Learning cycle

I am absolutely in favour of encouraging exercise by ­cycling and sympathise with those cyclists who have fallen foul of the tram tracks. ­However, I would be interested to know how many ­cyclists have had accidents with pot holes in the badly lit side streets of Edinburgh.

I would also like to know how many citizens of my generation recall cycling in the 1950s, when nearly all the main streets in the city were tram tracks and cobbles.

When wet, the streets were greasy and the tracks of the trams were uneven, causing many a fall, particularly at night, as the street lighting was not as it is now.

I know of no one who suffered an injury (sometimes quite a serious one), “demanding” recompense. We learnt to negotiate the tracks carefully. I suggest modern-day cyclists do the same.

Belinda Lennie

Edinburgh