The general argument does not appear to be against children cycling on pavements: but simply against inconsiderate use of shared spaces. Ultimately, pedestrians have right of way on pavements. Children should be expected to respect that, as should runners, those on mobility scooters, those with buggies etc. I appreciate children make mistakes and are harder to control, but that doesn't mean parents are devoid of responsibility in ensuring their children don't make pedestrians feel uncomfortable. Personally, I have no problem with considerate cyclists using pavements, but I can see that less mobile (or more fragile) individuals could find this intimidating. To the OP: That was not very nice of the pedestrian, especially as you say your child was polite to him. However I doubt the chap on the phone will see this, so I'm confused as to why you posted your complaint. Your child was no more 'in the right' than the pedestrian was.