Matt Greenop: Young riders put spoke in the wheels

We've all got to share the road. Photo / Thinkstock

Anyone with half an operational brain knows the answer to this, but it seems like the question still needs to be asked. Is it clever to let kids on bikes play in rush hour traffic on main roads?

Exactly. It's stupid, but some of Auckland's swanky private schools seem hell-bent on training in the dumbest places possible. Fine, you've got a bunch of crack cyclists, potentially future medallists etc - but keep up this madness and they won't all make it.

I drive along Auckland's Tamaki Drive every morning. This is a busy road, especially between 6.30-8.30am during the week - but it's not unusual to see young cyclists riding in monster formation during these times - and it's asking for trouble.

Many of these riders are too young to have a drivers' license, have no idea what it takes to stop a car in an emergency and don't understand the road rules.

They zip in and out of the group, crossing lane markers at their whim, and cause those just trying to get to work no end of bother.

I'm not saying ban these young cyclists from using this very scenic stretch of Auckland's waterfront - they have as much right to use the roads as I do, as long as they follow the rules.

And I, like the rest of the country, will be jumping up and down in front of the telly should they ever get to the sharp end of cycling competition.

But it is incredibly worrying that when one of these kids passes another at the wrong time, and ends up bouncing off the bonnet of someone's car, it will be the motorist blamed for the injuries - or worse - sustained by the young rider. Quite unnecessary, considering the undeniable stupidity at play here.