Letter to the Editor,
Re James Stanbridge’s letter of 17 November on Bedford’s cycle infrastructure.
Read: Letters: On your bike, Dave if you really want to promote cycling
The current cycle network is not perfect and is not all up to the latest quality standards but it at least does allow a new/inexperienced cyclists to safely ride to almost any location in the urban area, neighbouring suburbs and some nearby villages using a mixture of off-road tracks/paths, on-road quiet 20mph residential roads and cycle lanes on more busier roads whereas many experienced and confident cyclists will just use the main roads.
Yes, there are some gaps and sections requiring improvements although if a cyclist feels unsafe on a section there is no harm in dismounting and walking through it.
Cycling Campaign for North Bedfordshire (CCNB) has been disappointed over the last few years over the lost opportunity to eliminate several major gaps; cycle path across Bromham road railway bridge with an underpass to the railway station, cycle path across the Great Ouse river bridge adjacent to Bromham Mill, cycle crossing of the A421/A6 junction to the Wixams and a cycle contra-flow along the High Street.
There have been several new or improved infrastructure schemes in recent years but not all of them have been value for money, such as the new track along Goldington Road alongside the Elm Farm estate.
It is important that the Borough continues to expand and improve the network to the latest government high-quality standards.
This is essential to encourage more and more residents to cycle (and walk) instead of using a car, especially as two-thirds of journeys are less than five miles and nearly half less than one mile at a time when we have the worst cost of living crisis for many years with the cost of food, energy and running a car increasing causing many residents to struggle to live.
Active travel also improves fitness and helps reduce obesity as well as helping to reduce the pollution emitted by all vehicles (including e-vehicles) making residents’ health better and reducing the burden on the National Health Service.
The more important current crisis is climate change which is rapidly approaching a tipping point when the increasing temperatures now affect all countries causing droughts, floods, extreme storms, heat and wildfires and if not stopped could lead to the end of the planet as we know it.
Active travel such as cycling (and walking) is not the total solution but can go some way in helping to save it.
Peter Blakeman
Cycling Campaign for North Bedfordshire (CCNB)
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