The ongoing problem of motor vehicles coming into conflict with bicycles is something that affects me as a cyclist almost every time I go out on my bicycle.

I feel one of the problems that seems to crop up on a regular basis is vehicles not able to deal with a cyclist in front of them, who has a parked car to ride past and also a vehicle to deal with, coming in the opposite direction.

What I find is the vehicle approaching from my rear is not able to identify they have a situation in front of them they have to deal with.

What happens is they just keep coming and overtake me while I am alongside the parked car.

They cannot give me clearance because of the oncoming vehicle, so they just seem to drive through and assume I'll survive the close call.

I do not know if these drivers are aware a cyclist has to be on the look-out for parked cars opening doors unexpectedly and will need room to pass safely.

I feel it is the responsibility of the driver from behind to time their arrival at the situation, so as to allow me to negotiate the parked vehicle.

I know there is an attitude out there that cyclists should not be on the roads, but the fact is we are and have to be dealt with like any other situation a driver has to deal with.

The fact drivers are not dealing with situations can only come down to poor anticipation and a general lack of driving skills.

S Turner, Pyes Pa.