I WISH to draw your attention to a frightening experience which my family had one morning this week in Carlisle city centre. It could have been very much worse, so I am asking you please to remind your young people that using a wheeled vehicle of any sort requires responsible and considerate behaviour, to ensure the safety and well-being of us all.

I was walking with my adult daughter and my husband along Aglionby Road towards Botchergate at about 8.20am this morning. As we approached the corner with Cecil Street, a young man on a large ‘bulky’ bike veered around the corner, on the path, at speed. He braked, skidded and stopped against my daughter’s foot. She was on my inside, her arm linked with mine, so I pulled her as best I could out of the way. The student immediately regained control, righted his bike and rode off, again at speed, without a word of apology. It was a second away from a greater impact which would definitely have put my daughter in hospital. As it is, she is complaining of a sore wrist where I dragged her.

My daughter happens to have disabilities which mean that she can neither hear oncoming danger, nor react quickly enough or appropriately to escape from it. However, we would also have been unable to avoid this catastrophe, as the bike appeared without warning around a blind corner, on the pavement, where pedestrians have a right to walk and expect to be safe. The young rider was equipped with a helmet, but also was wearing earphones, so probably in a world of his own.

I can understand that a young cyclist may feel safer on the pavement than among traffic in a busy city, but pavements are provided for the safety of pedestrians, pushchairs, and elderly and infirm people, and a cycle can inflict serious, potentially life-changing or even fatal injuries.

Valerie Schofield

Corby Hill

Carlisle