IT is nearly seven years since the Tour de France came to Yorkshire and as a regular cycling commuter I wonder what the legacy of ‘Le Tour’ is?

True, recreational cycling has increased and it’s great to see large numbers of cyclists pounding up hill and down dale at the weekend, even though they are regarded as a nuisance by some motorists. But what about the utilitarian cyclists who use their bikes to get to work or to do a short trip to the shops? We are regarded as eccentric at best and an impediment at worst but we take our chances along narrow roads battling with ever larger cars for road space.

There are precious few cycling lanes, safety features or bike stands in our area. Motorists can, if they find a space, park on Skipton High Street (obscuring the ancient cobble setts), however there is not one bike stand along the length of the High Street.

A few years ago there was a near fatal accident when a cyclist, turning right off the A59 into Carleton Road was hit by a vehicle, yet no improvements have been made to make it safer for cyclists and pedestrians. These are just two examples of how Highways and our local authorities have neglected the needs of cyclists.

I have trawled through 204 pages of North Yorkshire’s local transport plan in the hope of finding plans, deliverables and timelines to improve the infrastructure for cyclists, but I was disappointed. Cycling appears on page 158 and there are four pages devoted to explaining why the council won’t be investing anything into cycling.

Cycling ticks all the environmental and wellbeing boxes and deserves investment. That the local authorities don’t agree is a serious issue.

Doug Clark

Cononley