A READER called Kevin Ecock got in touch regarding some Bike to Work scheme gripes.

First of all, he is self-employed and so is not allowed to participate in the scheme.

“I go into a bicycle shop and ask to buy a bike. I’m shown a state-of-the-art €1,000 bike. I say it’s too expensive, and I am informed that I can get as much as 52 per cent of the cost back! I say I’m not entitled to participate, and the shop assistant says, ‘Hard luck on that one’! Why am I being discriminated against by bicycle stores and passively so by the Bike to Work scheme?” he wonders.

Secondly, he says that most people he knows who have bought through the scheme are “weekend sports enthusiasts who have no intention of ever cycling to work”.

“As such, there are lots of bikes being sold in the scheme that are unsuitable for anything other than mountain tracks on the Three Rock Mountain!”