Not everybody agrees with this though, as Oxfordshire County Council claims it is “misleading”.

The latest data from the DfT shows that in 2024, there were 1,066 total road casualties in Oxfordshire, of which 189 were cyclists, a share of 17.73 per cent.

This was higher than in second place spot Cambridgeshire at a 15.11 per cent share with 217 casualties and neighbouring Gloucestershire at 11.49 per cent.

Cyclist Ling Felce, 35, died in March 2022 following a collision with a lorry at The Plain.

And Ellen Moilanen was killed in February 2022 in a collision on her bicycle near the Oxford Parkway station entrance.

But Thalia Carr, a spokeswoman for Oxford’s Cyclox, said counting road casualties is “only half the story” when it comes to cycling.

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“A cycling commute to work will reduce your risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer as well as contributing to your general health and wellbeing,” she said.

“A Scottish study published in 2024 showed that cycling led to a 47 per cent reduction in deaths from all causes, and nine per cent lower chance of ending up in hospital.

“However, even though more people can cycle than can drive, half of them don’t because they are scared of traffic on the roads.

“This needs to change.”

She said for cycling to be made safer, there needs to be less traffic on the roads, reduced speed limits and segregated cycle lanes.

Robin Tucker of CoHSAT (Image: Robin Tucker)

Robin Tucker from the Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel said the data is relative as there are a lot more cyclists in Oxfordshire.

Mr Tucker said: “These are sobering figures, but partly reflect the popularity of cycling in Oxfordshire with 299,000 adults cycling last year, and partly the need for more improvements in our roads and driving safety.

“We’ve looked behind these figures and whether you look at cyclists or road users as a whole, 88 per cent of injuries and deaths are caused by collisions by a car or van, and the main causes of these are speed, poor driver behaviour, distraction and impairment.”

He called for swifter action to remove unsafe drivers, adding: “Punishment can come later, but people’s lives should come first.”

Oxfordshire County Council disputed the survey, as a spokesman said: “Oxfordshire has a far higher number of cyclists her head of population than most other similar size towns and cities in the country.

“It is therefore misleading to describe the county as one of the riskiest locations to cycle because to do so doesn’t reflect vehicle to bicycle ratio.

“Through education and awareness, such as Vison Zero, we are committed to encouraging safe cycling.

“No one should be killed or seriously injured in a road collision, regardless of mode of transport.”