So Oxford loses out on £4m to improve cycle routes (Oxford Mail, May 26).

Oxford is a city synonymous with cyclists, with rows of chained-up cycles outside most colleges and in and around the city centre.

Famously known as the City of Dreaming Spires, with its 1,000-year history, it deserves a grant from Cycling England because of its inept cycle network and notorious accident blackspots.

It needs to be made safer for its cyclists to travel around, with preventive measures in place to safeguard them from serious accidents - some have proved fatal.

However, Oxford is just one example - other towns and cities need extensive work to improve their cycle networks, too.

In addition to the 19 England Cycling Demonstration Towns shortlisted for funds, Witney, where I live, is becoming more dangerous as each year passes.

The sheer volume of traffic using the roads is, I believe, the root cause and a big factor in the number of cycle-related accidents happening in the Oxfordshire region.

Cyclists are seen as the enemy' by many motorists, but on the other side of the coin, I also meet many polite and courteous motorists on a daily basis as I cycle to and from work.

Cyclists should be able to use roads in unison with motorists and with proper cycle networks, accidents could be reduced to a minimum.

Government funding should be a priority for cycle networks, especially in this so-called eco-friendly climate, where an alternative to the petrol-guzzling motor car is the holy grail.

DAVID TINSON Moorland Road Witney