Sir, – Surely we are all tired of the seemingly endless tirades against cycling.
Cycling is a good thing. It is good for improving our fitness levels (at a time when we are facing an obesity crisis), reducing congestion on our roads and conserving the environment. Cycling should be encouraged and supported by all.
I cycled to work for a year, until eventually I gave up due to the daily stresses of near-misses with motorists who passed me when there was not sufficient space, opened doors without checking their mirrors, and beeped at me for having the audacity to try to change lane after clearly indicating.
I drive now but still miss cycling and the health benefits it gave me. Yes, there are plenty of bad cyclists who break the rules of the road. As I have experienced, there are plenty of bad motorists who do likewise.
Let us stop bickering and work together to make cycling in our city safe and enjoyable so that those who wish to cycle can do so safely, making more room for motorists and making everyone’s commute more efficient and enjoyable. – Yours, etc,
MARY O’CONNOR,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – Like many other commuters, I travel sometimes by bicycle and sometimes by car. As a driver I have no problem with roundabouts, but as a cyclist I go out of my way to avoid them.
As a driver I rarely have cause to brake suddenly because a bicycle has recklessly pulled out in front of me, but as a cyclist, I have to brake sharply at least once over a typical 10km journey to avoid being struck by a car.
This may happen when a car overtakes you and then immediately turns left, or a car pulls out from a side road in front of you, or a car turns right at a junction when there is only a bike coming against it.
If cars cutting off bikes is more common than bikes cutting off cars, which is overwhelmingly the case in my experience, I wonder if the letters and complaints about cyclists’ behaviour might in part be due to the inconvenience some drivers feel at having to share the road.
When drivers fail to yield, it is not always because they do not see you. Sometimes it is because they see you as being in the way, as is evidenced by the angry glare you get as they cut dangerously across you. – Yours, etc,
COLIN WALSH,
Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.