Reader's letters: Cycling versus driving in Bristol

You'll have to excuse this letter as I'm not feeling 100 per cent myself, and have been retreating at my mother's in Southampton to recover.

One week ago I was riding my bicycle in Bristol, being down to see family, riding along Bedminster Parade and had reached the crossing lights when a van overtook at speed and too close. There was no room or time to move and I found myself flying through the air.

I came to on my front and in pain and found the driver pawing over me saying he'd called a taxi. I was a little shocked and so didn't know what to say. Confused and in pain I just about managed to sit up and saw that my bicycle was a mess and looked completely unrideable. I at least had the presence of mind to ask the driver for some details and he gave me a mobile number. Next thing I know I was bundled into the taxi and my bike thrust in the back, or what was left of it.

The taxi driver at least did decide it was best to take me to A&E and felt he couldn't charge me. He was even kind enough to drive my cycle around to my neighbour's and leave it with them.

However the driver who hit me has become rather hard to get hold of. On the first phone call he was moderately polite and offered to pay for the bike. As soon as I stated that the bike was £400 new and it would cost this to replace it, the driver's attitude became one of: "I won't pay that, you can get a bike in Argos for £60, take it or leave it!"

Any attempt to try and persuade the driver was met with an excuse, then a foul-mouthed tirade. Eventually he hung up on me and subsequent phone calls have been ignored.

I am now unable to ride to work, having been working for an agency I will not get sick pay; my bills will now be affected. I had worn all the bright yellow tops, reflective bands, placed bright lights on my bike and worn a helmet. I have been riding on the roads safely and legally for two years and become the victim for it! My helmet was smashed and I have cuts and bruises to my face, head, legs and back. My top was torn and my bike's frame bent.

Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest! Thank God I at least have relatives who are willing to help me through this.

Janet L Mitchell, Southampton.

AH, the joys of cycling in the sunshine! Today I whizzed into work past lines of stuck traffic. The bus lane was for once mercifully free of parked vehicles, and as I sailed by the queues of frustrated drivers I thought to myself: "It's better by bike!"

Then alas, on the Wells Road coming to Temple Meads – a lady driver in a black Audi sports car paid more attention to her fag than to the road, and decided that she too would enjoy the bus lane. Illegally, of course. And pulled out and then slammed on her brakes for no reason, almost leading to me hitting the rear of her precious speed machine.

Then a little later on – a van from Bristol City Council was clearly speeding away and weaving in and out of lanes. That driver was going well above 30mph. If I had the number, I would report it for dangerous driving.

This is just one typical day's commute. Yes, it is better by bike, but I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that we also need more traffic police to monitor the minority of bad motorists and punish them hard for their almost daily violations of traffic rules. And we need more and better cycle lanes of course.

Bristol Pedal Commuter.

IT has been a couple of months since you published my article regarding irresponsible cyclists in this paper.

I would firstly like to thank those who responded and I am pleased to say that since writing the article, I haven't witnessed any episodes of really bad cycling in the city. I would like to praise all those cyclists who have finally read the Highway Code and learned the difference between red and green, and the influence these two colours have at junctions. I am also happy to see the cyclists sticking more to cycle lanes and keeping out of the way of the proper road users. This gives us as car drivers much more room, without the worry of denting our car bodywork against a cyclist who is making the road narrower.

I am sad to say though that a couple of other issues have arisen.

Firstly, the lack of lights on cycles. Driving home at night I often catch a glimpse of an unlit cyclist at the last moment narrowly avoiding them. If I had been adjusting my stereo I may not have seen them at all and knocked them off. Of course it would have been my fault for driving without due care. At least with lights on bicycles, us drivers would get a better warning you are there and be able to adjust our course accordingly.

The second issue is indicating. When I did cycling proficiency we were taught to give hand signals when turning.

Anyway, rant over, and again a big thank you to all those cyclists who cycle within the law. Perhaps I will give you all a lift together in my car one day to witness the adventure from my point of view.

Roy, Portishead.

JAMES Thomas (February 8) is right (in a perfect world). Cyclists should use Hotwell Road, not Mardyke Wharf. However, there are no on-road cycle facilities and commuting cyclists use the wharf as the safest option.

Tomorrow I shall be in Freiburg, Germany, the cycling capital of Europe. Nearly all of their cycle routes are on road, cycle lanes or tracks on both sides. They have problems like Hotwell Road. Transport corridors are being upgraded to include cycle facilities. I shall be looking at Habsburger Straße, the main road north out of Freiburg, that has been closed for two years for the reconstruction of a 1.6km section at a cost of 20.5 million euro (£18m).

Should we be spending this sort of money improving Hotwell Road? The harbourside route along Mardyke could be improved for a modest sum, to benefit both dog-walkers and cyclists. With the best of intentions plane trees were planted some years ago, which reduce the width available for all users. The trees are growing up, disrupting the surface and could be damaging the fragile structure of the wharf, built on a series of arches.

Conflict between walkers and cyclists often results from inadequate width. Felling the trees would safeguard the structure of the wharf and help to overcome the problem James Thomas describes.

David Neale, Former City Docks engineer, Long Ashton.