REGARDING cycling to school, I think that your editorial (LET, September 28) was extremely negative.

Of course, we do not want to see all school children suddenly set off next Monday morning on their bicycles -- even though I believe that this would be Utopia.

However, there are already a good number of youngsters who ride to school quite happily and safely.

Only recently, your newspaper gave almost a full page to the achievement of nine-year-old Chloe Ingham of Ribchester, who cycled from Lands End to John 'o Groats -- and demonstrated just what is possible.

As a cyclist for more than 50 years, I understand better than most that traffic conditions have worsened on many roads in Lancashire. Nevertheless, there are major attempts in the pipeline to encourage children to get on their bikes again and the Sustrans Charity has recently been given a very significant lottery grant to support their 'Safe Routes to Schools' initiative.

Instead of condemning the practice as "too dangerous to contemplate," we should at least be supporting efforts to encourage children, of a certain age, to enjoy all the benefits gained from pedalling to school -- as we did in our youth.

DAVE BROWN (Lancashire Evening Telegraph Cycling Correspondent), St Peters Close, Clayton le Dale, Blackburn.