WITH regard to the cycle lane removal fiasco in Brighton and Hove (Letters, March 11), I feel compelled to set the record straight.

I think it needs to be drawn to the attention of protestors that this cycle lane was commissioned by a Labour run council. If the finger of blame is to be pointed at anyone, it should be at the people who carried out the feasibility study for the project.

As a cyclist who uses the disputed lane on a daily basis I am alone most of the time, although I suspect others have been terrified to within an inch of their lives.

There are a number of hazards presented by this supposedly “safe” track. Here they are: The cycle lane is a channel bordered by a raised pavement on both sides. If anything gets in the way, a cyclist is trapped and collision-bound.

People exiting cars parking between the cycle lane and the road step straight into the path of cyclists.

When a car blocks the lane (a daily occurrence) the cyclist has to lift the bike over the outer pavement and raise it between the parked cars on to the road.

What was a dual carriageway is now single file, with no room for cyclists.

Residents on Grand Avenue have to negotiate the cycle lane on entering and exiting, causing mayhem.

When buses pull in to let passengers off, they dismount straight into the path of cyclists.

Elderly people must struggle over two sets of pavements to cross the road and in winter the cycle lane is not gritted.

And, cyclists can only overtake other cyclists at junctions – hardly the safest place.

So, we need to accept that money has been wasted and more money must now be spent to restore safety and improve traffic flow.

As for the proposed cycle lane on the Old Shoreham Road, I would prefer to see the money for that spent improving the road surface. That would benefit all road users, particularly cyclists.

S Newman, Hove