David Attenborough encourages boy to stage anti-cycle lane protest, as veteran broadcaster weighs in on plans to “sacrifice 26 irreplaceable trees” for new bike route

A campaign to put an immediate stop to the final phase of a cycle lane project in Coventry has garnered support from an unexpected quarter, after Sir David Attenborough wrote to an 11-year-old boy advising him on how to stage a protest to halt the protected bike lane’s construction and save 26 trees that are earmarked to be felled along the proposed route.

The veteran broadcaster and environmental campaigner was responding to a letter from a Coventry schoolchild, who said it would be a “shame” if the city council went ahead with plans to cut down 26 trees on Clifford Bridge Road, to make way for construction work on the last stretch of the Binley Cycleway.

According to the local authority, the 6km-long protected cycleway, which will link the city centre to University Hospital Coventry, was “developed and designed to accommodate the needs of people that do not usually cycle” by reducing concerns about safety and lack of confidence.

However, despite the council’s ambitions to promote sustainable travel in Coventry, the project has been the subject of intense scrutiny and criticism from locals in recent months.

In fact, the council has been forced to redesign the scheme three times, after feedback from locals revealed concerns about reduced parking provisions along the road, the proposed narrowing of lanes for motorists, and the potential danger for drivers “reversing blindly” across the bike route.

> Hundreds sign petition slamming decision to “sacrifice 26 irreplaceable trees” to make way for “dangerous, little used” cycle lane that “adds to pollution” – but council says more trees will be planted in their place

Last month, we reported that a petition was launched (which has now been signed over 1,200 times) urging the local authority to stop the cycleway scheme “immediately” to save the “irreplaceable” trees on Clifford Bridge Road, despite the council pointing out that, if the plans are approved, the 26 felled trees are set to be replaced by 32 saplings and a range of low growing plants.

One of the locals opposed to the scheme is 11-year-old Reuben, who wrote to Blue Planet narrator Attenborough in the hope that he could influence the council’s decision, the BBC reports.

“They’ve been there for a long, long time,” Reuben told the 98-year-old broadcaster, biologist, and natural historian. “It would be a shame to see them go.”

To the schoolboy’s surprise, Attenborough sent him a handwritten response, wishing him every success in his bid to save the trees.

“I can well understand your reaction on hearing of the council’s plan to fell the trees you describe,” the 98-year-old told Reuben, before suggesting that he contact the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust for help with his campaign.

“They may be able to advise you on how to organise a protest,” Attenborough concluded.

Despite Reuben admitting that he was unable to read the broadcaster’s “olden days” handwriting, the boy’s dad Gopal said they were “taken aback” by Attenborough’s response.

“He generally likes writing letters to football players and he thought he could use those transferrable skills to contact somebody with a lot of influence,” Gopal told the BBC.

“We were really taken aback and really proud of Reuben when he received that response. He’s such a kind, caring boy and he shows so much humility.”

> Residents oppose cycle lane plans that would make cyclists “sitting ducks” for motorists accessing driveways

Gopal also claimed that residents on Clifford Bridge Road were really “passionate” about saving the trees, and that they were “just really worried the impact it will have, not only on the natural environment, but also on the residents as well”.

As noted above, earlier this year Coventry City Council announced a revised set of plans for the final Clifford Bridge Road stretch of the Binley cycleway, following feedback from locals which has led to the scheme being redesigned three times.

The latest revised proposals for the Clifford Bridge Road section mean that the road will no longer be narrowed to accommodate the cycling infrastructure, while more parking spaces will be made available in comparison to the original plan, with a kerb now separating the cycle lane from the pavement for much of the route.

However, after residents again raised concerns in January about the prospect of cyclists riding into drivers reversing out of their homes, another petition was launched in August calling for an “immediate” halt to the project in order to save the 26 trees earmarked to be cut down as part of the scheme.

Will Delieu, who set up the change.org petition, argued that the plan to cut down the trees as part of the cycleway’s construction comes at “too high a cost” and will “cause irreversible damage to the local environment”.

“These trees have stood for decades, providing shade, cleaner air, and natural beauty to our community. Removing them would not only destroy the green character of our neighbourhood but also cause irreversible damage to the local environment,” he said.

“The proposed cycle lane may seem like a step forward for sustainable transport, but it comes at too high a cost. The loss of these trees would have long-lasting negative effects on our ecosystem, local wildlife, and the well-being of residents.”

One of the signatories to Delieu’s petition, Ann Wilson, the vice chair of Coventry Tree Wardens, also claimed the trees along Clifford Bridge Road are “irreplaceable”.

“These trees and the benefits they provide to local people are irreplaceable,” Wilson wrote. “They should not be sacrificed for a cycleway that is already dangerous, causing traffic congestion, adding to pollution, and is little used.”

> “Our roads will be safer if we all look a bit more”: Cycle lane plans “a recipe for disaster,” say residents – because reversing motorists can’t see cyclists “aiming at you at 30”… due to parked cars on road

The petition to save the tree isn’t, of course, the first public attempt to halt the cycle lane’s construction on Clifford Bridge Road.

In January, resident Dawn McCann launched another petition against the revised plans, which she said was based on safety concerns about the lane’s proximity to homes on the road – claiming that cyclists “aiming at you at 30mph” would pose a threat to motorists reversing out of their drives.

“I think they keep tweaking it to try and fob us off and not tackle the actual issue of safety,” McCann said at the time.

“No one who lives on Clifford Bridge wants to run a cyclist over, nobody would intentionally injure anybody, but the way the cycleway is being designed at the moment, all of those cyclists are sitting ducks.”

But while opponents of the scheme are vocal in their concerns about cyclists riding at 30mph and potentially crashing into unsuspecting drivers, perhaps the most shocking incident to have taken place on the Binley cycleway so far involved a Ford Puma driver undertaking another motorist by speeding along the protected bike lane last July.

> "Traffic on road? Just use a cycle lane": Motorist facing court after speeding through segregated bike lane

Responding to Reuben and Attenborough’s intervention, Coventry City Council have said that their consultation into the scheme closed on 12 September, and that a meeting will be held later this year to address the concerns raised in the public petition and consider feedback from the consultation.

“No work will commence on the project until a final decision is made at the cabinet member meeting,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Gopal added that he and Rueben have emailed the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust to ask for support and are currently waiting to hear about dates for a residents’ meeting on the matter.