Expanding on User's point
In1999 when the power of various officials was extended to allow them to issue FPNs the then Home Office Minister gave guidance (Edited - The Home Office Minister who gave this advice was Paul Boateng. These are sometimes referred to as Boateng criteria)
“The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of traffic and who show consideration to other pavement users when doing so. Chief police officers, who are responsible for enforcement, acknowledge that many cyclists, particularly children and young people, are afraid to cycle on the road, sensitivity and careful use of police discretion is required.”
This was then echoed in advice to the newly authorised ticket issuers:
“CSOs and accredited persons will be accountable in the same way as police officers. They will be under the direction and control of the chief officer, supervised on a daily basis by the local community beat officer and will be subject to the same police complaints system. The Government have included provision in the Anti Social Behaviour Bill to enable CSOs and accredited persons to stop those cycling irresponsibly on the pavement in order to issue a fixed penalty notice.
I should stress that the issue is about inconsiderate cycling on the pavements. The new provisions are not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of the traffic, and who show consideration to other road users when doing so. Chief officers recognise that the fixed penalty needs to be used with a considerable degree of discretion and it cannot be issued to anyone under the age of 16. (Letter to Mr H. Peel from John Crozier of The Home Office, reference T5080/4, 23 February 2004)
To me that seems reasonable and is where it should stand.
Do 30 plus on a pavement whilst chasing a Strava time and yelling for people to get out of your way, and a ticket is more than deserved
However if it is beside a dual carriageway with a complex junction, and the cyclist is acting responsibly then it is arguable that a ticket should not be issued
The statements of many Forces are in line with the Boateng criteria, and whilst there will of course be a wide grey area in between these two examples where the Police are quite right in looking at whether the cyclist is cycling responsibly, has "good reason" and then decide accordingly
