COUNCIL staff say there are health and air quality benefits from cycling – odd, as the hundreds of cars regularly forced to queue over Clifton Bridge will soon be ruining air quality for everyone, including cyclists.

The numbers quoted are very surprising.

At meetings we were told that counting machines were out of order for several months.

If the numbers and increases are correct in November, there will be more than 2,000 cycles in 12 hours using the Clifton cycle lane.

It was also said that if the orbital cycle lane was not continued into Water Lane due to traffic congestion, the destruction of Clifton Green was still a possibility.

While accepting it is not always possible to build your way out of traffic problems, City of York Council has again proved it is possible to build your way into traffic gridlock.

Just how many more threats of environmental damage on a huge scale, traffic chaos and massive financial burdens must there be before ordinary people say to the cycle lobby: “Enough – on your bikes and push off!”

M Barker, Ousecliffe Gardens, York.