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>Those poor cyclists. I’m always shocked to see the broken and bleeding bodies of so many littering the streets of Ealing whenever I venture out into the deadly environs around us. I hope you remember making that nasty and vindictive comment when a family member or  friend of yours gets injured whilst innocently cycling on the road.  What I know is that there are a million bikes in London not being used because people find the roads are too dangerous. Whether you are in London or Glassgow, Penarth or Skelmersdale people tell their stories of the roads being too threatening. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/sep/01/i-will-never-ride-a-bike-again-why-people-are-giving-up-on-cyclingExplain to them that you think the roads aren't unsafe, not me, so you can get a piece of their mind. And don't give me that rubbish that it is The Guardian...I just googled 'a million bikes in London because the roads are too dangerous' and this was one of the first links that came up. What we need is decent cycle lanes to get more people onto bikes; the people who most want to cycle but daren't. The same people who are desperately keen to make their journey quicker by taking their car off the road to help them have a faster journey, a cheaper journey along with making their own contribution to a cleaner city. All these benefits, plus the knock-on benefit of making your car journey quicker. I don't get it why you don't want to give it a go in changing your opinion.  I grew up in London, cycled on my own on the roads of London without a helmet since the age of 6, and have grown up with shit infrastructure. I am used to it. There weren't cycle lanes in London in the late 60's or 70's. Were there any in the 80's? I can't remember. A consequence of this is that I have grown used to the roads but, God, don't I just love a good cycle lane! What I would be willing to do is to do this: we meet up, Simon, and I cycle with you along the Uxbridge Road so you can experience first hand why loads of people find it too scary to cycle on. We can cycle from Ealing to Acton and back again. You don't even have to wear a helmet but you must bring lights.

Ben Owen ● 427d