Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw has made an impassioned plea in the House of Commons for "real and meaningful action" to get more people cycling.
Speaking during a debate on progress on increasing the number of journeys made by bike, the Labour MP highlighted Exeter as a shining example to the rest of the country.
"I am glad to say that in Exeter we have bike sheds again at our primary and secondary schools," he said.
"Thanks to the investment we received as part of the previous Labour Government's cycling demonstration town scheme, we have had a massive increase in the number of children cycling and walking to school — one of the biggest increases anywhere in the country — and a huge increase of 40 per cent in cycling levels overall.
"I ask those who still do not believe that we can replicate Danish and Dutch cycling levels because ours is a hilly country to come to Exeter, one of the hilliest cities in the country. We have done it. We know how it can be done, although we have a lot more to do."
He added: "I am fortunate that in my constituency we still have a local authority that is committed to Bikeability, but the service around the country is patchy because there is no sustained funding.
"Helped by the fantastic success of our professional cycling teams in the Olympics, cycling is now very cool and there has been a big upsurge in cycling among teenagers in my constituency. However, that is mainly because there are safe routes to the schools and facilities for people to lock their bikes and store their stuff when they get there. I am sorry to say that that is not common across the country.
"The problem is that under successive Governments the approach taken to cycling has been a piecemeal hotch-potch; we have had a bit of funding here, a bit of targeted funding there and a grant that has to be applied for. Progress has been bedevilled by the fact that there has not been sustained, real investment and sustained political leadership from the top.
"This is not rocket science; it comes down to sustainable commitments for funding and sustainable, persistent cross-departmental Government leadership."
Explaining his strong feelings on the issue, Mr Bradshaw said: "The bicycle has been my main form of transport for at least the past 20 years. It has been the only form of transport I have owned for that period.
"Having cycled as a child, it was logical for me to use the bike as my main form of transport, given the growing congestion in our towns and cities.
"The revelatory experience for me — the eureka moment — came in the mid-90s, when I was sent by The World This Weekend to my old primary school in Norfolk. I cannot remember what the news piece was about but I arrived at my old primary school to find that the bike sheds had gone.
"That was a shocking experience for me. Not only had the sheds gone, but in place of children coming and going by biking or walking at the beginning and end of the school day, there was traffic congestion, belching fumes, noise and chaos outside the school gates. From that moment on, I have not felt as passionate about many issues, across all public policy, as I do about this one."
Mr Bradshaw dismissed the Transport Select Committee's latest report on cycling safety as "a hotch-potch of aspiration, which puts a lot of the responsibility on hard-pressed local authorities, on local enterprise partnerships and on business", adding: "Seeing the report was one of the most depressing moments I have had in this House during this Parliament.
"Surely we do not need to remind the Government of cycling's benefits for health, the environment, and tackling congestion and pollution."
Referring to recommendations published by the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group last year, Mr Bradshaw said: "If we met the targets that our report set for 2025 of 10 per cent of journeys by bike, up from a derisory two per cent in England at the moment, we would save £8 billion in health expenditure.
"If we reached continental levels of 25 per cent of journeys made by cycling by 2050, which was our other target, we would save £25 billion for the health service.
"Those are just the health benefits; they do not even take into account the additional benefits of tackling congestion and emissions. I do not understand what is wrong with the economists in the Department for Transport and the Treasury who do not recognise the logic of that."
He added: "The Secretary of State is a reasonable man. He was extolling the fantastic rail renaissance that we enjoyed in England in recent years. We could be having exactly the same renaissance in cycling if only there were the political will and a tiny bit of investment.
"All it would need is a fraction of the Department's budget that is going on roads or on HS2 to be earmarked for cycling, and we could achieve that £10 per head per year figure, which would begin to deliver the cycling revolution we all want.
"There are a lot of cyclists out there and we should not underestimate the power of the cycling vote."
Calling for a more joined-up approach to promoting cycling, Mr Bradshaw said: "There is a good plan on the shelf in Wales, which the Department for Transport could simply use. There are far too many different plans, which need to be brought together in one single plan."
Robert Goodwill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, said the Government was "determined to ensure that best practice is shared among local authorities".
Mr Bradshaw concluded: "There are millions of cyclists out there, and they are waiting for real and meaningful action on cycling to deliver safe cities and a healthy environment, tackle obesity, increase happiness and boost the economy.
"It is a no-brainer for very little money."
