Letter: Low-powered vehicles

Sir: Mr John Grimshaw, of Sustrans (letters, 20 September) writes of a "conflict" between cyclists and traffic, but cyclists themselves are part of traffic and are often the most lawless and irresponsible part.

We are losing our pavements to helmeted families and gangs of "macho" cyclists, part of a cycling culture which ignores traffic lights and one- way streets and which increasingly cycles without lights at night.

Cycling, far from being "environmentally friendly", is now a prime destroyer of amenity and countryside. Footpaths are being arrogated by impatient cyclists, while sensitive sites in mountains and elsewhere are being worn down by excessive cycle use.

I have witnessed how a child cycle-training scheme has created an uncontrolled cycling gang. This soon graduates into a motor cycling gang. Because cycling lawlessness normally goes unchecked such cyclists reach adolescence as ready-made anarchic road-rage motorists.

E Burnbull

Gosforth

Northumberland