Comment

Sir.-No doubt the record number of errors in a three-paragraph letter runs into double figures, but S Broadley's effort of three ("Taxing debate over cycle use", Letters to the Editor, April 10) deserves a response.

Firstly, cycle lanes - indeed all highway works - are paid for out of general taxation and by no means from the vehicle excise licence ("car tax") alone.

Secondly, cycling on the pavement - unless it is signed for shared use - is illegal and punishable by a fine.

Thirdly, the vast majority of people who cycle on a regular basis - and thereby leave our roads just a little less congested for motor vehicles - are also car owners and therefore pay the "car tax" which so many drivers fondly believe covers the cost of road building and maintenance.

I fully accept that too many cyclists give cycling a bad name and need to smarten up their act - a bit like motorists and driving, I suppose.

-D Lloyd, Baughurst.

2:27pm Monday 21st April 2008

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