The 'creeping disease' is the car!

The local council, while paying lip-service to cyclists, are more or less totally motorist-orientated.

Take, for example, the local cycle lanes. Where else in the UK are they part-time? And they have had a bus-cycle lane in Whitefield for some time but notice boards have been covered up so the motorist has permanent free access.

"Overweight Car Driver" moans about not being able to park outside his home - is he one of those selfish individuals with a nice drive but not enough space for his three cars? - but he has no legal right whatsoever to park on the highway; in fact he may be causing an obstruction. If our council had any sense they would have installed double yellow lines all along Manchester Road, but then the motorist would just park on the pavement as they have been doing for years with impunity further down the road in Whitefield.

As for filling the roads with cyclists, it sounds to me like a good idea. But it won't happen because the roads are too damned dangerous to ride on.

"Overweight Car Driver" rightly argues that those cycling in pedestrianised areas and without lights should be brought to book. I agree with this as it reflects badly on other cyclists. But if the strict letter of the law was adhered to, the roads would have nothing but cyclists on them - because the motorists would be swelling the floating prison population! When was the last time "Overweight Car Driver" drove down any road at 30 miles an hour while considering pedestrians, cyclists and other road users?

Finally, the "creeping disease" is actually the car. It pumps tons and tons of poisons and carcinogens into the atmosphere and helps bring about coronary heart disease through lack of exercise.

BRENT PEARSON,

Redvales Road, Bury.

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