Cyclists could be banned from city centre to protect pedestrians

Birmingham City council could list cycling as an antisocial behaviour along with graffiti, street drinking and excessive noise
Birmingham City council could list cycling as an antisocial behaviour along with graffiti, street drinking and excessive noise - Mike Kemp

A council is considering a city centre ban on cyclists to protect pedestrians, with fines for people who do not comply.

Birmingham City council has become the latest local authority to discuss barring cyclists from pedestrian-only areas to curb anti-social cycling.

A report by the council’s regulation and community safety executives has raised concerns that food and parcel couriers on e-bikes, travelling “at speed and without care for pedestrians”, pose a particular danger to the public in areas of high footfall.

The report, published earlier this month, proposes extending the city’s public spaces protection order to encompass cycling. The move would add it to a list of anti-social behaviours that includes graffiti, street drinking, large gatherings and excessive noise.

The report said cycling could be “restricted by time periods” or banned outright, with the issue being put to a public consultation.

Mat MacDonald, the chairman of the Better Streets for Birmingham campaign group, told The Guardian: “If you have someone zipping by at 20mph on one of those things, it does create a risk.

“But there is already ample legislation to deal with that. There are ways of clamping down on that problem that don’t involve cutting off the entire middle of the city for people who are travelling by bike. It would only make cycling more dangerous in Birmingham.”

Birmingham City council could extend the city's public spaces protection order to encompass cycling
Birmingham City council could extend the city’s public spaces protection order to encompass cycling - Jeremy Poland/E+

Campaigners fear denying city centre access to cyclists will push them onto congested roads, as well as unfairly punish those committing to active and environmentally-friendly transport options.

Duncan Dollimore, the head of campaigns at Cycling UK, said: “There are people in this world who are irresponsible, and some of them are on a bike – but if that’s the problem, we need to deal with that behaviour.

Banning a whole class of activity and a means of transport is not how you address the problem.”

A Birmingham City council spokesman said: “We are considering measures to try and decrease instances of cycling at speed through one small area of the city centre where there is high footfall, and it is unsafe to cycle due to the likelihood of near misses and collisions.

“This does not impact on the council’s commitment to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists as part of ongoing developments and its transportation plan.”

‘Trying to make it a nice shopping experience’

Birmingham would be following a trend of cities and towns imposing restrictions on cycling or skateboarding.

North East Lincolnshire council introduced a tannoy system to remind people every 30 minutes that cycling is banned along a 200-metre pedestrianised shopping street in Grimsby.

“It was every 15 minutes but we cut it down because it was getting too repetitive,” Cllr Ron Shepherd said of July’s trial at the Bull Ring and Victoria Street South.

Cllr Shepherd said extending the public spaces protection order had made the street safer and clamped down on loitering, adding: “It’s just about ensuring the protection of pedestrians, trying to make it a nice shopping experience rather than having the risk of being run over.

“We have cycling hubs at either end of the no-cycling zone so people can ride in, park their bike up and walk in.”

In June, Colchester City council, in Essex, was pressured to row back on £100 fines given to more than 60 cyclists by trigger-happy “cowboy” wardens.

The council apologised for the manner in which the public spaces protection order was implemented and recognised “the frustration for responsible cyclists”.

Last year, cycling was included in the public spaces protection order by Coventry City council, while Peterborough and Southend-on-Sea councils have also introduced limitations on cycling.