I FEEL compelled to respond briefly to a letter from Bart Feenstrar.

His letter demonstrates his obvious enthusiasm for cycling and he extols its many advantages, some of which I agree with.

However, he has, sadly, completely missed my point - I am not against cycling or the provision of cycle lanes, but the reduction of traffic lanes in busy city streets in order to make way for them.

This is happening in towns and cities up and down the country, as local councils are merrily spending a £250million fund made available to them by the government to encourage bike-use as a healthier, cleaner alternative to public transport and cars.

In principle, I am not against a plan to provide more cycle lanes.

What I (and probably the other 38 million car-users in this country) object to is the provision of cycle tracks at the expense of much-used and much-needed traffic lanes, and the ensuing chaos as motorists are squeezed into narrower main roads, forced into tedious one-way systems or find their route shut off completely due to permanent road closures.

The frustration and time-wasting this is causing in some towns has already led to a measure of unrest, with normally law-abiding citizens removing cones and barriers in the road under the cover of darkness.

These ill-conceived cycle lane plans are being rushed through without full public consultation, and the already-much-put-upon driver is becoming resentful.

Lisa Galbraith

Devon