Are cyclists selfish on country roads?

CYCLISTS riding two abreast on country roads make drivers’ blood boil (Mail). Cyclists are the only users of mechanically propelled vehicles who are not required to pass a driving test before being let loose on our roads. As a result they are not required to have a knowledge of the Highway Code. If they were, they would be aware that rule 66 says: ‘You should never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends.’ Surely it is common courtesy not to obstruct the carriageway to the annoyance of others? I would add that car drivers should offer the same level of courtesy to cyclists. Cyclists are also the only group of road users not required to have a rear view mirror and an audible warning of their presence. Perhaps if these items were made standard on bicycles, cyclists would find it self-preserving to ride in single file.

IAN BRADLEY, St Albans, Herts. A LOT of drivers appear to be ignorant as to why cyclists ride two abreast on certain types of roads. I’m a motorist, and I run my own cycling club. Where a road with a single broken white line down the middle allows two cars to pass each other travelling in different directions, there is a real danger that a single cyclist will be hit due to the narrowness of the road. Riding two abreast — which makes the two cyclists equal to the width of a car — forces a car to make a decision whether to overtake or to wait, rather than simply pass close to cyclists riding in single file in the hope his vehicle doesn’t clip a bike. The number of times I or my fellow riders have been tooted aggressively or shouted at by ignorant drivers for riding two abreast is too numerous to count.

GARY GRISTWOOD, Warwick.