Dublin has improved as a city for cyclists, but safety focus remains crucial

Sir, - I cycle to get around and have done so for over three decades. I have lived and cycled in three capital cities – Dublin, Melbourne and Budapest. In Melbourne, helmets are mandatory, which increases safety, but cycling around Budapest in the early noughties was risky business.

I rode around Dublin on my daily commute before and during the pandemic and now once again, since I moved back to the city last year. I think it has become immeasurably safer to be a cyclist here and an entirely different experience to the past.

This is only partly due to the better infrastructure. The bigger factor, as always, is driver awareness, which has improved with increasing numbers of cyclists on the road. We know that mandatory helmet use would reduce the amount of people on their bikes.

As a doctor, I treat people with severe head injuries. I will always wear a helmet and promote its use. But I also want more people to cycle, which in theory will continue to enhance safety levels for everyone. Making helmet use mandatory (with or without high-visibility clothing) would be a big U-turn on this path of safe cycling. - Yours, etc,