Peers for Pedestrians

How Ridiculous's slumber was disturbed this morning by the 'Today' programme's discussion about cyclists.

They are one of the banes of How Ridiculous's life; and it would seem not just HR's life for the radio discussion had been excited by a question in the House of Lords on Thursday.

Lord Quinton had risen to ask Her Majesty's Government 'Whether they will take steps to ensure that bicycle users abide by the Highway Code.'.

Lord Quinton proceeded to offer the nation the benefit of his experience:

'As an elderly resident much given to walking about central London, I constantly perceive riders on the pavement and persons popping through traffic lights that are against them and driving up one-way streets. Perhaps I should declare a kind of medical interest, in that my wife was bumped into by a cyclist going the wrong way up Bond Street—at least it was a good street—and as a result she suffered a fractured pelvis.' (How Ridiculous's emphasis.)

Anyway, the quality of streets aside cyclists excite bike rage in HR.

They have the roads to cycle on.

They have specially painted lanes devoted to them (and aren't the colours hideous?).

And where do hordes of them choose to pedal their machines? Yes, on the pavement.

It's just ridiculous.

Walking down The South Bank often seems like being on the set of the film Alfred Hitchcock might have made: 'The Cycles'.