CLLR Filer completely misses the point (Letters, July 20).

We all welcome the provision of decent segregated cycle paths along arterial routes. The 1.5km along Ringwood Road is a start (though falls far short in terms of quality compared to current practice abroad). It adds to the existing 30metres of decent path we have (in Boscombe outside Corpus Christi) to make a total of 1.530km. At this rate we may have a network of decent paths in – perhaps 50 years?

The council has not worked with the cycle forum on this or the proposed ‘five year plan’ for routes – they have been presented as ‘faits accomplis’ to the forum (or should that be ‘faits to be accomplis if we’re lucky enough to be given funding from government?’). But Cllr Filer wouldn’t know this as he has only ever spent 40 minutes in total at the forum meetings.

The main point I am trying to make is that we will never see significant improvements in traffic volume, congestion, pollution, safety and ease of walking and cycling because nothing is being done to fundamentally reduce traffic volume.

Worldwide, this has been achieved in many places by restricting through traffic in residential and shopping areas. It is a tried and tested technique that is simple, effective and cheap.

The fact that Cllr Filer calls world-class methodologies ‘tired and jaded’ shows how little he understands what changes can be made.

The Sky Ride simply shows the huge latent demand for safe roads with reduced traffic.

MIKE CHALKLEY, Cowper Road, Bournemouth