Your correspondent Charles Eden is an acute observer from his bicycle of car drivers and their behaviour in and out of the myriad new village speed restrictions.

As a one-time driving instructor, however, I must tell him that the round white sign with the oblique black band on the back of some 30mph signs is not a de-restriction sign. It means (and has done for 30 plus years) "national speed limit applies" - i.e. 60mph on single and 70mph on dual carriageways. I also have to tell him that if (as he wants them to do) car drivers invariably indicate before passing him on his bike, the chances are that they will be giving a wrong signal. He should remember the primary meaning of a right-hand-side signal: "I am turning or moving to the right." Other road users could easily assume that is what is intended, especially near road junctions. Better give no signal than a confusing one.

Besides, a car which goes along continually giving signals for every little deviation in its course is at best tiresome and at worst infuriatingly crying "wolf". I trust Malvern's current instructors will ignore Mr Eden's advice. All this is not to deny that many car drivers do bunch up too close to each other when following a (legally or illegally) slow-moving vehicle. Only to let rip when the first and sometimes dodgy opportunity to overtake presents itself.

The correct procedure, of course, is to keep sufficient distance behind the slow vehicle to see well enough in front of it to notice Mr Eden wobbling about on his bike avoiding the puddles. You can then ease a bit to the right in good time to give him room without an unnecessary signal.

As for those new speed limits, some of them are rather unnecessarily long and arbitrary in their siting. I am thinking of Hanley Road through Hanley Swan.

And oddly enough, it is still possible to approach the Blackmore Road traffic lights at a legal 60mph. Hands up those who know what the stopping distance is!

C R Cheeseman, Wells Road, Malvern. (via e-mail)