Letter: London Tube-style cycle network plan for New Forest coming decades too late

Two connected debates in the A&T currently.

First the plan for a ‘Tube’ style of cycle routes in the area linking villages and towns. Great idea, except it’s kinda decades too late or decades too early. Right now, the national park is a high population density, high traffic flow region, and where I live the average traffic speed on the 40mph roads seems to be about 48mph with a high fatality rate (albeit mostly of four-legged mammals). Cycling is extremely stressful and feels very unsafe. But decades ago it was quiet.

Then the battery vs combustion car. Roughly speaking they are equally bad for the planet and probably equally limited future. Neither hydrocarbons nor rare metals can be extracted in enough quantity for 10 billion private consumers. And both tech oligarchs and civil authorities would like us not to have them, to be limited in movement, scope of activity, to sit on the internet and believe what they produce. They will be taxed to extinction, I expect.

So in decades to come I imagine we will have a much quieter Forest. And the cycling Tube map’s time will have come.

Peter Padfield

Holmsley