Sir, – Having witnessed many "near miss" collisions between speeding cyclists and pedestrians in my own area, I can understand the concerns expressed by Ian Wood, who has highlighted the problem of bikes being ridden on non-cycling footpaths ("Dangerous bikes, D&S letters, Jan 2).

To some extent I can understand why cyclists ride on the pavement, and many of us would have to admit to having done so at least once, as it has become so dangerous to cycle on the roads.

Our very inadequate and confusing cycling paths do not help in this respect. Those designed with raised kerbs are best as they discourage both cyclists from "skipping" across onto the pedestrian area, and motorists from denying adequate space for cyclists.

The problem does not stop with ordinary bicycles, however, as even electric bikes are also now being ridden on pavements. There is also an increasing number of stainless steel scooters being used, some of them by adults. Such scooters can reach quite high speeds, and users sometimes twirl the foot plate around 360 degrees for effect – one can imagine what this could do to someone`s ankle if it came into contact.

County councils are required to keep records of fatalities, and from this we know that on average one person is being killed every two years by a cyclist on a pavement. While this might not seem a lot compared with cyclists being killed by motorists, it is clearly too many at a time when the problem is increasing.

While there is legislation under the Road Traffic Act 1991 that covers general cycling on pavements, only the police have the required authority to use it. With so few police patrolling the streets, this is clearly little deterrent.

It's unfortunate that as there are many more traffic wardens and PCSOs patrolling, that they can't be given delegated powers to use this legislation.

Given the above, I can only suggest that communities get together and ask the police for a concentrated effort to address this problem, before others are seriously injured or killed.

A well publicised initial warning period, followed by fixed penalty notices (up to £30 is permitted), might begin to reverse this dangerous trend.

SUZANNE McCARTHY

Newark. Notts.