I READ recently that the police in Oxford recently had a purge on cyclists with no lights. It was just a limited one-off exercise with minimal impact to the hundreds that flount the law.

While en route to watch Oxford University play Saracens at Iffley Road I watched three cyclists pedal along Marston Road towards London Road.

At the traffic lights, one cycled up to the front of the waiting queue, passing a police car, while his two buddies swung across the road and choose to cycle along the pavement down towards The Plain, all with no lights.

Of course, there was no action from the police.

No doubt they were off to investigate to a serious crime, about to take place, allegedly.

Consider this, if I had driven my car in a similar manner, with tax and insurance as well don’t forget, I would have been stopped, questioned, breathalysed and asked to produce documents and fined.

If I were to say sorry and prove that my lights now worked, my fine would not be scrapped as in the case of cyclists last week.

Furthermore, if I were to have collision with a cyclist with no lights, it is me, the motorist, who is labelled the bad guy.

I would also have to pay for all damage to my vehicle because the cyclist with no lights has no insurance and has probably not even has suitable bike training for today’s modern traffic.

There is no justice, and the police seem to loathed to crackdown on cyclists.

However they always find the money for roadside camera vans and staff to man them against the motorists.

Roadside checks happen every day throughout the Thames Valley area compared to one evening a year checking cyclists.

Steve Plant, Thorney Leys, Witney