Cyclists facing danger on the streets were today set to get a better deal thanks to an Oxford Mail campaign, writes Mark Templeton.

Councillors will rethink road safety in the city after we highlighted the threats faced every day by bikers in Oxford.

Cllr Jean Fooks, the new chairman of the highways and traffic committee, promised to put the matter at the top of the agenda after reading our report.

The committee was today looking at the city's accident blackspots we identified.

It has vowed to start the ball rolling on a new safety campaign. Cllr Fooks said the issue would become a priority for the committee. It comes in the wake of the death of shop worker Rachel Barker, who died near the railway station as she cycled to work along Botley Road.

Councillors are looking at buses and cycles sharing lanes, lowering speed limits to 20mph in more streets and creating a cycle lane under the railway bridge at the station.

Cllr Fooks said: "We believe these are some of the most important areas that need to be addressed.

"We're still of the view that Oxford is no worse than anywhere else in the country for cycle safety, but there are issues that need to be addressed to make the streets safer." The public will be allowed to have its say on traffic-related matters under plans to give people a greater voice in town hall affairs.