LAST week residents on the south side of Weyhill Road, from Monxton Road to The Crescent, were informed of a proposal by Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) to convert the pavement outside their properties to a shared footway/ cycleway.

It is the intention to implement this scheme in the summer.

All the pleasant grass verges will disappear and be turned into asphalt.

Although contributions are being made by the Andover Airfield Development Site, funding will also be provided by the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (i.e.

council taxpayers).

In this period of austerity, is this really a priority for TVBC?

I have emailed TVBC several times expressing my concerns and have received replies, but I remain concerned and unhappy.

The total cost is as yet unknown but I have suggested that a much more cost-effective solution, if they have to go down this route, is to widen this stretch of Weyhill Road to accommodate a dedicated cycleway, painted reddish in colour.

That way they will not have to relocate all the telegraph poles, lampposts, bus Shelters and any other furniture, which surely will be prohibitively expensive.

I thought your readers may be interested in TVBC’s intentions and glean their thoughts, hence this letter.

Alan Turner, Weyhill Road, Andover