OK so I have a driving licence and ride a scooter to work most of the time (at up to 120 mpg it's a massively smaller footprint than a car and more fun into the bargain) but in fine weather I love riding my pedal bike. It's healthy, it's environmentally friendly, it's cheaper and I always feel better after 'blowing the cobwebs out' for half an hour.
However I seem to be one of the dwindling minority of cyclists who always wears a helmet, signals when I'm turning, keeps off the pavement, doesn't wear headphones, doesn't talk on the phone and knows that traffic lights apply to me too. I'm a responsible rider as are many good people who are just trying to improve their health and help the environment. Which is why get more than a little p***ed off when I see appalling cyclists sailing through red lights, racing down busy pavements and generally acting with complete disregard to everyone else on the road and off it. These riders are exactly the reason why motorists have such a dim view of cyclists as a whole - something which I can't really blame the motorists for, yet I still ask them to remember that some of us remain sensible road users.
Now I'm not an advocate of a mandatory cycling test as I think it would be both ineffectual and pretty much unenforceable. Equally I don't see the benefit of a minimum cycling age limit as I see at least as many adults as children failing to grasp even the basics of the highway code. I just want these people to understand that we will all be safer and happier if we share the roads responsibly. Also if more cyclists use the roads responsibly and there are less accidents as a result it will encourage more people to jump on their bikes, leave the car at home and give the climate a break.