IN reply to Patrick Mullee (Warrington Guardian, July 23) who wants to see law abiding cyclists prosecuted simply for riding along Chester Road.

The reason why experienced cyclists tend to avoid using cycle paths is that riding on the road is much safer.

While this may seem counterintuitive the issue is that very few cyclists are run over from behind; most collisions occur at junctions and here the conflicting movements of motor and cycle traffic greatly increase the likelihood of crashing.

To understand this from the point of view of a motorist, imagine you are driving up Chester Road and encounter the two cyclists described by Mr Mullee riding along the road.

Since you will tend to be looking where you are going, you will notice them well in advance and can overtake safely using the wide hatched area in the middle of the road.

Now imagine you are about to turn right into Hobb Lane. It is rush hour, so you are waiting for a gap in the busy traffic.

Would you notice a cyclist approaching the junction over your right shoulder on the other side of the road behind all that traffic?

Of course all this assumes a well designed cycle path which this most certainly is not.

In addition to the poorly designed junctions, the multiple interruptions for private drives and field entrances, the sections where the two-way cycle path is narrower than two cycles and the inconvenient, multiple stage crossings at traffic lights, the council has installed several fences across the path.

Then to add insult to injury the path finally sends cyclists onto the wrong side of the dual carriageway near the Daresbury Park Hotel.

PETE OWENS
Stockton Heath Warrington Cycle Campaign

 

Read all our other letters here