TIME TO BACKPEDAL - EDITORIAL COMMENT

IN ONE of those public consultation exercises of which this Government
seems so fond, we are being asked to give our views on proposals to impose
on-the-spot fines of UKP40 on cyclists who ride their bikes on pavements or
carry pillion passengers. Very well, then - forget the whole thing. That is
our considered view.

A major step in fighting crime, this is not. It is not even a serious
attempt at improving road safety - pavements are often the only safe place
for cyclists, particularly children, such is the mayhem which the is
permitted on our roads.

We can only assume that the idea is being floated by civil servants with
too much time on their hands. There is more than enough petty legislation
on the statute book without this piece of nonsense. A Government which
wants to persecute cyclists in this way but which cannot come up with a
serious and coherent policy for the control of drugs is not worth listening
to.

Do we really want a legal system where riding on the pavement attracts a
UKP40 fine while selling UKP10 worth of cannabis warrants just a caution?
It makes no sense. Back to the drawing board chaps. Or - dare we say it? -
on your bikes.