YP Letters: Material benefits of cycling for Leeds no '˜Lycra obsession'

Is there too much debate on cycle lanes in Leeds?

BEING accused of an obsession with people in Lycra seems the mildest of insults in this era of social media when many politicians are subject to routine abuse from an assortment of weirdos, fantasists and trolls, many of whom need medical help.

I would, however, like to suggest to Coun Andrew Carter that he’s pointing a finger in the wrong direction, as the funding for the Outer Ring Road Cycle Superhighway scheme will come entirely from a Government grant (the Department for Transport’s National Productivity Investment Fund to be precise). So perhaps it’s Chris Grayling who has the obsession.

Leeds is actually committed to a number of significant highways improvement schemes that will enhance the capacity of our road network for motorists, but there’s a limit to how much the network can be expanded. If Leeds is to be a great city to live in, it has to look to alternatives to the usually under-occupied private car to solve our congestion and air quality problems. Cyclists, taking up little road space, minimal parking space and producing no pollution, are part of the solution, alongside pedestrians and public transport users.