I HAVE to partly agree with Mick Heavey (Oxford Mail letters, April 18) when he says the standard of cycling needs to be looked at.

But, may I add, it is not the majority of cyclists who are at fault; it’s the bad ones the give them the bad name.

Having moved to Oxford from Scotland in the autumn, one thing that frightened me was the standard of cyclists in the city.

I have worked for various firms, have driven in most towns and cities from Inverness to Dover, have used various types of vehicles and hold a very good safety record. But when I came to Oxford I was frightened – and all because of the bicycles.

Incidents that I have noticed, in no particular order or frequency, are: cyclists travelling two or more abreast on busy roads (have seen four at one point); people cycling with their hands in their pockets; people travelling the wrong way up cycle lanes; people cycling while using mobile phones; people signalling before maneuvering but then not checking to ensure the road was clear; and riders securing bicycles to road signs, completely obscuring the signs.

Car and bus drivers are governed by the Highway Code. Cyclists appear not to have heard of this book. Possibly a page or two from a police charge sheet would make the learning process quicker.

Most worrying of all, the majority of the cyclists are students and only stay within the town for periods of four years. That creates a roll-on effect each year, with each new intake of students.

When my daughter visited recently, her first experience of the city was from the bus station to my home. She closed her eyes at least six times on the journey, fearing for an accident – all involving cyclists.

Alex Abercrombie, Headington, Oxford