Cycling in Exeter — 22 October 2003

The recent letter writer to the Echo that complained that Exeter cycle routes are little used has clearly not visited the Valley Parks recently. Whether on a warm autumn weekend with families out for lunch at the Double of Turf locks, or during peak comuter times during the week, these cycle ways are extremely popular. When they extend, as I hope they soon shall, along the Exe estuary to Exmouth and Dawlish they will form one of the most attractive sections of the national cycle network and bring many more visitors to Exeter. There seems to have been an avalanche of letters recently in �Points of View� attacking cyclists. I take these a little personally, being one myself. I can quite understand people getting annoyed with cyclists who use pavements or jump red lights. I get annoyed with them to and, if in earshot, will let them know. They give the majority of cyclists a bad name. But the suggestion in one recent letter that cyclists are more of a menace to pedestrians than cars is absurd. The number of pedestrians killed by cyclists in 2001 was zero. 434 pedestrians and 50 cyclists were killed by cars in the same year. While Britain has a low level of deaths and serious injuries for people in the vehicles, we have a higher than average death and injury level for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly children. I also find it amazing that some of those complaining the small cost of providing safe cycle routes are the very same correspondents who moan on about congestion. Do they not realise that every extra cyclist means one less car? Surely it is in all of our interests to make walking and cycling safer? It has benefits not just in terms of congestion, but with recent figures showing 66% of people don�t take enough exercise, also in terms of human health.