ONCE again, Mike Usherwood has regaled us with a tale of errant cyclists from the wild and lawless frontier of Huntington (Letters, November 19).

Do us a favour, Mike - change the record, you're starting to sound incredibly boring.

Cycling without lights during the hours of darkness is, indeed, illegal. Not to mention irresponsible and monumentally stupid. Cycling on the pavement, with or without lights, is also illegal - except when the pavement is marked as a shared use cycle path.

Both of these can attract on-the-spot fines (now £30, I believe) or fines of up to £2000. Quite right, too.

So, obviously, the laws exist against such irresponsible people and the real problem is the lack of enforcement.

Mr Usherwood's energies would be channelled more productively if he made the people responsible for upholding the law aware that there is a problem. That way something may be done. You never know, an idea as daft as this may just work.

Simon Ward,

Barons Crescent,

Copmanthorpe,

York.

...DOES Mike (lights on yer bike) Usherwood have no other drum to bang in his sad life?

I see legions of cyclists nightly lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree (me included). Not that it seems to make a lot of difference to the lunatic fringe of the motoring community, as my nightly love affair with the kerbside testifies.

There's nothing wrong with being concerned with road safety, but Usherwood's unhealthy persecution complex with cycling has gone about as far as it can go.

Graham Horne,

Beech Avenue,

Bishopthorpe,

York.

Updated: 10:58 Wednesday, November 21, 2001