Blame drivers, not cyclists (1)

Joe Borg's blanket condemnation of cyclists (Bicycles - Hazardous And Frustrating, November 10) is a typical example of self-righteous prejudice against bicycles and the selfishness of some motorists. Even allowing for an element of exaggeration, this one cyclist described by Mr Borg may have been in the wrong, but it does not give Mr Borg the right to generalise that all cyclists "have bad habits" and that they should be insured and taxed for using public roads.

Mr Borg very kindly added a telling detail as to why he nearly hit this cyclist. This was because he was blinded by the lights of an oncoming motor vehicle. By the same token, Mr Borg might equally have hit a pedestrian who happened to be crossing the road if he was blinded by a fellow motorist. Of course it does not worry Mr Borg one fig that many motorists do have a habit of driving with their headlights on main beam or, worse still, of driving around with additional strong fog lights which dazzle oncoming cars.

Mr Borg is so intent on having the road all to himself that he also objects to allowing bicycles in front of cars at traffic lights because this "will create frustration and anger for drivers waiting for the lights to change for a quick getaway". Of course, Mr Borg would much rather that cyclists waited behind him at traffic lights and inhaled his exhaust fumes, thank you.

As to taxing bicycles, it should be pointed out that a bicycle only weighs a few kilograms, it occupies little space on the road and, most importantly, is absolutely non-polluting, whereas vehicle drivers like Mr Borg in his fossil fuel driven car produce a toxic cocktail of poisonous exhaust emissions and between one and two tons of greenhouse gases every year.

As to Mr Borg's facetious reference to "another Beijing of 10 million bicycles", this is sadly no longer the case in Bejing; with increasing affluence the Chinese have abandoned the bicycle for cars and are adding to our planet's environmental problems - along with the rest of us.

This sort of negative attitude against cyclists is unacceptable. It explains why people are not leaving their car at home and using bicycles for short journeys. If more people used a bicycle for short journeys, we would have less traffic congestion and less pollution; people would also be less frustrated, healthier and there would be less obesity.