I am all in favour of people cycling and the more designated cycle paths the better.

The question that is not clear to me is whether pavements generally, the High Street, the Old George Mall and the inside of Marks & Spencer can also be considered as cycle paths.

Last Wednesday my wife and I were walking through the mall from the High Street towards M&S.

Two teenage boys felt the need to ride through the area as fast as possible, narrowly missing several people, and then swept into M&S via the automatic doors. 

(Image: Peter Kollar/Getty Images)

The area was quite crowded, including young children running about. 

If anyone had suddenly thought they would change direction, to look in a window for example, a nasty situation could have developed.

We went into M&S and witnessed the first one riding towards the New Canal entrance. 

Someone had stopped the other and was holding his foot on the bike in such a way that the youth could not move any further. 

Two M&S staff had appeared and were very politely asking, and eventually telling, the boy to get off his bike. 

The boy claimed that he could not get off while the bike was being held although he eventually managed to do so. 

He was generally belligerent and made no attempt to indicate remorse. 

He was eventually obliged to push the bike back into the mall. 

I do not know if M&S did anything further about the matter but it was presumably picked up on their CCTV.

It is not just this incident that troubles me. 

Quite often cyclists make their way along the pavement on Catherine Street. 

They are very reluctant to dismount even when it is crowded. I recently started to walk through the St Ann’s Gate into The Close to be confronted by a cycle coming the other way through the narrow doorway at some pace. 

No apology but just rushed off.

It would be helpful to know how much of all this is legal and is anyone doing anything about promoting a Highway Code for cyclists that includes something about courtesy.

Nigel Wingate

St Ann Street

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