Why safe cycling is an investment in future – Yorkshire Post Letters

If THERE is one thing that 
three national lockdowns have proved conclusively it is that cycling short distances, especially for exercise, has 
never been more popular, 
with the sales of bicycles reaching a new peak as clear evidence.

So, with this in mind, it beggars belief that local councils are responding under pressure by a minority of people to rip out bike lanes and cycling infrastructure that they invested in for much of last year. All in the name of relieving traffic congestion – only to see the same space filled with congestion-exacerbating parked cars. Quite apart from this being a total waste of money, and public money at that, it represents the actions of local councils only driven by a vocal minority, when surveys show that the overwhelming majority of people do support cycle lanes.

Indeed Cycling UK, in response, is investigating whether legal action can be brought against councils that have removed these much needed schemes to improve cyclists safety, especially in urban areas, without due consideration. Is this dismantling of cycling infrastructure the equivalent of the removal of railway lines as part of the Beeching cuts to the railway network?

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