The Echo article about the new bollards on Northam Bridge refers to the paths on either side as "footways" and quotes a Council statement that they "offer additional reassurance and protection for footway users".

The paths are not footways, which would be illegal to cycle on, but "shared-use paths" for use by all non-motorised vehicles (except horses).

Perhaps the highways engineers responsible for the installation of the bollards were not aware of this and did not, therefore, consider consulting cyclists or the Cycling Officer to be necessary.

As I was cycling over the bridge recently I was forced to abandon the shared-use path and rejoin the carriageway as there was insufficient room for me to pass the pedestrians ahead of me due to the narrowing of the path.

If the problem the bollards were designed to solve is caused by motor vehicles, why was space taken from pedestrians and cyclists? The bollards could have been fixed flush to the kerb but on the carriageway. It is another example of Council transport planners and highways engineers prioritising space for motor vehicles at the expense of space for pedestrians and cyclists.

Has the Council ever been contacted by any of the users of the shared-use path to say they feel unsafe or in need of reassurance here more than any other location? Do accident statistics show that they are more at risk here than elsewhere in the city? The Council should be upfront and honest about this, not simply invent phony reasons for carrying out the work.

This comes not long after the "upgrading" of Back of the Walls where almost all of the space has been given to motor vehicles and in parts pedestrians are squashed against the walls behind bollards. It is simply a rat-run for motorists. Why was this location not designated "shared-space" or, at the very least, 10 mph with two-way travel permitted for cyclists?

There is a severe lack of joined-up thinking at the Council; those wishing to improve the air quality for the health of Southampton citizens, an important part of which is prioritising walking and cycling, do not seem to be speaking to those who plan the highways infrastructure. There is no hope for the future of the city unless this changes.

Lindsi Bluemel

Bitterne Park, Southampton