.

But there are lots of other people who use bikes as well.

There are slow commuters into Oxford and Headington, who use the A40 cycle path, often in their work clothes, going slowly enough not to need a shower when they arrive. Although, at the moment, even the slowest of bike users is likely to be quicker than cars along the A40 in the rush hour.

It is worth remembering that these people are deliberately taking the longer (and less scenic) route to Oxford because they feel safe on the A40 but not on the direct road.

A segregated path makes all the difference in encouraging people to use their bicycles, instead of getting in their cars and adding to the congestion.

We are lucky in Eynsham that we have the choice of an adequate and a more threatening route into the city.

Unfortunately most of the other villages in commuting distance of Oxford do not.

In the village, there is a regiment of older people who use bicycles to get around.

Distances here are ideal for people to use bikes to get to the shops or post-office or surgery, or to travel to friends at the other side of the village.

It is easier to cycle than it is to walk.

Every morning there are lots of primary school children who cycle to school from around the village.

Alas there are few secondary school pupils, because its big catchment area means that many people who benefit would have to cycle on our largely unfriendly roads to get here.

There are also lots of people who use bikes to get to the local stations, whether the two Oxford stations or Hanborough.

There are more bikes at Hanborough every week, and a mix of people going into Oxford, Reading and London.

So, we aren’t all lycra louts. Lots of young children and old folk.

A lot of people here can’t even have the opportunity to go through a red light, because they never travel on a bike anywhere that has traffic lights.