Madam, - It is heartening to see somebody address the possibility that the timeworn promotion of cycling safety equipment has made cycling seem more dangerous than it actually is ("You'll look sweet upon the seat", August 28th). When actuarial data are examined, the health benefits of cycling dwarf the dangers by a ratio of 20 to one ( Cycling: towards health and safety, 1992, British Medical Association).
Of course, just because a transport option is acceptably safe, it does not mean we should not press to make it safer. Seventy per cent of urban cyclists killed in recent years were attempting to pass a left-turning truck or bus on the inside. When this manoeuvre goes wrong, no safety equipment is of any use.
A public awareness campaign to inform cyclists never to attempt to overtake large vehicles at junctions (even when the presence of cycle lanes suggest that they should) would handsomely repay the investment.
- Yours, etc,
DERMOT RYAN, The Tramyard, Dublin 8.