Letters to the Editor

IT IS NECESSARY TO HAVE GREEN TARMAC IN UPPER BROOK STREET!

From Des & Liz Pawson

We really must take issue with the suggestion that the green tarmac is unnecessary (January Newsletter page 21). Cycling is a green alternative to any form of motor transport and should be encouraged. As cyclists we need all the protection we can get when trying to cycle down Upper Brook Street. Defining the cycle lane with green is a start.

The width of the roadway in Upper Brook Street is such that Might, in the form of the bus, overrules the bike time and again, as the buses often stray into the green area, even when there are cyclists trying to use it. It is all very well to speak of shared use and eye contact but until we have a culture that is cycle aware, cyclists trying to be responsible citizens take their lives in their hands every time they venture on the road. No wonder some take to the pavements, whilst others give up altogether and revert to motor transport. It is a sad fact that we are not Dutch citizens, of whom most if not all, have been regular cyclists in their time and therefore understand the needs of the cyclist.

CYCLING ACROSS TOWN

From Margaret Hancock

I find John Norman's regular contributions detailing progress with Waterfront developments very useful in keeping up to date with the ever changing scene in this part of Ipswich. In the January Newsletter he refers specifically to the opening of Star Lane 25 years ago and the advice from the Borough Engineer that "cyclists should find an alternative route."

As one of the Society's members who regularly cycles into and around Ipswich I was delighted when the developers of Regatta Quay and The Mill re-opened the dockside route between the Custom House and Stoke Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists last summer. As many will know, this forms part of a National Cycle Route which will (eventually) link Felixstowe with Oxford. It also provides an attractive local alternative to the heavily trafficked and polluted Star Lane.

In fact, I am now able to cycle between Nacton Road and Suffolk Record Office in Bramford Road without crossing the town centre. This extremely pleasant journey makes use of the Cycle Route through Holywells Park on to the Waterfront via Patteson Road. After an enjoyable meander along the dockside to Stoke Bridge, I use the toucan crossing giving access to the towpath near the skateboard park. This section is technically for pedestrians only but is already well used by many keen to find alternatives to travelling by car. Cycling on this riverside path does require concentration and due care to other users as it is rather narrow in places. Hopefully Tesco's will be required to make improvements is this area as part of the planning gain for their proposed development on the former B&Q site.

Leaving the river frontage at the (soon to be opened) pedestrian/cyclist bridge named after Sir Bobby Robson - why not Sir Chris Hoy?! - I use another toucan crossing at West End Road allowing me to cycle past Endeavour House and the Football Ground, across the very attractive green space of Alderman Park and out into Handford Road. It is then a simple matter of zigzagging through the residential streets, where there are no through routes for traffic, and out into Bramford Road.