Cyclox says about �500,000 worth of bikes are stolen every year

The Cycling Campaign for Oxford, Cyclox, says despite promises the council is continuing to give preferential treatment to motorists.

The council has just created 20 new city centre car parking places - space which could have been used as parking for 160 bikes, says Cyclox.

But the council denied there had been any preferential treatment.

We try to meet the expectations of all the different groups in as fair a way as possible with the scarce resources available to the council. Councillor David Robertson

Cyclox wants at least 1,000 secure parking places for bikes, claiming that more than �500,000 worth of cycles are stolen every year in Oxford.

Plans to create the parking places were agreed in September 2004 but the council says that they will not be fully implemented until at least the end of 2005.

Councillor David Robertson, executive member for transport at Oxfordshire County Council, told BBC News: "We try to meet the expectations of all the different groups in as fair a way as possible with the scarce resources available to the council."

"No-one gets preferential treatment."

Mr Robertson said that 260 parking places for cyclists would be in place near Bonn Square by the end of February.

We're flabbergasted James Styring Cyclox

But James Styring, Cyclox spokesman, said: "How can it possibly take 18 months to investigate something as straightforward and as urgent as installing cycle racks? We're flabbergasted.

"The council already has huge problems with its transport budget thanks to the Cornmarket fiasco.

"How can it possibly consider squandering its resources - that's our taxes - on something as unnecessary as extra car parking?

"Twenty car parking spaces will benefit few people but will occupy the same space as parking for 160 cycles."