Sir, – A few days ago, I needed to bring a broken vacuum cleaner out to a recycling centre in Galway city. As I don’t drive, I securely placed the item into a basket on the back of my bicycle.
However, despite my best efforts to cover the appliance, the handle was unavoidably protruding from the basket and clearly visible. The result of this was that passing motorists deemed it judicious to give me a decent berth instead of choosing to precariously shave past in vehicles that were never intended for urban driving in Ireland.
Consequently, I have never felt so safe cycling around Galway. In fact, it was such a pleasant experience that I am strongly considering retrieving the vacuum cleaner from the recycling centre and attaching it permanently to my bicycle. – Yours, etc,
Fionnuala Walsh,
Galway.