The law on jumping red lights is finally being enforced. Hallelujah! But we don't just need the "stick" - it's the "carrot" that'll keep cyclists on track. When we choose a mode of transport, we have a different set of expectations about each mode.

In cities, bikes are about getting from A to B quickly and with no hassles. We use cars, trains and buses to go longer distances at higher speeds. Trains are pleasant but over-priced. Buses are good in the city as they use priority lanes and you don't have to park a bus when you arrive. Cars are good for carrying loads, for ill or elderly people - and for awkward journeys. But cars cause congestion, and need regulation by traffic lights. Bikes do not need traffic lights, but they have to share the road with vehicles that do, and live by the same rules.

Generally, these modes live up to our expectations. Trains are a bit of a luxury, cars get stuck in jams, and bikes are quick across town - except when there are traffic lights. There are four main reasons that cyclists jump lights. Firstly, the effort in stopping and starting. In a car, you can brake and accelerate with no effort. One reason that cyclists do not stop at lights is that once you've built up momentum, you are loath to stop unless you have to.

Secondly, we have reasonable expectations of the various modes of transport. The expectation - the main reason - for people cycling is quickness and convenience, but traffic lights disrupt this expectation.

One reason that cyclists jump red lights, and this is especially true at the Broad Street/Holywell Street junction, is that it is intolerable to have to wait for half of one's entire journey time at a single traffic light.

You can get from east Oxford to the railway station in eight minutes if all the lights are green, but that can stretch to 15 minutes if the lights are red. Not many people would sit on a bike at a red light watching their train depart across the other side of Frideswide Square.

Thirdly, many cyclists jump the lights because they can see that, if nothing is coming, they can proceed with complete safety, which is what happens a lot in Broad Street. And finally, some people couldn't care less about rules, about cycling, or about anything else.

The solution? Oxford needs a road system in which bikes are required to stop only when it is really necessary, but allowed to proceed at junctions where there is no impediment. We need to spend money and expend brainpower on devising cycle bypasses at junctions where bikes don't need to stop, such as the one we share with buses on the Botley Road inbound lane.

If a similar bypass were installed at the T-junction where South Parks and Parks Roads meet, the hundreds of cyclists who jump the northbound light would instantly cease to be lawbreakers - and they'd be able to proceed in safety.

There are plenty of easy-to-effect ideas that could lead to all bikes stopping at all red lights all the time. This would quickly engender a greater respect for rules generally amongst cyclists - perhaps even "curing" us of pavement cycling. With a little effort, the council can make a huge difference.