Bike to the Future” in Oxford Town Hall last Tuesday was timely. For years cyclists have complained about how little is done for cycling. At last, in “Local Transport Plan 3”, there are opportunities for proper investment between 2011–16, as well as agreeing transport aspirations as far as 2050.

In 20 years’ time, bikes will be everywhere. In Oxford, the default form of transport will be the bike.

Half of Oxford will cycle every day. Safe, quick routes, slower speeds and bike-friendly “home zone” street-scapes will mean that no one will be scared to cycle.

High quality routes outside the city will mean that most local trips can be made by bike, with fast bus routes into the towns. Electric cars will still be used for longer rural trips.

We CAN get there, though it’s hard to imagine when you look at the barriers to cycling today: Botley Road railway bridge, the Plain, East–West routes, not to mention provision for cyclists outside the city.

Cycle parking is a nightmare and way too many people are too scared to cycle, which is lamentable.

It needn’t be this way. In the Netherlands, 26 per cent of all journeys nationally are by bike. In Denmark, the figure is 19 per cent. In the UK, it’s a sorry two per cent.

Particular cities shine: in Copenhagen, 40 per cent of people use a bike every day. In Groningen (Netherlands) 57 per cent cycle every day. The cities of Oxford and Cambridge hover around 20 per cent: we can easily double that. How? Copy the Dutch.

The Dutch have made people feel safe and they have made cycling easy: cycling in the Netherlands is a truly enjoyable experience. How did they achieve that? Money.

The key is investment in cycling backed with real political commitment. In Amsterdam, the council spends €27 per person per year on cycling. I dread to think what the equivalent figure would be in Oxford and the shire.

The political commitment to cycling in Oxfordshire is strengthening, but there’s no money, and you can’t do anything without investment. That’s why it’s vital that the council asks for the right things in Local Transport Plan 3 (LTP3). What should the money be spent on?

A coherent Dual Cycle Network is vital. That means quick but safe main-road routes for cyclists like me, and an independent back-route network for slower cyclists, maybe older people shopping or kids going to school.

This is easier than it sounds: most of it is in place already, the council just need to join up the gaps and sort out the signposting so that people actually know where the routes are. The central–east Oxford corridor in particular requires a bypass of The Plain and Magdalen Bridge, possibly using land that Magdalen College owns.

LTP3 could include money to install bypasses at lights and junctions where there is no need for bikes to stop. This would make routes seamless and improve journey times. Also, if cyclists know that red lights mean stop for a reason, we can help to engender a greater respect for traffic signals.

City centre cycle parking is often poor quality and rarely available. Both councils should make sure that the new Westgate and West End developments include bicycle “hubs”, where 300–400 bikes can be parked securely in the dry, with mechanics on hand to service bikes.

All the best cycling cities have hubs, even Cambridge has one. Oxford must have a hub too.

Bike to the Future was held in the basement of the Town Hall, which could be transformed into a perfect 200-capacity bicycle hub. What a brilliant public amenity for the city. Please badger your city councillors to convert this basement into the first of many Oxford bicycle hubs.