Sir – Hugh Jaeger (letter, October 1) states that motorists endanger cyclists not with their speed but by leaving too little room, and uses this to argue that 20mph limits are dangerous. That is simply untrue. There is plenty of evidence that the speed of a collision has a strong influence on the severity of injuries, and there’s no evidence that driving closer to cyclists is dangerous.

What is true is that 20mph is a bit uncomfortable for some motorists, and that while those motorists are getting used to it, they may make life a bit uncomfortable for cyclists. It would help if motorists would use their skill to minimise this discomfort. I don’t think harking back to the heady days of free-driving is likely to help matters.

My impression, having talked to many people during the consultation period, and changing my views as a consequence, is that people want traffic to slow down because it will make Oxford a better place to live and work.

The amount of time lost by motorists is small compared to the benefit to everyone else. If 20mph is too fast to be safe on the not-quite-main roads, then the obvious solution would be for motorists to go even slower.

Richard Mann Low Carbon West Oxford