THE letter from D Beard (Feb 14th) concerning an incident with a cyclist was interesting, as I saw what happened.

The incident was at a pedestrian crossing on The Avenue with a cycle path on one side of the road and the continuation on the other side. I had pressed the button to stop the traffic. The bike, which I think had lights, didn’t stop before cycling across, as I was about to walk across. Maybe the lights were amber, but I may be mistaken.

An altercation took place which I overheard. As the driver was presumably saying the cyclist shouldn’t be on the pavement, the cyclist said “It’s a cycle path”. So I mentioned to the driver that it was in fact, a green cycle path, to which he replied “But it’s too dark to see it”. I agreed but said it wasn’t our fault and we should blame the council.

Maybe the cyclist did jump the lights and get angry. The driver didn’t expect to see a bike cutting across his path from what he saw as a pavement. He was correct in saying he couldn’t see the cycle path because it was dark. But maybe a better course of action from both parties might have been to say “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you”.

Reading about Anthony Grey in the Echo the following day, who admitted he ran an amber light on his bike, showed what can happen. He was hit by a Saints player with catastrophic consequences. The cyclist was issued with a fixed penalty notice and suffered severe injuries. The driver admitted driving without due care and attention. Both parties therefore admitted they were in the wrong.

The constant vilification of cyclists is just another example of the current mindset of people who want to blame anyone who is different from them. It is a form of discrimination, picking on a minority group of people who risk their lives every day getting on a bike. Cyclists not only run the risk of being hit, they also have to breathe polluted air. Yet every Deliveroo cyclist, of which there are many cycling up The Avenue, represents one less car on the road. They are not “hooligans” to use Mr Beard’s expression. They are young, trying to earn some money, helping local restaurants and doing it in a more environmentally friendly way than by car.

Cyclists and drivers should think about their actions and how they impact on others when they choose their mode of transport, remembering that it is the pedestrian who comes off worse if they get hit.

And if it is the lawless stretch of pavement further along The Avenue, at Stag Gates, where cars, bikes and pedestrians run the gauntlet on a daily basis in front of Dominos, just pray!

Cara Sandys

Portswood