Rye cycle path is utterly useless

1:51pm Friday 25th April 2008

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THE cycle path at the back of The Rye is utterly useless for commuters.

It is dark, bendy, hilly, bumpy and, frankly, dangerous. Why not put a path on the other side, next to the cricket ground, etc., and, thence, on half of the wide and little-used pavement, on that side of the London Road, to end at the same point?

I, for one, would be willing to pay a levy, on commuter cyclists, to create this and get cyclists off at least that part of the London Road.

More widely, to be fair to motorists, I suggest a cycle-path tax, once a decent cycle path network has been created.

Since most cyclists' journeys will be short, it could start as a local tax, added to the council tax of any Local Authority which creates a Sustrans-approved network.

High Wycombe is flat, east to west, with the station (and, for shoppers, the town centre) in the middle - the topography is ideal.

Let's see Wycombe District Council shine, like a beacon, showing that, in this country, we can match the Continent, where responsible cycling is encouraged.

More pragmatically, all planning applications, within the District, are opposed on traffic grounds and are still permitted; and cycle paths are a good way to reduce traffic. Otherwise, cyclists on the London Road will become fewer, with increased traffic (adding to that traffic, if they drive, instead).

With all the benefits of cycling, this makes about as much sense as the cycle path at the back of The Rye.

If you take this up, on behalf of all your readership, and it leads to this district setting an example, generations of cyclists will be in your debt.

T.A. Hatton, Bassetsbury Lane, High Wycombe