Sir, - As a former commuter by car, who out of frustration with city centre gridlock has graduated to a motorcycle just in the past 10 days, I read with interest the interaction between car drivers and cyclists on this page over the past few weeks.
Having had my first near-death experience as a motorcyclist just last night, I am beginning to appreciate why many cyclists and motorcyclists behave in the way they do.
The driver in the large Wicklow-registered Volvo who overtook me on the inside and then cut across my path, missing me by inches, obviously cared little for the safety of drivers of two-wheeled vehicles on the roads of our capital.
While many cyclists in particular may have scant regard for the rules of the road, I believe much of the behaviour which car drivers find objectionable is caused by the need to stay as far away from car drivers opening car doors, drivers who seem incapable of using their mirrors and drivers who, happy in their own invulnerability, give scant regard to the safety of those who are not surrounded by a couple of tons of steel.
I remain a "shaken and stirred" two-wheeled driver. - Yours, etc.,
Tim Collins, Bray, Co Wicklow.