I WRITE in response to two letters in your recent issue concerning cycling.

The first was an appeal for funds on behalf of Sustrans. Vehicles carrying cyclists and their equipment regularly park outside my house and around the village. Judging by the expensive clothing and other equipment on display, cyclists don't look to be a disadvantaged section of society.

Furthermore, isn't Sustrans the same organisation that appears to have indulged in a blatant piece of property speculation in Llandogo? What next? An appeal from the golf club or perhaps on behalf of Redrow Homes or the like?

The second, a rather insulting one from Mr Baddeley of Birmingham and Lydbrook. Unlike Mr B. and like the vast majority of Wye Valley and Forest of Dean residents, I only have one home although I do share something in common with him in that I do make serious efforts to reduce car usage by cycling and walking, but unfortunately without the spectacular savings he claims.

The problem is that the distances that need to be travelled by the rural population in order to sustain a normal existence are so much greater as to make what Sustrans calls "utility cycling" impracticable and the fact that the terrain often thoughtlessly provides steep hills and that the weather can be unco-operative compounds the problem.

Ever tried cycling with your weekly household shopping? Oh, I forgot, you can order on the internet and have a van deliver it instead, and how about cycling to work in winter in the pouring rain especially since this would mean for many people a journey of 10-20 miles.

The reality is that whilst in urban localities it is possible to reduce car use by walking and cycling quite significantly such an option is not practically possible in rural areas.

Cycling has always been predominantly a leisure activity. The provision of cycleways in rural areas is designed to encourage more people to get into the countryside and is part of the drive to increase tourism in the countryside.

But how it will reduce car usage is beyond me since it is readily apparent that these visitors travel by one form of motorised transport or another.

If the Government and the organisations it seems to foster and support such as Sustrans are serious in their wish to improve the nation's health and reduce car usage and thus existing levels of pollution, then they should be creating facilities in or very near to large centres of population so that large numbers of people can use them without or with minimal use of cars, buses, trains etc, all of which emit pollutants.

Then if they have any money left over perhaps they can invest in forms of eco-friendly transport for us country dwellers to be able to go about our daily business with some degree of speed and comfort especially for the more elderly and very young and sick. – D.N. Powney, Brockweir.