I WAS pleased that the planning committee supported my concerns and deferred approval of the 60-home development for the Del Monte site because of the absence of proposals for a signalised crossing of the busy A19 to reach Skelton village.

Without this, new residents would be more likely to drive than walk or cycle to schools and local shops – the vicious circle of more traffic that sustainable transport policies try to break.

York highways officers appeared to suggest that leaving pedestrians and cyclists to dodge through gaps in the traffic is somehow safer than measures that require drivers to respect traffic signals.

Similar logic in designing the Jockey Lane cycle route had led to proposals (being reconsidered by Cabinet) that give priority to vehicles turning into or out of SG Petch and Rapid Transit, without any road markings to alert drivers to the path of the off-road cycle route.

Any cycling/walking route is only as good as its most unattractive risky link – using developer or government cycle funds to create second-rate facilities will not create a safe cycling and walking network for future generations.

Cllr Andy D’Agorne, Green Party, Broadway West, York.