Sir – In 2006, a DfT study found that half the road casualties that would be classified as ‘serious’ are not reported to police. It also found that up to 20 per cent of ‘serious’ casualties that were reported were wrongly classified as ‘slight’. It found that many injuries to car occupants went unreported and there was not clear enough evidence to conclude what proportion of cyclists’ injuries went unreported.

However, the official definition of ‘serious injury’ is very broad. The study stressed that on average, ‘serious’ injuries to car occupants tend to be less serious and less frequent than ‘serious’ injuries to less-protected road users including pedestrians and cyclists.

Unfortunately in 2009 when New Labour was handing out more money than it could afford, Conservative Oxfordshire squandered £1,218,000 undermining sustainable travel: £985,000 moving 24 bus stops in central Oxford and £233,000 on 1,450 20mph signs all over Oxford.

These roads already had low speeds and casualty rates. That includes Queen Street, which had no safety case to remove its five bus stops. Doing so reduced bus access to and across central Oxford for everyone, but especially disabled people.

The 20mph limit scarcely reduced real traffic speeds, and, on some roads, average speeds increased. On a 1.5-mile stretch of Morrell Avenue and Old Road it has slowed down buses so much that they need a slower timetable. This increases emissions, fuel consumption and operating costs, both in total and per passenger. At the same time, Oxfordshire shelved plans for a cycle path between Wootton and Abingdon that really would have made low-carbon travel safer and more attractive.

Councillor Hoddinott (Letters, June 23) wants a cycle path between Farmoor and Oxford. £1.2m should have bought real improvements for cyclists on such fast, hazardous rural roads instead of being wasted on ‘greenwash’.

Hugh Jaeger, Oxford