A civil dialogue between motorists and cyclists . . .

It is reassuring to see in these pages. In many other venues (notably commercial radio), the conversation has been decidedly one-sided and anything but civil.

Dr. McCall's son Peter expressed a legitimate concern (Mailbag, May 28) about the occasional cyclist who may not observe such rules of the road as making a full stop at a stop sign, where the failure to stop creates a risk of collision.

Surely, Peter (and his mother) are aware that motorists also frequently engage in similar behavior. And as both Bob Powers (Mailbag, June 11) and Bill Howells (Mailbag, June 18) have pointed out, the consequences when a large, heavy automobile hits someone are much more dire.

Dr. McCall is perhaps correct in urging her 13-year-old son (Mailbag, June 25) to ride "off the road as much as possible," given his young age and inexperience -- and given the large number of motorists who do not know how to share the road with cyclists. A great many adults use bicycles as transportation, and they do have a right to use the roads.

While a recreational trail along Lockwood (as Dr. McCall has proposed in her letter of June 25) might be a good idea, the fact is that Lockwood is a perfectly suitable road, in its present condition, for cyclists who are actually trying to get from point A to point B. All that is required is that motorists understand that the road is to be shared by all users (and that cyclists observe basic road courtesies, as for the most part they do).

Russell A. Willis
St. Louis/Webster Groves