High-visibility clothing on roads spotlighted

I HAVE just driven back from Skipton on a dull drizzly morning and passed six separate cyclists dressed in grey or black without lights on their bikes against a grey road and to the motorist, quite frankly, frightening in their lack of visibility.

With the Tour de France on the way, and the increased number of cyclists on the road, visibility is of paramount importance to enable motorists to react well in advance of approaching them. I would also include joggers and pedestrians on the highway in the same category.

I am also very concerned about schoolchildren walking or cycling to school without high- visibility clothing. When I was at school (and that is a very long time ago), requests were made from parents for a patrolled zebra crossing but nothing was actioned until a father dropped his daughter off just beyond the crossing and then had the horror of seeing her killed by a lorry in his mirror.

No parent should have to live with that.

I have recently walked several times from Grassington to Kilnsey along the Conistone road wearing my high-visibility jacket and been passed by many cyclists, few of whom wore high- visibility clothing.

Nevertheless, what a cheery lot they have been calling out greetings and really making the walk for me.