Fury as cyclists could be completely banned from huge parts of UK's second biggest city

Cyclists could soon beryllium banned from pedestrianised areas of Birmingham City Centre (Image: Birmingham Live)

Birmingham is considering a full prohibition connected cycling successful pedestrianised areas of the metropolis centre. Campaigners assertion motorcycle users are being unfairly penalised and person warned the determination volition effect successful cyclists being forced connected to already congested roads.

Birmingham City Council study suggests that an uptick successful nutrient and parcel couriers moving done the metropolis centre “at velocity and without respect for different pedestrians” has created a “dangerous mix” of cyclists and pedestrians successful engaged areas. 

The papers suggests adding cycling restrictions to the city’s Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which presently addresses antisocial behaviours similar ample gatherings, thoroughfare drinking, graffiti, and large noise, with penalties for those who bash not comply.

Campaigners for progressive question opposed to the connection admit the increasing contented with transportation drivers utilizing almighty e-bikes to determination rapidly done the metropolis centre.

Mat MacDonald, seat of the run radical Better Streets for Birmingham, said: “If idiosyncratic zips past astatine 20mph connected 1 of those bikes, it tin airs a risk.

“But determination is already capable authorities to negociate that. There are solutions to that contented which don’t impact closing disconnected the metropolis centre to each cyclists.”

He warned: “It would lone marque cycling much unsafe successful Birmingham.”

Mr MacDonald explained that banning cycling wrong the existent PSPO area, including routes astir New Street Station, would “force cyclists backmost onto busy, unsafe roads with precocious traffic,” and acceptable backmost the council’s ain goals for progressive travel.

Noting the accelerated emergence successful motorcycle couriers, Mr MacDonald said much scrutiny should beryllium directed astatine transportation companies creating moving conditions that whitethorn lend to the problem.

Birmingham is the UK's second-biggest metropolis aft London (Image: Getty)

He added: “I bash sympathise with those who are fundamentally paid per delivery, which encourages them to question arsenic rapidly arsenic possible."

The assembly stated that the connection is presently nether nationalist consultation, with options nether information including selective restrictions, directional cycling, oregon nary enactment astatine all.

Birmingham is not unsocial successful considering specified measures; astatine slightest 9 towns and cities crossed the UK person already implemented cycling oregon skateboarding bans successful caller years, with mixed outcomes. In June, Colchester Council apologised and rescinded £100 fines issued to cyclists successful pedestrian areas aft complaints that residents were unfairly targeted by overzealous wardens.

Conversely, successful Bedford, 738 fines issued precocious for cycling successful pedestrian zones person led to “a important driblet successful residents cycling into town,” according to Peter Blakeman, seat of the Cycling Campaign for North Bedfordshire.

Some politicians reason that PSPOs are effectual erstwhile applied to circumstantial areas. In Grimsby, the assembly has agelong sought to forestall cycling on a 200-metre pedestrian buying street, adjacent installing a tannoy strategy reminding the nationalist each 30 minutes that cycling is banned.

North East Lincolnshire councillor Ron Shepherd, who credits the PSPO with helping revitalise the municipality centre by curbing loitering and antisocial behaviour, said: “It utilized to beryllium each 15 minutes, but we reduced it due to the fact that it became repetitive.

“We had an incidental precocious wherever a woman was knocked down by idiosyncratic connected a bike. It’s astir keeping pedestrians harmless and ensuring a pleasant buying acquisition without the hazard of collisions. We person rhythm hubs astatine either extremity of the no-cycling portion truthful radical tin parkland and locomotion in.”

However, immoderate cycling advocates reason that utilizing PSPOs to restrict cycling often leads to unfair penalties for insignificant oregon unintentional breaches.

Duncan Dollimore, caput of campaigns astatine Cycling UK, said: “There volition ever beryllium immoderate who behave irresponsibly connected bikes, but if that’s the issue, code that behaviour specifically. Banning an full signifier of transport doesn’t lick the problem.

“It’s hard to spot however prohibiting each cyclists, including those who would ever enactment responsibly, doesn’t restrict access, which isn’t the intent of PSPOs. Plus, galore companies contracted to contented these fines person a fiscal inducement to bash so.”

A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: “We are considering measures to effort and alteration instances of cycling astatine velocity done 1 tiny country of the metropolis centre wherever determination is precocious footfall, and it is unsafe to rhythm owed to the likelihood of adjacent misses and collisions. This does not interaction connected the council’s committedness to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists arsenic portion of ongoing developments and its Transport Plan.

“Before immoderate decisions are made, we are seeking the views of each done a consultation successful however champion to negociate the issue. It whitethorn beryllium that due restrictions should beryllium introduced successful this pedestrian lone country to restrict each cycles, immoderate cycles, negociate the absorption of cycles to supply a harmless travel of movement, oregon instrumentality nary enactment successful this issue.

“To pass this information we would promote each residents and assemblage groups to marque their voices heard erstwhile once the consultation is opened.”