Letter: Cyclist driven to despair

Cyclist driven to despair

Sir: I am concerned about the behaviour of motorists towards cyclists. I am a 23-year-old Swiss girl who has been living in Reading for six months.

Previously I had been living in Italy for a long time. Although the motorists were temperamental, they still respected the cyclists. In England the bicycle culture is very different from Italy and Switzerland. Here, every day I nearly get hit by a careless driver who doesn't take any notice of me on my bicycle.

A friend of mine recently got knocked down by a car whose driver wasn't paying any attention. I am very upset and can't put up with this situation any more. In my country cycling is much safer because motorists are more considerate and there are far more cycle lanes.

M FIEDLER

Reading, Berkshire