Priorities wrong

Cycling home on Brooklyn Rd on Tuesday, I was stopped by a group of police and council staff who excitedly told me about the planned ‘‘trial’’ cycle lane up the hill. They were handing out free waterproof fluoro backpack covers and reflective strips.

This is a solution looking for a problem. Why all this effort for a cycle lane up a wide arterial road where motorists and cyclists currently co-exist perfectly well? Wouldn’t they be better off developing cycle lanes in the many parts of the city that actually need it?

Further, in this city beset by closed earthquake-prone amenities, old leaky pipes, underpaid bus drivers and gridlocked traffic at the Basin and elsewhere, how does the council justify splashing our money on flash cycling gear to give away? This lot’s priorities beggar belief.