YP Letters: Bike lanes no threat to Stray blighted by traffic

THE belief that we can protect the Stray in Harrogate by not having cycle lanes is based on a false vision of the Stray as being acres of land which are uninterrupted by traffic.

Most of the time, the view of the Stray is dominated by motor vehicles.

The Stray is intruded upon 
by the sight of traffic, traffic noise, traffic pollution, and 
cars parked upon and 
disfiguring the narrow roads crossing the Stray.

There is nothing romantic about the “protected” Stray when it is surrounded and crossed by static and slow moving traffic and polluted air.

The only answer is to get people out of their cars, or at least to discourage them from 
making short journeys, and encourage them to use segregated walking and 
cycling paths.

This will mean changing some areas of the Stray from roads to paths.

The lack of vision which results in building more roads to encourage car use will continue to attack the Stray and its surrounds.

It’s not the bicycle which is a threat to the Stray, it’s the car.