Madam, - I have just spent four weeks travelling by bicycle from Cherbourg to Malmö, cycling in France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. In all those countries what was most impressive was the constant courtesy shown (for whatever reason) by drivers, especially lorry drivers. There are still many places where bikes have to mix with the traffic, even on some roundabouts, but never a feeling of hassle. They have all the time in the world, once they're off the motorway, to wait for a hesitant cyclist to cross their path; and lorry drivers leave a huge margin - a whole lane, where possible - when they pass.
Back in Dublin I'm suddenly noticing what I have always taken for granted - the experience of being squashed at every left turn.
I don't suppose that all continental drivers show courtesy out of innate sweetness; I suspect that the Dutch law - that in cases of cycle/motor contact motorists carry responsibility unless they can show in court that the cyclist behaved dangerously - has something to do with it.
The consensus of normal Irish driving behaviour has changed greatly in the last 20 years. A clear rule of the Dutch kind, visibly enforced, is needed to change behaviour. We already have laws about driving with due care and attention, but they are simply not enforced; and without enforcement laws are meaningless.
In Holland having the right of way does not excuse motorists who hit cyclists or pedestrians, and the courts require that motorists anticipate unsafe walking and cycling behaviour. Motorists will object a lot, but in the end they are the ones with the lethal weapons that have to be controlled.
By the way, I don't think drivers and cyclists calling each other names advances the debate. I hold the view that our best safety is in numbers. Where lawyers habitually cycle, cycling is safe. - Yours, etc.,
ANDREW ROBINSON, Marlborough Road, Dublin 4.