Road rage

The suspended sentence handed down to a bicyclist (with 'learning difficulties') who knocked over and killed another man while cycling at speed along a footpath has brought out the vituperative anti-cyclist lurking just beneath the skin of the average British non-cyclist.

According to the average enraged driver all bicyclists are law defying hooligans and a menace; which is rich coming from a bunch who seem to acquire a 'god'-complex the minute their little hands wrap themselves around a steering wheel and the foot begins to depress the accelerator pedal.

These are the people who think it perfectly normal and acceptable road behaviour to drive along the wrong side of a main road in order to park (facing the wrong way) on that side of the road. These are the people who don't properly confine their kids, dogs, fags, make-up, food, drink and most of all mobile phones while in control of a moving motor vehicle.

These are the people who dispense with the fine print of the rules of the road the minute the vital pass has been achieved. Thereafter they regard speeding a matter of honour and the great sin (and outrage) as being caught.

These are the people who treat road signs as advisories, use indicators and lights only haphazardly and as the mood takes them, and undertake, overtake and generally drive in an intimidating manner when it suits.

They run the local bookies and are perfectly prepared to run right up the back of a a mother cycling her child to school in their flash silver sports car and intimidate them to the point of getting off the road and dismounting (and waiting till she's had her way before resuming our own journey - on the road).

And if you do it again you cow I will put your registration number and other car details HERE. OK.