A cycle lane too far

Soon you will not be welcome in Portsmouth and Southsea unless you are walking or cycling.

The latest proposal regarding cycle lanes down Elm Grove and Kings Road with no car parking on either side is ridiculous. I am all for a healthier living environment but not at the cost of businesses which are already struggling, going under, which will happen if the scheme goes ahead.

This is also blatant discrimination against the odler generation and people with mobility problems. What about contractors who have to visit premises in the area to do this work?

Councillor Lynne Stagg states that businesses will be consulted. Talking to our vet last week, I asked what he thought of the scheme. He had not even heard about it.

This council is killing the city while Southampton is thriving.

Marilyn Woolven Tangier Road, Baffins

The proposed segregated cycle way along Elm Grove and Kings Road is total madness.

We need to make the city safer for cyclists but this proposal will only cause more traffic problems and reduce visits to local shops and businesses.

I would be interested to see the accident figures for this route – I imagine they would show most accidents happen at the junctions with Victoria Rd, Grove Rd and Landport Terrace – these proposals will provide absolutely no improvement at these points, all it will do is get cyclists safely to the scene of their accident.

If you look at the ‘Visit Portsmouth Active Travel Map’ the recommended route for cyclists east/west at this point is either King Street/Cottage Grove (100m north of the proposed route) or St Edwards Road (100m south of the proposed route). The simple way to make the road safer for everyone, especially cyclists, would be to ban cyclists from Elm Grove/Kings Rd and encourage them to use the already identified and specified ‘safe’ routes which are less than 100m away.

Martin Silman Priory Crescent, Portsmouth