Sir - I read with great delight your supplement (February 29). However, what is it about Oxford that we fail to learn about the significance of safety for cyclists.

In the supplement on page eight, Friday, May 11, 1945, an open verdict was recorded at the inquest of an Oxford cyclist killed at the junction of Abingdon Road and Kennington.

On page 7, Friday, November 9, 1956, an inquest heard how a man only 150 yards from his home received fatal injuries. In addition, on the front page on Friday, October 27, 2005, we read of the death-crash bus driver who struck a cyclist whilst being distracted by an off duty colleague.

As a cyclist, a pedestrian and a car user, the former is not only good for the environment it's good for your health.

Cycling everyday is effective at promoting good health: cycling reduces the risk of serious conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. If you take up cycling you can reduce your risk of death by 20 per cent.

However, the concerns for many - as your supplement illustrates - is that the health benefits are often outweighed by the risk of death. Only last week the report of the death of a cyclist outside the Kings Arms adds to the long list. Oxfordshire councils, The Oxford Times and the Primary Care Trust should make it a public health priority to reduce the number of deaths to zero over the next ten years. Finally, can anyone tell me how to make it with my children safely from East Oxford into the city by bike?

Dr Carl Heneghan, Deputy director, Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine and Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Dept of Primary Health Care, University of Oxford