How I.C.I see cyclists v. motorists

Sir,

It is a credit, I am sure, to your publication that you attract readers of all sorts, and also to the appeal of road sport that it can be enjoyed by all wheeled-users, not just those with two, three or four. Hence, as a cyclist/motorist, I was just a little put out by the I.C.I. ad. which talked of gouge-happy cyclists tearing tramlines in the paint of a car.

My own experience over some hundreds of thousands of miles driving in eight or nine countries has been that no cyclist has gouged lumps, while many pedestrians have, with the odd motoring fracas to add. My latest came in a parking lot, while dining, a dent on my 14-day-old car, annoying, but one of the facts of life. In the past I have had matches struck, fireworks, nails and so forth, damaging the car.

Racing cyclists, and many use the 44 tracks in Britain, are frequently keen motorists. The reasoning is obvious, just try carrying a bike and three pairs of wheels with 3 oz. tyres to a track, you use a car. If you are an intelligent road-user, you use an interesting car, VW, Triumph, Cooper and so forth. Need we have this bickering between road-partners?

Alan Gayfer,

London, E.C.4. Editor, Cycling.

[I have always felt that all users of the road, including pedestrians, should exist in friendly co-operation; road safety depends on their hands and feet. – ED.]