THE FUTURE of the proposed cycle route between Moretonhampstead and Bovey Tracey was the subject of a packed and lively parish meeting in Lustleigh village hall last Wednesday evening.

The topic is a controversial one in the village, and has sharply divided opinion. Because of this a number of parishioners were angered by the presence at the meeting of some Sustrans supporters from outside the parish. Sustrans is the charity responsible for creating the National Cycle Network, and wants the Moreton-Bovey route to form part of the proposed Route 28 between Okehampton and Newton Abbot. Lustleigh would be on the route.

'Two Sustrans supporters were something of a nuisance at the meeting, and were insensitive to its purpose,' said Hugh Gould, chairman of Lustleigh parish council. 'This was to give Lustleigh people the chance to hear Graham Cornish of Devon County Council give an illustrated presentation on the project, followed by a question-and-answer session. We wanted to get a feeling for the views of the majority of residents.'

However, other residents were happier with the way the meeting went.

'It was a cracking meeting, thanks largely to Mr Cornish,' said one. 'He had a gentle sense of humour, and took the heat out of a controversial issue. He wasn't banging the drum and telling people what was good for them.'

The cycle route is being promoted by Devon County Council as part of its long-term strategy to encourage cycling as an alternative to cars. It would mostly follow the trackbed of the Wray valley's disused railway, but where that proved impossible it would divert to quiet country lanes.

Some residents suspect that the route would simply add to visitor numbers to a village that is already overcrowded at weekends and in holiday periods. Others fear for their privacy, or are worried about road safety on the lane sections.

But others argue that many benefits would flow from the scheme's introduction, and are convinced that it would reduce many wasteful car journeys to Bovey Tracey or Moretonhampstead, foster healthy exercise and let children blow off steam in safety.

In his presentation Mr Cornish said that the county had successfully introduced cycle routes elsewhere. The Moretonhampstead – Bovey Tracey route should be as flat as possible, and was not aimed at 'lycra-clad mountain bikers' but at everyone, including walkers and wheelchair users, but probably not horse riders.

Because much of the former line is now split up into multiple ownership, the county has been negotiating access agreements with a variety of owners. In some cases the county has purchased land outright.

Mr Cornish was keen to stress that although the county has the power of compulsory purchase, it has never used them on any other cycle route in the county.

'We prefer to proceed by negotiation, rather than confrontation,' he said.

He said that the preferred route through Lustleigh was along Knowle Road, eventually joining the existing National Trust path at Willford Bridge. The option of following the old railway trackbed through the village was a non-starter, and a Mill Lane route probably involved too many steep gradients.

Cyclists already used Knowle Road, and traffic monitoring had shown only light use by slow-moving cars. Traffic-calming measures could be introduced where necessary.

Lustleigh parish council is encouraging people to submit their views in writing to the council.

A planning application is likely to be submitted this year to Dartmoor National Park Authority and to Devon County Council, for a change of use for sections of the disused railway, and for new signs on the road sections.