I AM afraid that D J Cook (Letters, November 24) is mistaken about a couple of points.

First of all, people are not pointing the fingers at all cyclists, only those who behave irresponsibly and flout the law.

Regarding his point about motorists killing and injuring more people than cyclists with little condemnation, I can assure him that if any motorist causes an accident while breaking the law, he will usually feel the full force of the law. The problem is that some cyclists seem to think they are above any laws or rules regarding safety, and they are unfortunately causing resentment against all cyclists.

Cycling is exercise and should be encouraged and not demonised because of an arrogant few.

We all see them jumping traffic lights, riding on pavements and in pedestrianised areas. Even when then there are designated cycle lanes marked on the road, these idiots still ride on the pavements. It is a fact that they cannot be easily identified that makes them so blasé.

While most people would not approve of the cost and the bureaucracy of licensing bicycles, perhaps it should be considered that all cyclists should be made to display their postcode on their bicycle so that police could trace offenders by knowing the small area where they live.

Let’s hope that the police and the council do more to stamp out the bad, so that cyclists can once more live in peace and friendship with their neighbours.

JOHN DEWDNEY, Nelson Drive, Christchurch