1300 fined for cycling on Manchester's pavements

The final paragraph of this article in this week's South Manchester Reporter reveals that almost 1300 people were fined for riding bikes on the pavement between 2005-09.
The clear association here is that people do this as they feel safer.
In fact, this is noted by our some of Greater Manchester's local authorities which have designated pavements as shared surfaces for cyclists and pedestrians.
Personally, I rarely ride on the pavement but fining 1300 people is frankly a fucking joke.
And, relax...