Sir – The views expressed by Mr Armstrong (Letters, August 11) suggest he really needs to look closer to home regarding his frustration with cyclists using the highway.
Obviously his driving skills must be somewhat marginal if he finds the act of slowing down a bit until a safe place to pass “exasperating”. His objections seem more based on his own “macho” frustration that someone is in front of him on the road. How dare they!
As regards not using cycle lanes the assertion that they are inherently “safer” is frankly laughable. Almost all are so-called shared pathways, with pedestrians, dog walkers using 20-foot leads, mobility scooters, bus stops, lamp posts, driveways and a liberal smattering of broken glass and other debris. Possibly safer if you intend to pedal barely faster than walking pace and are in the company of your mum and dad, but otherwise pretty much useless as a route to commuters or quicker cyclists.
Also does Mr Armstrong somehow imagine there is a parallel universe of cycle lanes alongside the nation’s A-roads for the use of any passing “flotilla of lycra-clad, helmeted cyclists”?
I suggest he gets out of his car occasionally, cycles a bit and attains a calmer more balanced view of life, rather than stressing out in his tin box.
Pete Norris, Abingdon
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