I don’t know about everyone else but I’m getting a bit tired of reading about the benefits of cycling and how good it would be to have more cycle lanes, etc, in Enfield.

Let’s be honest – driving a car puts billions of pounds into the economy. From the initial taking of lessons and then buying a car and then the maintenance and petrol. Without cars this country would be screwed.

Now let’s have a look at what cycling brings. Well the outlay of buying a decent bike I suppose, then a helmet and then some nice bicycle clips. Not much maintenance, you don’t have to pay road tax and you don’t even need insurance. I think motorists win hands down on this one.

They are our roads, if you want to cycle on them as a guest then respect the fact that the roads are ours. Otherwise, where does it stop? Pedestrians just walking down the road willy nilly complaining about bike users. There is a reason the roads are made to the width of cars – they are for cars.

The argument about it being healthier for us, well I put on a loud CD and move a little bit whilst driving, auto Zumba if you like. The random gesturing of arm movements out of the window to other fine motorised vehicle owners keeps me fit albeit on one side only. The effort of moving my head from side to side trying to spot those pesky cyclists from coming down between me and the car in front has given me RSI.

When in my car I can’t bump up onto the pavement and jump the lights, or zip in and out of traffic knocking wing mirrors all a sunder.

So lets cut to the chase. We pay road tax, we pay insurance, we pay thousands of pounds for a car which keeps the economy going. If you want to ride a bike then get on with it. If you want to take a dinghy into the middle of the English Channel shipping lanes don’t moan that ferries won’t get out of the way.

I can hear the sound of Velcro visibility arm bands ripping off as the cycling brigade read this.

Rick Jewell

Hoe Lane, Enfield