A lot of what I’ve read on this page recently has been about cyclists on pavements.
Most of us know that it’s against the law but some of the youngsters seem quite comfortable with it.
I must admit that I feel happier seeing young children ride on the pavement but they’re not the danger.
Even people my age (oldish) do it and they do know better.
The ones that cause concern are in their teens. They ride at 10-20mph thinking that they’re immortal and nothing can go wrong.
Then the little old lady, or two year old or even me, steps out from the gate, behind a wall or hedge and, in less than one second, you’re both on the ground seriously injured or dead.
However, not all is lost.
We are shrouded in health and safety regulations. You know, where councils cut down conker trees so that nobody can have the conkers in case they injure somebody, or where schools don’t allow competitive games in case the loser suffers emotional trauma, that sort of thing.
Well, I’m sure that the police or borough council must have carried out the appropriate health and safety assessments with allowing cycling on the pavements because there does not appear to have been any publicity with regard to discouraging this practice. I therefore assume that, should such an accident occur, the authorities will be paying for any hospital bill or funeral costs incurred and, presumably, the dreaded compensation.
Alan Smith, Buxton Road, Weymouth
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