Another successful socially distanced and informative Family Bike Ride took place starting in Hexham on Saturday.

This time, a separate walking group joined us to highlight the need for safer cycling and walking infrastructure.

Bravely testing out the route connecting Hexham with Acomb, we identified several concerns:

The Tyne Bridge at Hexham is unsuitable and dangerous for cyclists, who have to contend with cars overtaking on a narrow, windswept bridge road.

Walkers have to change pavements by crossing the busy Rotary Way and squeeze past oncoming pedestrians.

The marked cycling section is extremely hazardous and not fit for purpose.

Some sections of the route suffer from extensive potholes which are extremely dangerous as cyclists can easily get their wheels caught in them.

At times, sections of the route can be prone to flooding making a journey difficult or even impossible.

No suitable provisions have been made in the plans for the £30m roundabout for pedestrians or cyclists getting across the A69; nor are there clear considerations for cyclists and walkers in the plans for the new roundabout extension at the bunker site.

As there are plans for a Travel Lodge and car park to be built on the site, it is crucial that visitors find a comfortable and easy way into our beautiful town or to neighbouring villages on foot or by bike.

The roundabout extension will make it even more difficult and unattractive for those of us walking or cycling out of or into town – yet we are convinced that many people would like to be able to walk and cycle more, if only it was safe to do so.

In 2007, the Government commissioned a guiding document called ‘Manual for Streets’, which advises that streets should be designed with pedestrians and cyclists in mind, reducing the reliance on cars to get around.

In the Tyne Valley it looks like pedestrians and cyclists are continued to be treated as just a sideshow to the total reign of motor traffic.

This is wholly unsustainable at a time when we are facing not only a climate and ecological crisis, but also a health crisis.

CAROLIN BLASKE

Hexham