Sir - Oxfordshire County Council worked closely with Cyclox and the city council in drawing up the bid to Cycling England for Oxford to become a Cycling Demonstration Town.

We did our best and are all disappointed that we were not successful. The reasons have not been given yet, but it was not a "snub". Competition was tough, with 76 bids vying for fewer than a dozen allocations.

We are concerned that some of the news coverage has focused too much on recrimination and what can no longer be achieved.

However, the fact is that even without the extra Cycling England funding, at least £440,000 of investment in cycling will still take place. We particularly want to address some of the safety and other concerns about the cycle network.

As we said in the bid, there is a well established history of cycling in Oxford and we recognise that a renewed focus on cycling in the city is important.

While cycle advocacy groups and local authorities do not always agree, we do want to make clear our intention to work together to improve conditions for cyclists in Oxford. We have agreed that a county council/Cyclox working group will ensure that cycling issues are progressed in the city. It will focus on the priorities identified in the bid and work on the development of cycling provision within all transport projects in Oxford. This will enable the council to deliver well thought out proposals for cycling in the city.

Ian Hudspeth, Cabinet member for transport, Oxfordshire County Council, James Styring, Chairman of Cyclox, the cycling campaign for Oxford