Did you know that if you peel away the skin we are all the same underneath? It's doesn't actually matter what colour the skin is on the outside. Did you also know that if we peel away the wrapping that is our chosen form of transport - car, bike, feet, motorbike, bus - we are still all the same?

I make this very obvious point because some people seem to forget it and blame "cyclists" or "car drivers" for the issues they face on the road when in reality it's all just people!

For example, on Friday I left work later than I was hoping and had to get from one side of our urban conurbation to the other in slightly less than 45 minutes in order to collect my daughter from school on time.

This is a task that would be a challenge if I was in the car as I would be at the mercy of traffic conditions, however as I was on my bike I knew that I would be ok as long as I was prepared to be assertive.

This meant that I had to do a few manoeuvres that I normally disapprove of, nothing illegal, but a level of filtering that I wouldn't do if I wasn't in a hurry.

As a result of this I may have annoyed or frustrated a few motorists as I passed them and disappeared into the distance, or when I took a position that meant I had priority in a lane. Not all cyclists, behave this way, it was just me, so don't tar everyone with the same brush! I would also like to reiterate that I did not ride illegally; it was just assertive and fast.

The driver of the black VW Golf that overtook me near the end of the journey was not quite so legal as he brushed past me with a couple of inches to spare at a speed that was significantly higher than the legal limit; but this was just him and not all drivers are like this!

Once I had met my daughter we then cycled home together from school and I have to admit that at this point I did ride illegally for most of the journey.

There are very few stretches on the 1.5 mile route home from school where I am happy for my 5 year old daughter to cycle on the road, there are a couple of short sections where we do ride together on the road and on these I explain the highway code and how she should be riding.

For the rest of the journey we ride together on the pavement; whilst we are on the pavement she leads and rings her bell if anyone is in front of us. Over the few months that we have been doing this we have only ever been greeted with a friendly attitude and have never had any issues; despite this I do have pangs of guilt whilst I'm on the pavement.

Obviously this reaction of acceptance that we receive is because I have a 5 year old with me and I wouldn't dream of cycling on these pavements without her, but it shows an interesting general perception and attitude towards people.

As long as we regard those around us as other human beings then we seem to treat each other in a more accepting and tolerant way.

Based on information supplied by David Brown.