I strongly disagree with J Marshall's letter (November 27) which suggests that cycles and cars should be kept separate.

I have been cycling on most days all over York for 20 years and I have survived and greatly enjoyed the experience.

If I were to wait until some kind of separate road system for cycles is introduced, a dicky heart would have taken me to my grave before I managed to get on my bike.

The main factor which affects cycling safety is the number and speed of cars and other vehicles on the road. During the recent fuel 'crisis', cycling increased in some parts of the country by as much as 50 per cent, while accidents were significantly reduced and air quality was much improved.

I put this down to there being fewer vehicles on the road and those which were around were driven more slowly to conserve fuel.

From this we can assume that what City of York Council is doing in discouraging cars from travelling into the centre of York, and encouraging them to travel more slowly with a variety of traffic- calming schemes, is the best recipe for making the city more cycle-friendly.

Sara Robin,

York Cycleworks,

Lawrence Street, York.

...Just a few observations in reply to J Marshall's diatribe of drivel. Road conditions don't breed bad behaviour, bad drivers do.

The solution is simple. Drive according to the road conditions and within the law and don't go where you're not supposed to, cycle lanes for example.

There's no such thing as a dangerous road, just dangerous road users.

Traffic-calming measures are, I assume, exactly what they say they are. A measure to calm traffic because the drivers have neither the moral responsibility nor wherewithal to calm themselves.

There is a place for off-road cycle lanes, but cyclists have the right to use the road as much as anyone else.

Cyclists pay for road use too through their council tax.

Graham Horne,

Beech Avenue,

Bishopthorpe,

York.