I SEE the old chestnut of where cyclists should ride their bikes has cropped up again.

The cycle paths are excellent for people cycling along at less than 10mph, and who don't mind having to stop and give way at every road junction.

Take the stretch of road from the White Hart at Stratton to Greenbridge; if you ride along on the road, you may only have to stop once if the traffic lights are red at Nythe Road. But, if you use the cycle path, you have got three or four roads to give way to, also all the driveways which access on to the main road.

You could also get tangled up in someone's dog lead, when the owners are dog walking, and you have parents with pushchairs with small children who straddle both the pedestrian and cyclepaths plus, of course, the cars that get parked on these paths.

It has also been suggested, that cyclist should use bells when approaching anybody on the cycle path.

A good idea in principle, but how long would it be before you had letters of complaint from people saying they were frightened by someone ringing the bell on their cycle?

In Swindon you have three cycle clubs and one or two triathlon clubs. When they meet for their rides, be it leisure or training, the cycle path is not suitable for their type of riding.

When you are cycling, you want to get from point A to point B as quickly as you can, exactly the same as when we are driving our cars. Another point is, the majority of cyclists are also motorist as well, so they can see both sides of the problem. I myself have cycled from 1951 to 2004 but I have also been a motorist.

R J Anning

Nythe

Swindon