Cyclists in Harrow are being warned that cycling on the pavement is a criminal offence which will be treated seriously, no matter how old the offender is.

Parents are being asked to keep an eye on their children and to make sure they do not cycle on the pavement.

The danger to pedestrians from pavement cyclists is so great in the borough that Harrow Police and Community Consultative Group and Harrow Crime Prevention Panel have published a report on the issue, Cyclists and Pedestrian Safety.

"It is this that worries the elderly, the disabled and parents with young children," the report said. "The cycling public needs to know that the police are ready to enforce the law."

The report stresses that the police will be more active in enforcing traffic regulations by clamping down on cycling on pavements, the use of cycle lights, obeying traffic signals, and the dangerous use of roller skates, skateboards and roller blades.

Parents should make certain that their children follow the legal obligations in the Highway Code, including the importance of fitting bells to bicycles and using them to warn other road users, particularly blind and partially sighted pedestrians.

Cyclists often seem not to realise that failing to obey traffic lights or leaving their bicycles lying on the pavement are offences. The Highway Code clearly states: "Do not leave your cycle where it would endanger or obstruct other road users, for example lying on the pavement."

According to John Knight, chairman of Harrow Police and Community Consultative Group: "This comes up all the time and cyclists should be made aware that they do not own the pavements. It is a serious offence to cycle on the pavement.

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