Sir, - I wholeheartedly agree with Sean O'Sullivan's comments (September 19th) on the disgraceful state of the city's road surfaces. I cycle principally in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Council area, carrying my three-year-old daughter on the back of the bike. Each day, new set of roadworks, particularly those carried out for the telecom companies, carve up the road surfaces into a dangerous mix of ruts, crevices and ramps. Seeking refuge on the footpaths (whose state of repair is often equally treacherous) isn't even an option as the lorries and JCBs involved in the roadworks are parked on these, preventing the passage of wheelchair users, people pushing prams or buggies, not to mention the beleaguered cyclist.
In addition to the roads being choked with cars, motorists tend to drive so close to the kerb that cyclists simply have nowhere to go other than the footpaths. The road conditions for cyclists in Ireland are nothing short of scandalous and, particularly for those of us who carry small children, they are downright dangerous. - Yours, etc.
Teresa Mac White, Hillcourt Road, Glenageary, Co Dublin.