AT a recent police-community public meeting, the issue of cycling on the pavement was raised. When a question was asked about who would be to blame if a pedestrian was hit by a child cyclist, the response from a police representative was that it would be difficult to attribute blame, particularly in regard to the child.

However, attributing blame in such accidents isn't that difficult. Maybe he could blame the drivers who drive at excessive speeds, making it necessary for children, and indeed adults, to ride on the footpath. Or could some of the blame lie with judges and magistrates who are too lenient with irresponsible drivers?

Then there are the motor manufacturers, who effectively produce road-going racing cars and advertise them as such, suggesting that the car is built for speed and safety. Safe for the driver, maybe, but unfortunately not for the cyclist or pedestrian and certainly not for the preoccupied and unpredictable child. Then there are the traffic engineers, for designing road layouts which defy logic and which leave pedestrian, cyclist and driver alike in total confusion and conflict. What a waste of taxpayers' money. On the one hand they design roads and roundabouts that invite drivers to drive fast, then they design traffic-calming measures to try and slow them down!

Or maybe that is a little unfair on the traffic engineers; maybe they have to work to Department of Transport guidelines, in which case the ultimate blame lies with the Government. Their transport policies have led Britain to record some of the highest child casualty figures anywhere on the roads of Europe.

It is about time our Government took their example from some of our European neighbours.

The Swedish Government, for instance, aim to reduce road fatalities to zero by whatever means it takes. The initiative is called Zero Vision. Compare this to the "vision" of our Government. Their latest initiative is to reduce road casualties by 40 per cent by the year 2010. In theory, Sweden could have no road fatalities in ten years and Britain could have upward of 25,000.

It appears that the Swedish Government places greater value on the lives of people than our Government.

ALLAN RAMSAY,

Waterlane Street, Radcliffe.