Sir,

I refer to the letter in last week's Observer from a very concerned parent (Where will it end?) regarding difficulties in delivering their children to school during the pedestrianisation periods.

I understand that the pedestrianisation will be in July and August, during the school holidays this year, so your correspondents' concerns are unfounded. Hopefully, however, the scheme will eventually be extended year round, so I fully appreciate concerns that elderly and infirm parents will have no alternative but to use their cars.

But since pedestrianisation periods do not start until 11 am then delivery to start of school should be no problem. Collection by car could be a problem and maybe the schools could set up a system to look after those children for the half hour or so until the end of te restriction period.

As always with any system change, there will be problems and difficulties and hopefully the greater good coming from pedestrianisation will prevail and be recognised. Rather than catalogue all the problems as Alistair MacKay, vice-chair of the TWTRA has done (reported elsewhere in last week's Observer), wouldn't it be better for all concerned to search for solutions rather than adopt Alistair MacKay's purely negative approach.

In this regard it was therefore disappointing to me that your correspondent made no mention of the possibility of the children either cycling or walking to school. Apparently something like 12 per cent of children own bikes yet only two per cent or less use them to go to school. Also, it is to be noted that one in four children can be classified as obese or overweight so more exercise in the form of cycling or walking would clearly help to improve this worrying situation.

I can conclude by quoting a recent CTC (the national cyclists' organisation) press release: 'A quarter of all car trips are of less than two miles. Most of these trips could be walked or cycled easily. Local measures such as school and work place travel plans, better cycling facilities, bus improvements and incentives to walk more, if implemented across the country, would reduce congestion and improve conditions for cycling to work or school'.

Paul Rich,

CTC Right to Ride

Representative,

The Burgage,

St. Florence.