I'm convinced that cycling provides a solution to many modern day dilemmas. I'm not suggesting it is a panacea, but in the spirit of making the world a better place to be - cycling ticks lots of boxes. Not only does cycling get you from A to B in a benign way, but it also gives you a workout.

Air pollution (tick), traffic congestion (tick) and rising obesity rates (tick). Why then is cycling not given more attention and support by decision makers? Are there some seriously anti-cycling decision-makers out there? Is the car manufacture lobby just far too loud?

Are the issues I feel it could address just not high priority enough? Is the declining trend in cycling (in places other than London) just too hard to tackle? Should we all just be throwing in the towel and going out and buying a Chelsea tractor?

Of course not! There are, as ever, some statistics to cheer you up. Cycling is the second most popular sport in the UK - according to 2003 stats from Sport England, only swimming is more popular.

Cycle England has brought out a new cycle proficiency test called Bikeability which it is trialling and aims to make available to half of all schoolchildren by 2009. See www.bikeability.org.uk for details of the scheme. The roll-out is due to start in March next year.

Sensibly, the scheme is aimed not just at kids but also at adults. It is obvious from the letters and email rants that I read that there is huge scope for a more comprehensive approach to cycle training for all sectors of society. Why should it be the case that cycle training from local authorities is so patchy? Thankfully, some forward-thinking employers in Oxford offer free cycle training to staff so there is a way of adult cycling around Oxford improving.

However, it's a missed opportunity that there is no adult cycle training from Oxfordshire County Council.

It seems odd that this is not the case in a county where cycling is an important part of our transport make-up and bad cycling is often cited as a big issue. Cost is likely to be seen as the biggest barrier. Faced with this issue, I think it is sensible to think a little outside the box'. We have the good fortune of a local provider in Oxford Cycle Workshop and plenty of other qualified cycle trainers.

The cost of providing cycle training has to be balanced with the cost of not providing it. There are the obvious costs of accidents caused by cyclists without sufficient cycling skills, but there are also many hidden costs. Without training people to cycle well and thus helping them to enjoy being on a bike, we are in danger of missing one of the best tools that can be used against obesity.

Work carried out by Mayer Hillman highlights the risk of not encouraging bike use. Mayer compared loss of life' figures due to cycle accidents to gain in life' figures due to cyclists' exercise and came out with the staggering ratio of 20 to one.

In crude terms, for every life lost through an accident, 20 are gained due to improved fitness. Now there's a statistic to keep you on your bike.