JAMES ALEXANDER (Letters, February 15) stated that Labour had disagreed with the LibDems spending £500,000 on the Clifton Green cycle lane and had reversed this.
On July 10, 2008, opposition Labour councillors in Clifton and Holgate issued a statement welcoming the Clifton Green facility, and said that they had suggested it six years earlier in 2002. One Clifton councillor, David Scott, emphasised the safety benefits for cyclists.
Unfortunately the issue soon became a cause celebre in ensuing local elections, and Labour rapidly reversed its position to court the car-user vote. Labour back in power quickly ignored an officer’s recommendation to retain the existing arrangement on safety grounds. Instead they spent a significant sum of council tax income to undo the scheme.
And what has James’ steamroller decision making achieved? In the peak period, nothing. We still have significant vehicle queues along Water End.
The filter lane is often wholly or almost empty as tailbacks block its entry point. Rejoining the main carriageway is a safety lottery for cyclists, as is reaching their “green box” at the head of the queue.
York’s Cycling City reputation is sadly eroded when megaphone politics override common sense.
Paul Hepworth, Windmill Rise, Holgate, York.
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