IT is abundantly clear that the use of mobility scooters has rocketed in recent years.

So has car use and cycling, which inevitably leads to near-misses on pavements and roads as everyone, including pedestrians, competes to occupy the same bit of space, particularly on narrow streets jammed with parked cars.

Given this new potential for collisions, you can understand the point that Barrow mayor, Kevin Hamilton, is making.

Looking ahead, he can envisage a time when all of these things come together and someone gets hurt and that training would help.

So do the rules need revisiting?

Mobility scooters offer people a chance to get out and about, have some independence and prevent them from being stuck-in all day.

Being housebound or socially isolated can have a really poor impact on mental health and leave you dependent on other people for your liberty.

To that end, a mobility scooter offers some semblance of a life outside four walls.

Licensing could act as a barrier but training is always beneficial.

May be the solution is for us all to make a special effort to be more considerate to others, whether we are on foot, two wheels or four?

After all, letting someone go before us is the height of good manners.