Motorcyslists are their own worst enemies

Ed Wolf (H&H letters, July 3) may have more than 60 years of cycle and motor cycle experience, but his arguments on road safety are confused, and his conclusions anything but simple common sense . Cyclists and motor cyclists are users of very different

Ed Wolf (H&H letters, July 3) may have more than 60 years of cycle and motor cycle experience, but his arguments on road safety are confused, and his conclusions anything but ''simple common sense''.

Cyclists and motor cyclists are users of very different forms of transport. True, both groups can be described as vulnerable road users, but that is where the similarity ends.

Cycling is extremely safe if cyclists are given their own space - protected cycle lanes as a first choice, or lanes shared only with buses as a second choice.

The danger to motorcyclists comes largely from abuse of their own powerful machines. They do not, generally, get ''squeezed between cars''. They squeeze themselves between moving traffic to gain time on their journeys, often with fatal results.

Regarding the debate about bus lanes, we should prioritise the most environmentally-friendly transport, and that means pedestrians, cyclists, buses and taxis in that order, with all private motor vehicles last in the queue. Motorcycling is an environmentally-unfriendly activity which causes disproportionate danger to other road-users and should be discouraged.

Dr David Arditti

Stag Lane, Edgware