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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published:7 June 2007

Curb cars and lorries too?

• PERHAPS cyclists should be banned from parts of Hampstead Heath, as suggested by your reader who was injured by a bicycle, (Walker badly injured by Heath cyclist, May 24).
But if we are to do this, it would only be fair to ban cars and lorries from any stretch of road where a pedestrian has been hurt.
With more than 33,000 such injuries in the UK each year, we could look forward to a cleaner, quieter and less dangerous environment for everyone.
JOHN SHIRLEY
Barker Drive
Camden Town

• I WAS sorry to hear about Roziska Parker’s injury and wish her a speedy recovery. However, I was disappointed to see the incident being used by an anti-cycling lobby as fuel for the campaign to prevent the extension and rationalisation of cycle routes on the Heath.
As was clear, the injury was caused by a group of youths cycling illegally off the permitted routes. This has been a problem for years but is nothing to do with responsible cyclists on the few permitted paths.
I cycle extremely rarely on the Heath, but walk on it very frequently and used to walk a dog very regularly too. I also take elderly people for walks there including wheelchair users. The only problem I have had with cyclists are with those who take no notice of the rules.
It seems both sensible and fair to modestly extend the extremely limited and illogical network of cycle paths and quite incomprehensible that walkers would campaign against it this way.
As primarily a walker myself, I am certainly not represented by the Heath for Feet campaign or their views.
If the Heath authorities were to find a way to crack down on the minority of dangerous cyclists, I would be delighted.
SPENCER WOODCOCK
Address supplied

• IN response to Peddling myths on cyclists’ behaviour, May 31.
So at last people are standing up against the increasingly powerful Camden Cycling Campaign and those under their influence. Though I fully agree that there are responsible cyclists and totally support space being apportioned for their sole use on the roads, pedestrians should not have their space taken for access to cyclists.
Why doesn’t Stefano Casalotti use his contacts and influence to promote all cyclists over 10 years being identifiable? And why won’t Camden Council put up notices showing that it is illegal to cycle on the pavement and other disallowed places? Many visitors and newcomers are not even aware of it.
While Stefano and his supporters do nothing to promote safeguarding pedestrians and try to usurp their allotted space, I cannot find his expression of sympathy towards Ms Parker (who was hit and injured by youths on the Heath) in any way sincere.
L ASLOP
Address supplied

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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