The clamour against people who cycle seems as loud as ever this autumn. Not a week passes without some rabid bumpkin putting pen to paper to do us down. And yet you’ve got to feel sorry for the Oxfordshire driver – seriously.

Motorists these days need a diploma in deep breathing and a degree in yogic relaxation techniques in order to survive the hellish hour-long traffic jams that beset the city. And while trapped in a car to dwell on pet hates, you can quite understand why drivers vent their ire at carefree cyclists nipping past stationary traffic, enjoying the warm Autumn breeze in their hair. “Cyclists jump red lights. They ride on the pavement,” goes up the cry.

First of all: yes, it’s true. Some people who cycle sometimes do these things.

Now, let’s put it into perspective: most drivers don’t drink drive. Why? Mainly thanks to social opprobrium, but also because of the likelihood of arrest, with hefty consequences – not to mention killing and maiming themselves and others. Drivers rarely jump red lights either – it would be carnage if they did, and they’d likely get arrested. And while a lot of motorists still use their mobile at the wheel, police clampdowns and public awareness is changing this.

My gripe with this clamour against people who cycle is the lack of enforcement. We don’t get the same assistance from the police that motorists do. Some riders don’t stop at all red lights and some are unlit at night – yet the police appear unwilling or unable to tackle it. In the 1950s or 1960s, officers would rush to apprehend a pavement cyclist and an on-the-spot fine would be issued, or a summons to the magistrates’ court. These days, you can cycle badly with relative impunity. There is one exception, of course: the welcome annual blitz against unlit cyclists at the time when the clocks go back.

Taking motor vehicle infractions more seriously than cycling misdemeanors is a completely rational decision. The consequences of motorists drink driving or speeding are much greater than anyone riding on pavements or not using lights at night. In fact, if you think about it, most bicycling infractions are little more than plain annoying. It’s annoying, but rarely genuinely dangerous. If it was dangerous, the police would come down on bad cycling like a ton of bricks.

All the same, I for one would welcome a situation in which cyclists knew they were as likely to get stopped for breaking the rules as motorists.

We need cyclists to know they’ll get nicked every single time a police officer sees them without lights at night or cycling on the pavement. And when they are stopped, give ’em a carrot option alongside the stick. They should be able to opt for a reduced fine if they attend a rigorous BikeAbility training session, equivalent to motorists being sent on a speed awareness programme.