It’s time to make better use of laws for prosecuting reckless cyclists

SIR – The inquest into the death of 81-year-old Hilda Griffiths (report, May 5), who was run into and killed by a cyclist riding at up to 29mph in Regent’s Park, heard that, despite there being a 20mph speed limit in the park, the cyclist had effectively done nothing wrong as no specific speed limit exists for cyclists.

On reading this, my mind immediately went back to 1954 when a friend of mine was successfully prosecuted for “riding furiously to the public danger” on a downhill stretch of the A6 from Oadby into Leicester. This despite it being late evening, with no other traffic on the road and no injuries caused to anybody.

Anthony A Cooper Clitheroe, Lancashire

SIR – Celia Walden (Features, May 7) draws attention to the lack of speed limits for cyclists, some of whom have become hazards to pedestrians in towns and villages across the country.

The explanation for this anomaly is quite simple: there is no requirement for bicycles to be equipped with a speedometer.

The level of risk to pedestrians and the behaviour of some cyclists surely now mean that speedometers should be made compulsory, with the attendant obligation to obey speed limits, together with a compulsory registration scheme.

Chris Mitchell Faringdon, Oxfordshire

SIR – Isn’t it time to charge cyclists for using our roads? A reasonable road tax (and number plate) could soon go towards fixing our pothole problem and make road travel safer for all.

Elizabeth Haynes Lymington, Hampshire

SIR – Sir Iain Duncan Smith’s article on dangerous cyclists (Comment, May 9) draws attention to some archaic quirks of our road safety legislation. When dealing with matters of public safety, however, one needs to establish an accurate sense of the risks posed, and an accurate estimate as to the effectiveness of any proposed solutions.

Between 2018 and 2022, cyclists contributed to barely 2 per cent of pedestrian injuries, and only 0.5 per cent of pedestrian deaths. While the individual cases that Sir Iain mentions are tragedies without exception, the reason he has had to pick them from so many different years is because such occurrences are incredibly rare; there were only nine such incidents from 2018 to 2022. In the same period, only 1,949 pedestrians were injured by cyclists; an average of just 1.3 injuries a day. Cyclists are simply nowhere near as dangerous as the public thinks they are.

The Government could implement Sir Iain’s proposed reforms overnight, but this would have almost no impact whatsoever on the numbers of pedestrians being harmed on our roads. If Sir Iain would like to make a measurable difference to pedestrian safety, he should concentrate on finding more effective ways to prosecute motorists.

Dr Lawrence Davies Newcastle upon Tyne