Honest John is spot on when he says that “wobbling cyclists and London traffic will never mix.” A wobbly cyclist should be given training. But MW of Chatham is wrong when he asserts that cyclists are given an advance stop line (ASL) “to reward them for being green.” The reason for ASLs, which numerous motorists ignore, is to allow cyclists to be ahead of vehicles and thus visible to the drivers, especially of tall HGVs. This is a life-saver. Meanwhile the suggestion that all cyclists should stay behind queuing traffic is simply ridiculous.

The whole subject of multi-speed vehicles in London traffic demands discretion on all sides. When cycling in London I am repeatedly amazed when time and again there is a red light ahead, but car drivers still accelerate hard, wasting fuel, only to come to a grinding halt again. Bicycles are like the proverbial tortoises. Slow off the mark but ultimately faster point to point. The solution to 'obstacle cyclists' at red lights may be to give them their own advance green light of five seconds to let them get out of the way. This is common practice in other countries.