In response to George White's letter, Pavement cycling is still an offence, published in the Evening Advertiser on November 20.
Mr White may be interested in the following: In 1951 there were 413,900 vehicles on Britain's roads. In the year 2000 the figure had risen to 28,898,000 (DVLA statistics).
Add to this the fact that cars are more powerful and lorries travel faster and carry heavier loads, and I doubt his claim that the traffic he encountered in the 1950s was worse than that of today.
Many motorists don't obey the law. Many that do, treat cyclists as second class road users. I have lost count the number of times I have had to take evasive action from cars.
The National Cycle Network has to rely on charity to keep it going, yet the Government urges us not to use the car every day and says it has an integrated transport plan.
It is easy to paint a line on a wide stretch of road and call it a cycle path.
The problems that need solving are where the roads are narrow. More purpose built cycle paths are needed.
I would like to put the following question to Mr White: How many cyclists are killed by cars each year and how many pedestrians are killed by cyclists?
Often the choice to ride on pavements boils down to "Am I prepared to risk my life ?" And I'm afraid, in my case, the answer is no.
For information, I cycle from my home in Marlborough to work at Honda at least one day a week.
From Marlborough to Chiseldon I use the cycle path.
From Chiseldon I risk my life down the A419 to Commonhead. From there I cut through Liden, Dorcan and Lower Stratton to Honda.
I wear highly visible reflective clothing and have some powerful lights. My bike is well maintained. I have full car and motorbike licence (clean).
Alex Dawson
Stonebridge Close
Marlborough
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