AS a regular cyclist I have sympathy with Freda Down (Letters, April 15) if she is worried about cyclists using pavements. They shouldn't.

However, her statistic of 267 pedestrians in one year being injured in collisions with cyclists is a little selective. It does not say how many of these were on the road, pavement or even on cycle paths or whose fault it was.

While I am sure that all of these 267 accidents were distressing for those involved, it is worth comparing this annual statistic with the 100 people killed or seriously injured by motor vehicles every day.

Cycling is a healthy, non-polluting activity (like walking) and pedestrians and cyclists should be free to go about their activities with the minimum of bureaucratic interference as long as they stay within the law.

To start forcing cyclists to be insured would be the thin end of a wedge which would end up with demands for pedestrians to be similarly covered in case they dent the car that hits them.

TONY LEHRLE-FRY, Southampton.