Cyclists are not the enemy

Cyclists have enough dangers to contend with without other cyclists smashing into them.
But that’s what happened to one rider in Nottingham, who was using a cycle path when another cyclist rode off the pavement and hit her.
The result - the victim had to have her spleen removed.
Police are now clamping down on pavements cyclists, dishing our fines and stern warnings.
Anyone caught like this cannot moan - the law is clear, if you break it, you pay the price.
I have no sympathy for adults caught on the pavement, but many such riders are youngsters who have probably been encouraged to ride there by worried parents.
And fewer adults would be tempted into breaking the law if the roads were safer.
There seems to be an unwarranted backlash against cyclists following media coverage of a tragic accident. Indeed one national newspaper ran articles which painted cyclists as the scourge of the road (one, ironically, written by a taxi driver).
Cycling is healthy, low cost and environmentally friendly and now is the ideal time to be pushing it as an alternative form of commuter transport.
Clamp down on the lawbreakers, but provide proper facilities for those who stick to the rules of the road - and help the environment.