The present crazy situation was brought vividly into focus last week when a 36-year-old cyclist was fined a paltry £2,200 for dangerous cycling after he rode head-on into a 17-year-old pedestrian, causing her death on a public footpath.

He was reported in the trial as shouting to the girl "move, because I'm not stopping" before crashing into her, causing her to fall and hit her head on the pavement. She died six days later.

Her father told reporters he believed the cyclist should have faced a manslaughter charge.

Maybe, maybe not. But in my book a cyclist should observe the same laws of the road as every motorist and face the same level of fines if they don't.

By now, responsible cyclists reading this are getting their hackles rising because they think this will be another rant against all cyclists.

It's not. I accept there are many cyclists who do obey the Highway Code. But they must admit that there are many, and a growing number who don't.

Cyclists don't have to take a road test. They don't have to hold a licence, they don't have to be insured.

And many think it's quite acceptable to ride up and down kerbs, onto pavements, cycle in shopping precincts and everywhere else and no-one should stop them.

Well, they're wrong. And the reason they're wrong is that the consequences of this irresponsibility is just the sort of accident which led to this young girl's death.

Cyclists have become totally arrogant, in the knowledge that unless police see something blatantly dangerous they will just turn a blind eye.

And that's not good enough. When I was a young lad cycling to school and going out pleasure riding I would never have cycled on a pavement. I knew the consequences.

When I was a cub reporter it was common-place to see a cyclist in court accused of cycling on pavements, or without lights.

Have any coppers of today ever arrested a cyclist for riding without lights or cycling on a pavement? I very much doubt it.

Too much form filling for that nonsense. Cyclists have got away with being above the law for too long.

I have now taken to travelling home from work on buses and see all too often cyclists trying to squeeze in, "undercutting" the bus. They are taking tremendous risks and are totally ignoring Highway Code rules.

The sooner cyclists are forced to obey the Highway Code, have insurance and be properly regulated, just like motorists are, the better.

That might make the pavements a whole lot safer.

The world's a dangerous place

The world has become a more dangerous place this month, thanks to posturings by Israel, Iran and the US.

No-one wants to see an increase in the number of countries with nuclear weapons and the prospect of them getting into the hands of highly volatile nations is frightening.

But the fact is that nuclear weapons are already in the hands of volatile nations and are posing a threat to nations who don't have them.

So who can blame Iran for wanting as much protection as it can muster? After all, they've seen what has happened to their neighbour just because the US and UK didn't like its ruler!

And let's never forget that the invasion of Iraq and the aftermath killed many more people than ever Saddam did.