Consultation on bikes vital

Congratulations to you on the article explaining the new legislation on the non-cycling on pavements (August 5). The article has certainly brought the subject into the public domain.

I have noted various correspondence in the ensuing issues of the paper, some rather thoughtless and arrogant, but mostly sensible. There does appear a public demand for cycle tracks on the roads, a fact that receives the full concurrence of the National Federation of the Blind, and I hope that councillor Simon Craghill and his group will reach a composite agreement.

I would, however, urge Mr Craghill and his group to acquaint themselves with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' Guidance on the Use of Tactile Paving Surfaces which explains the tactile warning signs for the safety of the visually impaired, and to seek advice from the appropriate bodies as indicated therein. I would further urge the group to consult fully with visually impaired persons as their particular mobility problems cannot be fully understood or evaluated by the fully sighted.