Sir - Barbara Gatehouse argues that Bridleway 75 through the BMW works should be closed because it is unsafe (Letters, February 23).

This right of way must pre-exist the Cowley works, whose owners presumably had a responsibility to maintain its status. If it's unsafe now, the likelihood seems to be that this has been caused by BMW or its predecessors. In which case, one might wonder about this unsafeness being used to support an outcome which is the one that BMW is pursuing. In fact, it's not clear to me that the route is unsafe.

I've used it a few times recently, on weekday mornings, and there's been sufficiently little traffic that to me it looks less dangerous than many a residential road. The greater length and proximity to busy roads of the replacement route have already been pointed out by the Ramblers. Even if the existing route isn't exactly a "leafy lane", it's fairly quiet, and gives quite an interesting perspective on the works. The Independent Working Class Association suggests, plausibly, that closure of the route will lead to workers who presently use it to get to work driving instead, which is scarcely a positive outcome.

Perhaps reflecting the cabinet discussion, your article doesn't elaborate on the "security grounds" on which BMW's application was based.

The safety concerns discussed aren't obviously compelling, and I'd argue against the comments rubbishing this useful route to Shotover, as attractive and open a place as you can get to on a morning's walk from Blackbird Leys.

Peter Gillott, Oxford