Time to listen to cyclists

Sir, – Much of the press has recently carried many variants on the dangers of cycling and the irresponsible behaviour of many cyclists. They seem to be missing an important point. Cycling is not dangerous. It is simply not. What is dangerous is having cars and trucks and buses whooshing around in our city streets and on our small rural roads. These fast-moving and very heavy steel boxes hit pedestrians, cyclists and each other all the time and cause death and injury almost every day. It’s the cars and trucks and buses that are dangerous. And being on foot or on a bike is only made dangerous by having them around.

A Dublin with only pedestrians and cyclists would mean almost no traffic fatalities. A few, yes, and potentially caused by some of the irresponsible cyclists. But much better to have these irresponsible few on light and slow bikes rather than in heavy and fast cars. – Yours, etc,

HUGH SHEEHY,

Dublin 4.