SIR – The under-use of cycle lanes is the fault of the council, not cyclists.

The council has done its usual trick of going to maximum effort and expense, to minimal effect. The point of the cycle paths is not to encourage cycling, but to give councillors and council employees something to do, and to boast about.

The problem is the paths are poorly designed and maintained. They tend to lead to and from nowhere. They are often shared with pedestrians, which is at best inconvenient, and is often downright dangerous. And, the council often plants trees and bushes close to them, which, surprisingly enough, grow. This always seems to take the council by surprise, because they very rarely get out and do any cutting back.

It really doesn’t have to be this way. In Holland, Belgium, Germany, even Canada and the Nordic countries, there are decent cycle paths, and people use them. It’s not a question of climate or geography – with the exception of Holland and parts of Belgium, those countries are generally hilly, with harsher climates than ours. No, the real difference is their equivalents of our council know what they are doing.

So, I appreciate the point made by Dave Skelton (Letters, June 14), about the way the cycle path between the Ketch and Powick is not much used by cyclists. But please, don’t blame the cyclists, blame the council.

Steve Davis
Worceste