W. WHITEHEAD (Your Letters, August 21), feels that 50 years of cycling gives him the right to speak with some authority on the subject.

Unfortunately, the current version of the Highway Code has not been around for that length of time. So if he wishes to speak "with some authority" he should first try reading a copy. He is hopelessly out of date with his rules about keeping to the left and riding in single file if, indeed, these rules ever existed other than in the minds of inconsiderate drivers.

All road users are required to keep to the left, but cyclists are advised to ride sufficiently far enough away from the kerb to avoid grids and other obstacles.

As for travelling single file, one only has to look at the behaviour of motorists whenever traffic starts to slow; they immediately form two files. For cyclists, the reasons for forming two files are slightly different.

In accidents the most common excuse used, when the motorist is at fault, is that they did not see the cyclist. By forming two files the cyclist is effectively doubling his size and therefore doubling his chances of being seen. But the most common reason for forming two files is that cycling is a social form of transport and people like to speak to each other!

On a slightly different subject, I feel that I should set the record straight. Some people seem to think that the new cycle lanes have been produced for the benefit of cyclists. If this were the case they would be continuous and lead from one place to another, like any other road. The cycle lanes are in fact nothing more than a traffic calming measure.

The most cynical use of this measure can be seen on Rochdale Old Road where the cycle lane alternates between one side and the other in 200-yard segments.

I drive a car when travelling long distances, cycle to work on most other days and walk whenever I am going into town. But most people seem to be trapped in their own Catch 22 situation. They are not prepared to ride a bike because the roads are too busy, and so they jump into their cars - and become part of the problem!

NIGEL ALAN HOOD,

Walmersley Road, Bury.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.