Abbey Park Road work no way an improvement I’m 83, Phil - and not exactly a ‘boy racer’!

RECENTLY in Mailbox a number of readers have commented on the road traffic planning in the city.

All are critical, questioning the wisdom of the planners. The criticisms are justified as they are drawn from personal experiences.

I WOULD like to reply, if I may, to the heavily sarcastic letter by Phil Rowe of Knighton Fields (“Playing the critics at their own game,” Mailbox, October 2) in reply to my letter (“I’m still waiting for all the cyclists to pop up!”, Mailbox , September 26).

My letter, with three photographs of the situation in Evington Lane, from the village to Wakerley Road junction, was my concern of the council wasting money (mine and Mr Rowe’s) by erecting hundreds of red and white posts along this stretch of road with a notice saying they were Covid-19 pop-up cycle lanes.

My point being that they were not pop-up cycle lanes at all, but were already properly designated cycle lanes with built-in refuges and green Tarmac – the latter in a very poor state as is common around the city.

As regards Mr Rowe’s sarcasm regarding no-one being on pedestrian crossings and that money could have been spent in making traffic go faster for you “boy racers”, I’ve no objection to being called a “boy”, although at 83 years of age I am no “racer”.

I might add that I have been driving since October 1955 and have driven all types of vehicles from military tanks and heavy vehicles, to variously owned cars over the years, all without accident.

I have also over this period been a keen cyclist until recently.

In no way do I consider myself a “boy racer”, Mr Rowe .

James A Hutchinson, Leicester