I live in the Thomas A Beckett area of Worthing and have brought up three daughters here.

I loved cycling and cycled everywhere prior to moving to Worthing 15 years ago.

However I have only occasionally ventured out on a bike since living here. Why?

When my children were young and either on the back of my bike or their own little ones, I considered it far too dangerous to take them on the road and there was no provision for cyclists.

The promenade cycle lane had been removed due to an elderly pedestrian being hit by a cyclist – on the other side a young lad going to school was killed on his bike after being hit by a car.

I ventured out a couple of times, down to the seafront and along the road but the stress and anxiety was immense – parked cars all the way, hazardous car doors being opened, huge amounts of traffic. Do you have your children cycling in front, behind or next to you?

Today the situation with the roads is every bit as bad: poorly kept, potholed roads, cars parked erratically along them, forcing cyclists into the middle, huge puddles and the sheer volume of traffic along with many erratic, stressed drivers still pose a huge and unacceptable risk to cyclists.

Worthing is a lovely flat area, ideal for cycling and with so much talk of obesity, lack of exercise and generally unhealthy lifestyles the focus should be on why our disjointed, short-sighted, procrastinating councillors can’t agree on a single project that benefits the town’s population, health and wellbeing.

The logical answer is to put suitable, clearly marked, well-lit cycle lanes all around Worthing so that residents can take to their bikes with their families in safety, which in turn will cut the overwhelming volume of traffic at certain times, along with pollution.

Worthing will become a healthier, fitter and less depressed town.

The few bits of cycle lane in place are random, disjointed and like an unfinished jigsaw. I certainly couldn’t get from North Worthing to the seafront in safety.

As for cyclists without lights, which are a problem I encounter daily, that is an entirely different matter and they should be fined for endangering other road users. There is no excuse for irresponsible cycling on roads or pavements.

Vanessa Maile, Offington Gardens, Worthing