A GRANT of nearly £3m which will help to get more people onto buses and bikes was our headline story on Wednesday.

Oxfordshire County Council has been given the £2.98m by the Government for 'active travel' projects in Oxford, Bicester and Witney.

These will include slower speeds on main roads, widened bike lanes, and even Low Traffic Neighbourhoods where commuters are prevented from using residential roads as shortcuts.

Read all about the plans for the cash here

The debate over transport plans after Covid has been varied in recent months. Here is what our readers had to say about the latest changes:

SIMON HAND: "Oxford is tiny, most places are walkable let alone on a bike so this it's great news... let's make ox cleaner, less polluted and fitter!"

JOHN MORRIS: "If you want to improve congestion in Oxford, take out some unnecessary traffic lights, give financial incentives to cycle (eg cheap gym membership etc), ban traffic in central Oxford at certain times of day and only carry out major roadworks at night. Also fine cyclists who needlessly don't use cycle lanes."

SIMON HALL: "I am all for cycle lanes as long as they are well maintained and cyclists actually use them instead of being on the road. Also in a climate such as ours am I expected to cycle 13 miles each way to work in the depths of winter? You can shove that up your derailleur."

KEVIN TARRY: "Will not bother going in to Oxford."

JOANNE TUTTON: "Don't understand why people want to drive everywhere in oxford, the traffics horrendous and there's plenty of buses."

PAUL STRATFORD: "No ones getting out of their car. This is 2020 not 1750. The idea that anyone outside of the central Oxford should cycle for anything other than leisure is insanity."

SHAUN CLARIDGE: "The comments here are hilarious. Some of you seem to think it’s impossible for people travelling into Oxford to leave a car at home and cycle .... despite thousands of us doing it every day.

"It’s not only possible - it’s quicker, cheaper, safer and more enjoyable than driving or getting the bus. Give it 10/20 years, better electric cars and bikes and you will look back and laugh at what the A34 and Abingdon Road used to look like.

"What we have now is a congested, polluted city with obsolete vehicles and infrastructure. Just needs a bit of money to put that right and for people to stop fighting an inevitable move away from oil and congestion to something much better."

Oxford Mail:

Oxford Mail's Wednesday front page on the £2.98m cycling cash. Picture: Oxford Mail

OXFORD MAIL COMMENTER 'ANDREW:OXFORD': "Big problem is we can't even get cycle lanes we've got right.

"How hard can it be to have the main intra-Oxford routes mechanically swept at least 3 times a week and daily in autumn for leaves?

"It shouldn't be rocket science that if roads aren't swept, the debris then chokes the drains , if the drains are choked it makes being both a pedestrian and a cyclist an even more miserable experience."

OXFORD MAIL COMMENTER 'LOYALYELLOW93': "Not very appropriate at this moment in time to take a bus is it? Plus I don't want to ride a bike or get on a bus, I like my car thanks very much, if they ban cars I simply wont go into Oxford anymore."

OXFORD MAIL COMMENTER 'DOYOUTHINKHESAURUS': "I for one and many others I know would really like a dedicated cycle/running/walking track from Didcot to Oxford, having path connections from Appleford, Culham, Abingdon and Kennington would certainly take some stress off the A34 and the unreliable, over-priced, restricted, train service while getting fit and exercise at the same time.

"Some of the cycle track already goes down to Kennington."

BERNIE KELLY: "Forcing car drivers to cycle or ride buses is as controlling as can be. I like the independence of my car and will not be forced to give it up."

TOBY WOODS: "OCC: 'We will change the name of the bus gates to traffic filters, shhh nobody will notice!' Comical."