I WONDER when RS Scruton (Letters, April 19) last rode a bike anywhere within York. If, indeed, he or she has ever ridden a bike at all.

The question regarding who would use a bridge between Poppleton and Skelton is fair enough. I know that I'd use such a facility if I were riding to somewhere like Easingwold or Thirsk as it beats jousting with traffic in the city centre and lemming-like pedestrians on the shared-use path along the river between Lendal Bridge and Skelton. It could also link up nicely with Sustrans Route 66 near Overton.

As for a potential cycle lane on Fulford Road, has RS Scruton been to New Walk when the river is in flood? I can assure him or her that at such times, cycling conditions could be described as 'somewhat tricky'.

While York appears to lead the way in thoroughly useless cycle facilities, it's heartening to see that measures which actually have some merit are being proposed.

Dr Simon Ward,

Barons Crescent,

Copmanthorpe, York.

...R SCRUTON of Naburn asked who would use a suggested cyclist bridge over the Ouse, between Poppeton and Skelton.

This was one of many suggestions from residents, in response to the opening of consultation on York's next five-year local transport plan (2006-2010). It may be that the reporting of these suggestions gave the impression that they were already council policy. This is not the case.

Every UK local authority has to consult on, prepare and submit a five-yearly transport plan. None of the initial suggestions from York residents have been evaluated yet, let alone incorporated into our plan.

The public consultation will end in early 2005. After that, the city council will decide which suggestions will be formally adopted.

Providing that the final package accords with Government guidance on developing sustainable transport, a large wodge of Whitehall cash will wing its way north, to be spent in our area.

Any new cycle bridge would be centrally funded in this way, if it has survived consultation and evaluation.

Paul Hepworth,

CTC North Yorkshire,

Windmill Rise,

Holgate,

York.

...IT IS fantastic news about the new cycle route from the Edmund Wilson Pool over to the Millennium Bridge and onward to the university (Gearing up for new cycle path, April 17).

This long-awaited route will provide a healthy, safe and environmentally-friendly way of getting across York.

With climate change and rising child obesity, routes such as this will give people practical choices about how to get around York.

So thank you to the council, Sustrans and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation for having the vision to see this project through.

What a disaster therefore to learn that the council is about to block off the cycle access gates to the Hob Moor part of the route. Cyclists will have to dismount and negotiate the pedestrian kissing gate - and that leaves four sets of gates to negotiate from Tadcaster Road to the pool.

This will make it impossible for trailerbikes and tandems carrying children and difficult for other types of bikes, especially those carrying loaded bags or childseats.

On this occasion it was a motorbike getting on to Hob Moor (an intermittent problem for many years) that helped the opponents of the track persuade the council to do this. Motorbikes are not allowed on Hob Moor and should not be tolerated at all.

But blocking off the cycle access gating penalises responsible users. Instead it is the rogue motorcyclists who should be caught and penalised.

Dr Paul Docherty,

Lingfield Crescent,

York.

Updated: 11:18 Wednesday, April 21, 2004