Safety-conscious cyclists deserve more than barbs from critics

THE attacks upon cyclists by grumpy old men are mounting.

Professional contrarian George Hook has been at it for so many years that few people take any notice of him anymore, but it was something of a surprise to see the usually oh-so-politically correct Fintan O’Toole descend to the level of calling cyclists “spawn of the devil”.

I know that some newspapers columnists deliberately resort to such provocation in an attempt to gain the attention of their readers, but it was amazing to see somebody of the eminence of O’Toole stoop to indulging in attempted incitement to hatred against a minority.