Sir – I’ll try to address some of the points raised by Graham Kelly (Letters, December 4) in his response to my original letter. First, I don’t claim to be an ultimate authority on cycling, I’m merely a keen cyclist who also regularly reads Internet and media discussions about cycling related matters in the hope that I can offer reasonably informed opinions on the subject.

Yes, unfortunately breathing in car fumes is an occupational hazard for the urban cyclist, but the many health benefits from the physical exercise of cycling, eg reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease and other conditions related to inactivity, vastly outweigh the risks.

Also, it seems self-evident that more people cycling instead of driving would result in fewer of those fumes anyway, which would be good news for both cyclists and pedestrians.Regarding congestion, I can only say that I cycle regularly all over Oxfordshire and I honestly can’t remember the last time I encountered the scenario described by Mr Kelly of a cyclist with a long trail of cars behind them, holding everyone up.

However, I can definitely describe at first hand a current example of cars holding each other up.

My work commute takes me south through Yarnton and, partly because of the various roadworks in Oxford, the southbound A44 in Yarnton is often either gridlocked or else moving at a snail’s pace. Meanwhile, I ride my bike on the cycle path by the road and zoom past the traffic.

If any of your readers have experience of sitting in that particular queue, maybe they could try switching to a bike and joining me on the cycle path — I can virtually guarantee them a quicker journey.

Chris Day, Yarnton