If you walked around Oxford in the 1920s or '30s, you would find, instead of vast numbers of delivery vans, delivery bikes like butchers' bikes, sometimes seen around the Covered Market or on films of the era.

With Oxford's topography (it's in a dip), having large numbers of any motor vehicles means lots of pollution sits' around, making it difficult for asthmatics to breathe and giving us all air to chew on.

Early December is often bad for air quality - the air tends to be still so we get winter smogs'. Two weeks before Christmas, things are in frenzy.

I bet you are having to read this quickly as you haven't yet bought anything for your sister/cousin/aunt/cat. Well, sit down, take the weight off, it can wait.

All these delivery vans bringing in extras for your Christmas or delivering stuff to re-stock dwindling shelves in the shops - it all puts extra pressure on our air quality and helps clog up the city.

Did you know that there are a number of bicycle deliveries already going on in our city?

Instead of getting your veg vacuum-sealed and flown round the globe at your local supermarket, why not get locally grown organic veg delivered to your door by bike?

Andy Bell grows vegetables on a nearby farm, then delivers into Oxford by four-wheel pedal van. He has another person delivering by recumbent tricycle. More than half his vegetables are delivered by bike.

One problem he faces is that although there are places to avoid the main road traffic, there are a couple with bollards, which force him back on the main road.

Roads in this city often have little room for cyclists, bringing them into conflict with other vehicles. In Holland, these extra wheeled bikes are common but there, bike lanes are part of a large pavement rather than the road.

Other veg box schemes around Oxford are considering bicycle deliveries, so it seems that Andy's innovative idea is set to catch on.

A number of butchers also deliver around the city by bike, including one in Magdalen Road, which serves local restaurants.

You still see a variety of bikes around the Covered Market.

Perhaps the most dynamic bike delivery in Oxford is Oxcarts' bike delivery service. A branch of the successful bicycle rickshaw company, it's not just food and drink they deliver. Their service even delivers packages and parcels for businesses.

Although the increase in Internet shopping brings more delivery vans to Oxford and this trend is likely to increase, there is a place for alternative delivery by bike.

Perhaps supermarkets and local shops could try it.

With oil prices rising and set to keep rising, shouldn't we keep fuel for essential services like ambulances and buses, rather than have vans come into town to deliver one item?

Perhaps in future, we'll even see Father Christmas delivering by bike instead of reindeer!