I was somewhat aghast to see a report on the news this morning about a 4 year old girl who was effectively menaced by the police for riding her bike on the pavement for the two mile commute to and from school. Obviously she was with her mum and being 4 years old, wasn’t cycling like a nutter but plod told her mum that the girl was breaking the law and further said that if he saw the girl re-mount in his rear view mirror as he was driving away, he’d stop his car, come back and confiscate the bike.
If it sounds too unbelievable to be true, you can read about it on the Independent’s website. Note the presence of stabilisers and how the girl is wearing a cycling helmet- this isn’t some older kid going mad, this is a 4 year old girl.
I have to admit to holding incorrect views of the exact legal position mini cyclists held- I’d always thought that bikes with a wheel diameter below a certain threshold were allowed on the pavement but it turns out I’m wrong, thanks to some 19th century law that was amended by a later 19th century law to ban velocipedes and Penny Farthings from flattening Victorian pedestrians. So, unless it’s a footpath that’s been specifically designated as cyclist allowable by the local council, it’s technically against the law to cycle on the pavement.
What right minded parent is going to let a 4 year old cycle on the road during the morning rush hour?