I DO hope that James Styring’s suggestion of allowing cycling in Queen Street (Oxford Mail, April 7) will not be taken up. I think it would be crazy to allow cycling in a pedestrianised area.

It leads people into a false sense of security, when in fact it won’t be safe at all.

At least one can see and hear buses, but cyclists seem to come silently from nowhere, especially when they weave their way through the crowds at mad speeds, as they already do in Cornmarket.

Buses have horns to be blown as a warning, but bicycles rarely even have a bell. And as they do not have MOT tests there is no certainty that their brakes work either.

So how on earth can pedestrians and cyclists “mingle and merge” safely as Mr Styring suggests they will?

If pedestrians have to walk to St Aldate’s to catch a bus, then I’m sure cyclists can dismount and walk down Queen Street.

Cyclists may not actually be able to run over someone as a bus can do but they can hit and injure and give one quite a shock. I’ve had some very near misses with them in Cornmarket and on Cowley Road pavements.

Others have not been so lucky.

I also think more buses stopping in St Aldate’s is likely to cause mayhem when there is an event on at the Town Hall, with cars, vans, taxis or lorries picking up or dropping off – not to mention tourists and photographers coming to see civic events with dignitaries, or famous people visiting.

However, I see yet another store is closing down in Queen Street. They say it’s because the rent is too high.

But if this trend continues there won’t be any reason to go down there anyway.

So maybe the county council should put its plans on hold until it is sure that spending our money on all these changes is really in the public’s interest.

PAMELA WEBBER Bullingdon Road Oxford