[originaltext] More people are riding bicycles these days. In 1983 shops in

More people are riding bicycles these days. In 1983 shops in Britain sold two million new bikes---that’s 150, 000 more than in the previous year. In London, which has a population of 6.7 mil- lion, there are about 250,000 regular cyclists. And in the city of York, in the North of England, out of a population of 100,000, between 20,000 and 25,000 people cycle to work every day.
    Of course it is healthier and cheaper to travel by bike, but it is certainly not refer. In 1983 for example, there were 9,700 bicycle accidents--that’s an increase of 10% over 1982, and the highest number for 14 years.
    There are two main problems. Firstly British towns do little or nothing for cyclists. For example there are very few special cycle lanes or tracks in busy areas. And secondly motorists just do not think about cyclists. Too often car drivers think that they get in their way. This makes them angry.
    In 1984 the government asked all British towns to make plans to help cyclists in their area. It also put up large advertisements which asked motorists and cyclists to be more careful. But some people. think these advertisements are dangerous and even cause more accidents.