This, dear reader, is my 200th On Yer Bike column for the Oxford Mail. What better reason to look back over the past seven-and-a-half years at how far Cycling has come since On Yer Bike started? Don’t worry – it won’t take long!

What has changed then? On the ground, very little. There are some piecemeal improvements to the cycle network, mainly in the Marston and Headington areas. Along the London Road bus corridor, a lot of shared-use facilities on pavements of dubious merit have appeared – I mean, would you use them?

The Cowley Road project, which was supposed to give Oxford’s busiest high street back to cyclists and shoppers, has arguably failed. The St Clement’s/Cowley/Iffley Road area has the highest level of cycling in the county. This central area should be Amsterdam-on-Thames, yet few sane adults would relish the thought of Cowley Road’s endless queues, heaving buses and aggressive, frustrated motorists.

According to statistics, the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured in Oxfordshire has risen in the past 10 years. But the roads don’t feel any worse. Perhaps the hidden dangers of faster cars and mobile-phone using drivers is the reason for the rise?

There is a palpable buzz around cycling nationally, and this had some rub in Oxford. Leisure has visibly increased, and bike shops and cycling clubs alike are reaping the benefits of the Wiggo summer. For the past 15 years, around 20 per cent of journeys to work in the city have been by bike. Perhaps this figure will go up when the next statistics are published, but I doubt by much.

So – little has changed. What next?

If current trends continue, little will change. In other words, if the county continues to spend tiny amounts on cycling-specific measures, and if there is no strong voice within County Hall championing cycling, then all we can expect are very piecemeal improvements.

It’s all very well having a vocal campaign group like Cyclox, and strongly pro-cyclist county councillors (in opposition parties): what cycling needs is an influential (Tory) Cycling Champion with a budget. The leader of the council, Ian Hudspeth, is wise. He understands the importance of cycling to the city and its county – but please, Ian, can you appoint a member of your cabinet really push cycling? You know it makes sense.

It needn’t be this way. In Copenhagen, 40 per cent of people use a bike every day. In Groningen (Netherlands) 57 per cent cycle every day. There is a massive pool of untapped cyclists in the County. We can easily double Oxford’s 20 per cent. How? Copy the Dutch.

The Dutch have made people feel safe and made cycling easy: cycling in the Netherlands is a truly enjoyable experience. How did they achieve that? Money.

The key is investment in cycling backed with real political commitment. In Amsterdam, the council spends €27 per person per year on cycling. I dread to think what the equivalent figure would be in Oxford and the shire. I just pray that the joint city-county council cycle investment project bears the modest fruit it promises.