I WRITE in reply to "Overweight Car Driver" (Feb 19) who was warning about the "creeping silent disease" of cycle lanes which prevent him parking outside his house, impede the flow of traffic and eventually paralyse the town.

He thought taxpayers' money would be much better spent prosecuting cyclists who occasionally use footpaths (usually for safety reasons, might I add).

On the contrary, I see the new cycle routes as the first green shoots of an enlightened council policy to get more people out of their cars and back on to two wheels, which can only be good news for the environment.

It is early days yet, but I am sure that as the number of cycle lanes and routes grow so will the numbers of cyclists using them, integrating them one day with such things as Metrolink, with facilities at the station for parking and carriage. The National Cycle Network is being built all over the British Isles and cycle routes will eventually have absolute priority over cars, making them safe cycling routes for children going to school.

So, not only would more cycle lanes reduce pollution, congestion, noise and road rage but also the girth of irate "Overweight Car Driver". They will also create a healthier and safer future for generations to come.

BORN-AGAIN CYCLIST

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.