Sir – I regularly cycle along the Botley Road so I feel qualified to answer Richard Bowen’s question (Letters, July 14) as to why people often choose not to use cycle paths — specifically the Botley Road cycle path.

Putting up a few signs and painting a white line down a pavement does not make for a useful cycle path.

Heading into the city the cycle path runs alongside bus shelters and separates these bus shelters from the actual bus stops. On this cycle path you'll regularly find people walking, dogs on long leads, unpredictable children and people waiting for buses.

I find using the cycle path out of the city more stressful. The start of this often narrow cycle path is a few metres before an entrance to the retail park where you immediately have to stop again.

If you choose to continue on the cycle path you put yourself in a position where in the space of around 500 metres you have to cross an additional four junctions.

At these junctions vehicles regularly queue to feed on to the Botley road and block your progress.

Similarly, vehicles queuing on the Botley Road to turn right into these side roads often accelerate quickly to get through gaps in oncoming traffic and fail to notice oncoming cyclists in the cycle path.

This cycle path, in common with many cycle paths, is not maintained in the same way roads are. Markings at junctions are worn out. Glass and other debris are rarely cleared. In the autumn it's covered in leaves, and it's not gritted in the winter.

Often the surface is rough; there are pot holes, protruding drains, and generally paths are in a worse state than most of our roads.

The next time you see a cyclist using the road rather than the cycle path please try to realise this is not illogical behaviour, they are simply trying to find a safe, flowing route without regular obstructions.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the majority of drivers on the Botley Road who seemingly understand the predicament this cycle path causes and who give me plenty of space when overtaking.

Philip Swan, Appleford