The Oxford Mail went out in the city to establish the extent of illegal cycling after a war of words between cyclists and pedestrians erupted in our letters pages.

And during a series of 'spot-checks', we found two-thirds of cyclists - a massive 67 per cent - were riding illegally in Cornmarket Street, just a third were wheeling their bikes.

In three other locations, we found a fifth of cyclists on average were riding on pavements or in pedestrianised zones.

Roughly 20,000 people cycle through Oxford every day and it is the second most popular form of transport in the city.

Cycles are banned from Cornmarket Street between 10am and 6pm, but there is debate over whether this is a fair rule.

Thames Valley Police crime reduction adviser Nick Gilbert is working on an initiative to improve cycling awareness in Oxford.

He said: "We are taking a very robust stance on cycling. I have a strong view on cyclists' behaviour and they should adhere to the laws on the road.

"If you drive the wrong way down a motorway, just because you don't crash doesn't mean it's right. Common decency is that you get off your bike and walk.

And he added: "The traffic laws are there for a reason. When traffic lights are red they mean red. If you want to use your bike you have to follow traffic regulations."

James Styring, Cyclox spokesman, said he never rode on pavements but could understand why some vulnerable cyclists did.

He said: "People with kids and elderly people often do it as they feel scared to be on the roads.

"The most important thing is for it to be as easy and safe as possible to cycle on the road. It means all the sorts of people who are less confident would feel happy to cycle on the road. The key to that is reducing speeds on all residential roads from 30 to 20mph."

Dominic Scholfield, of the Oxford Cycle Workshop, said: "Although I think cyclists should obey the rules, I think most cyclists are capable of riding responsibly and respectfully in pedestrian areas.

"I think in the case of Cornmarket a total ban is heavy handed. Cyclists share pedestrian areas all over Europe without any problems."

Paul Cullen, chairman of the Oxford Pedestrian Association, said: "We don't believe that people should cycle on the pavement.

"Pedestrians and cyclists don't mix well together where there is not much space. However, the state of the roads forces cyclists on to the pavements.

"There is a whole culture of pushing cyclists off the road, so while we don't condone people riding on the pavement, we do see their point of view."

The survey also found that in Frideswide Square, where pavements are wide, nearly a fifth of cyclists chose the pavement over the road. At the end of Botley Road we found some of those on their way into Oxford avoided the junction and misused the pedestrian tunnel on the other side of the road.

The Oxford Cycle Workshop provides adult training at three levels. Anyone interested in the courses can call Mr Scholfield on 01865 204799.