I like cycling. After walking, it is the best way to get around. As a youngster I cycled quite a lot and my favourite route was down the fantastic Saccary Lane in Mellor.

I must have gone down that route so many times. It was something that became special to me and friends.

I used to cycle everywhere. So, what I am about to say about cycling has nothing to do with me not liking cyclists.

The problem is, is there any point in having cycle lanes in some areas?

Take, for example, my home town. Do we need to have pavements and roads completely ripped up for cycle lanes?

I could say the same for other areas in the North West. The reason people don’t cycle as much has to do with two things as anything else.

Number one, it rains too much and you can’t go anywhere without getting soaked.

And number two, there are far too many hills.

My sister, who never cycled in her life, now lives in Holland. There they are crazy about cycling.

She now cycles to drop the kids off at school and picks them up at the end of the day.

The reason she can do this because the place is as flat as anything.

If Blackburn had no hills and I did not have to go up Shear Brow, I would cycle everywhere.

I couldn’t care less if the temperature was minus ten, I would actually cycle to work in my pants and shirt.

The reason I can’t is because it really is one hell of an effort. I simply cannot fathom out getting up in the morning and cycling up and down hills to drop off the kids.

But I would like to see one thing – those motorists who drive too fast should not be fined, as that simply does not work.

They should be forced to cycle everywhere.

That way, they would appreciate the roads a little more.