Every afternoon, Riley and I walk up Southfield or Divinity Roads en route to South Park in Oxford. I promised her we'd get a dog trailer for the bike so we could get over the boring bit (walking on the pavement) more quickly and spend longer chasing balls and dogs in the park. But we'd end up stuck in the endless traffic jams, or run down for being too slow.

Drivers can wait a few minutes behind a taxi or a van that's delivering, but heaven forbid that their race up Southfield or Divinity Roads be impeded for even 20 seconds by a cyclist.

I used to cycle the shortest of distances, my most infamous journey being the 150 metres from my previous house to the local shop. Now we have Riley, I am as often crossing the road as cycling along it, and I realise how important pavements are for those who can't or don't cycle.

Drivers think nothing of parking on the pavement, protecting their car from scuffs and scrapes but forcing schoolchildren, old ladies and dog walkers off the pavement and into the path of a merciless barrage of traffic.

The traffic in Divinity and Southfield Roads is at its most ferocious during term time, and precisely at the times that Riley takes her walks.

Aggressive, faceless drivers honk, wheeze and squeeze up the roads from one impasse to the next. I am afflicted daily by a pall of gloom and misanthropy.

These drivers are (presumably) otherwise presentable human beings who, behind the wheel, degenerate into selfish louts.

Desperate for alternatives to this tyranny? Despair no longer! If enough people vote, Sustrans (the sustainable transport charity) stands to win £50m for "Connect2" cycling and walking projects around the UK. There are two local projects.

The Banbury Connect2 scheme will improve the towpath and construct a new pedestrian/cycle bridge over the canal. This will provide a traffic-free link for commuters and shoppers to get to the railway station and town centre on foot or by bike. An improved towpath would also encourage people to walk or cycle to the attractive countryside south of Banbury.

Didcot is divided by the mainline railway. A successful Connect2 scheme would replace the narrow one-way tunnel and raised footpath shared by pedestrians and cyclists. Access to the railway station, local schools and shopping centres will be much improved.

With other improvements around the town, walking and cycling around Didcot will become the easiest and quickest way to travel. Six million people live within a mile of a proposed Connect2 scheme, and one million children go to school within a mile of a scheme. More than 60 million non-aggressive, car-free journeys will be made each year on the Connect2 routes.

To make Connect2 happen, they need your vote.

Vote online at www.thepeoples50million.org.uk, look for the programme about Connect2 on ITV1 tonight, text Connect2 to 80010 or call 0845 058 13 73 for the voteline number. Voting concludes at noon next Monday.