DARREN Hall got little sympathy from cycling groups after he mounted the pavement and fatally collided with a pensioner.

The family of the 20-year-old has branded his seven-month jail sentence excessive.

But cyclists told the Echo his actions were dangerous and that their sympathies lay with the late Ron Turner, 84, of Broadwey, Weymouth.

Ken Reed, Weymouth and Portland co-ordinator of the Dorset Cyclists Network, said: “To mount the pavement at 25mph is not safe, even if you do it by mistake.”

Coun Robbie Dunster, a keen cyclist, said: “I must admit I sometimes use a path which might not be designated for cyclists when the road is dangerous.

“But I make sure I do it in a slow and considerate way.

“A prison sentence is probably justified in this case.

“Somebody was killed. Riding at 15-20mph with pedestrians about is as bad as doing 40mph around a school.”

Ian Locock, the chairman of Weymouth Cycling Club, said: “I don’t think the sentence is too harsh. He should have been more careful.

“I am firmly of the opinion that the proper place for cyclists is on the road – end of story.”

The accident happened last August on Dorchester Road, Weymouth. Mr Turner died two weeks later and Hall was jailed on Wednesday at Dorchester Crown Court after admitting ‘wanton or furious’ cycling.

He claimed he only mounted the pavement because a car cut him up. His defence had denied claims he was going at around 25mph.

The case has raised wider questions about how cyclists can get about safely and legally.

Mr Reed said: “I see no reason why anyone should cycle on a pavement in any way.

“But if the council made proper provision and linked up routes there would be no need for anybody to do it. At the moment some people feel unsafe.”

Mr Locock said: “It is a crazy idea that you can have a shared footpath and cyclepath. It gets some people thinking ‘I can cycle on the pavement anyway’.

“What happens then is you hit an 84-year-old guy and he dies.

“It annoys me to see someone riding on the pavement. It’s illegal and gives cyclists a bad name.

“But in some situations I understand why it’s happening, and it’s because of the motorists who don’t treat cyclists with the respect they should. There needs to be more education of motorists.”