Bournemouth seafront cyclists given "one more weekend" to ride responsibly

Bournemouth council leader Vikki Slade has said that cyclists are being given “one more weekend” to “behave fairly and responsibly” when using the promenade otherwise they will be banned.

Cycling is banned on Bournemouth promenade during July and August, but permitted the rest of the time.

However, the space is shared with pedestrians and there are regularly calls for the ban to be extended.

The Bournemouth Echo reports than an increase in the number of riders during lockdown has increased tensions.

“We are asking that the Prom is used sensibly,” said Slade during a Facebook Q&A session this week.

“There have been issues with cyclists going too fast and there being too many of them. I’m hopeful that now people can move a bit further that that might change.

“We want to give it one more weekend to see if people can behave fairly and responsibly and I have asked police to carry out a few more patrols in spots where people have been cycling in groups and cycling too fast.

“It’s frightening for people if you are cycling along at high speed and there have been accidents. I don’t want to have to take cyclists off the Prom.”

Councillor Lewis Allison, cabinet member for communities, added: “We want to ensure that local people have the opportunity to use the promenade for both cycling and for walking and running.

“We would ask local residents to act in a responsible manner that allows social distancing though we are aware that shared use can make social distancing challenging.”