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Bedford town centre cycling ban (Google Maps)"Majority of cyclists are reasonable people and will dismount": Cycling campaign opposes controversial town centre cycle ban which has seen "738 cyclists fined in last few months"
The Chair of a cycling campaign has lamented the "large drop in residents cycling to Bedford" caused by a controversial town centre cycling ban that has seen "aggressive" fining of cyclists, with "738" handed out "in the last few months".
Peter Blakeman, Chair of the Cycling Campaign for North Bedfordshire, made the comments in a letter published in the Bedford Independent today, the quotes coming a fortnight after a dismayed local councillor had questioned the bike ban policy and reported being "inundated with complaints from residents that have been fined dismounting their bikes", raising questions about its enforcement.
Like many other towns and cities we've reported on in recent times, Bedford has a PSPO (Public Space Protection Order) banning cycling in certain pedestrianised areas, the order brought in with the cited aim of cracking down on "anti-social behaviour".
Under the PSPO, which according to Bedford Borough Council was put in place "following consultation suggesting that reckless riding of bicycles in Bedford town centre was reducing the quality of life of residents", cycling is not permitted in certain parts of the town centre between 9am and 6pm.
Since the ban was introduced, thousands of Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued to people riding their bikes in Bedford town centre, perhaps most famously when, in 2019, ultra-distance cyclist Josh Quigley was slapped with a £75 fine for cycling through the town just a week into his second – and ultimately successful – round-the-world ride.
Now, Mr Blakeman has argued that despite initial assurances that only those "irresponsible" individuals displaying "anti-social behaviour" would be fined, thousands of cyclists have indeed been stopped and issued financial penalties.
"A number of these were UK/European tourists while the perpetrators who caused the anti-social behaviour remained fine-free," he suggested in today's local paper. "In the last few months, a further 738 cyclists have been fined. The outcome has been a large drop in residents cycling to the town to do their shopping, etc."
He also suggested part of the reason why some cyclists use the pedestrianised areas is because "there are currently no safe north-south or east-west cycle routes through the town centre" and that "the majority of cyclists are reasonable people and will dismount if an area becomes too congested", without need for being slapped with fines just for cycling to the town centre.
"Cycling can play an important role in helping to reduce emissions and save the planet as well as improving a person's health and the NHS budget," he concluded.
"Around 71 per cent of all trips are less than five miles and 50 per cent are less than two miles. Everybody should therefore consider whether their trip could be made using sustainable modes such as by bus/train for long trips and by cycling or walking for shorter trips or as part of a longer journey. It is therefore important that connectivity for cyclists is improved in and through the town centre."
During a recent Bedford Borough Council meeting, Labour councillor Caroline White said: "I've been inundated with complaints from residents that have been fined dismounting their bikes in the town centre near Harpur Square.
"We are supposed to be encouraging people to cycle into town. Should we be fining people who are using their bikes to go into town?"
In response, the council's chief environment officer Paul Pace said: "That zone is for pedestrians only. We want to encourage people into our town centres, and they want a safe place where they can actually not worry about bicycles.
"I've witnessed, many times, bicycles flying through the town centre. The only reason we bought these fines was we had a number of instances with one or two people getting clipped with bicycles, mostly the elderly, but also huge amounts of near misses."
PSPOs are a hot topic at the minute, the seemingly never-ending saga in Grimsby rumbling on into the autumn. Last month we reported that another cyclist had been ordered to pay £500 for riding through town centre, as a councillor insisted that cyclists "who have not followed rules" will be "rightly punished".
Grimsby's council has also begun trialling playing a "no cycling" message on speakers every 15 minutes to combat the "anti-social behaviour".
The major criticism that cycling groups have made about such town centre cycling bans is largely the point Cllr White made in Bedford recently — that they discourage people cycling into the town. But also that they do so while also failing to deter the sort of anti-social behaviour it is believed they'll combat.
Active travel charity Cycling UK has long been a prominent critic of PSPOs, which it claims have the effect of criminalising cycling.
"Some councils have used PSPOs as a geographically defined version of an ASBO to restrict the use of public space and criminalise behaviour not normally regarded as illegal," Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK's head of campaigns, has previously said.
Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.
Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.
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38 comments
Near misses or collisions can be attributed to /blamed on an individual cyclist. However the damage to health from the masses contributing to air pollution can't. I suspect the risks associated to more pollution from reduction in cycle journeys and obesity from less active population is greater than the risks/harm in getting clipped by a cyclist.
Blanket cycling ban fines are a terrible and ill thought through idea - courteous cycling should be encouraged.
How it used to be in Bedford at rush hour
But of course that entire generation was wiped out because they weren't wearing a helmet.
Following some recent logic on this site I think we can say "exactly - they're all dead now. FACT!"
Nah... too many white males, no diversity, women wear scarfs, and imagine the GDP if decades of transportation costs are less than an annual car insurance fee!?
More of this kind of thing!
(I like the fact that even then they understood different modes should get their own infra - there's a special expensive kerb-protected footway for pedestrians. Also road.cc points for the bikes - they're gone for weight and aero benefits by removing the bar tape, ditching the rear deraillieur and many have smoothed the airflow around the chainring and chain with a fairing. And presumably a cloth cap saves a few grams compared to a helmet).
"Could never happen here" / "Too expensive" / "Most people just won't cycle" / "Who wants to go back to the past". Reasonable that - not everyone looks thrilled to be cycling to/from presumably some hard factory job.
They werern't cycling for pleasure when that was taken, but many did in those days. Those bikes were often out and about in the local countryside in the summer evenings and on the weekends. Cycling was a popular hobby at the time as it didn't cost much. Many people went out cycling for the day with a flask and a box of sandwiches in their pannier. No high energy drinks or bars in those days, or fancy kit; just a repair kit and a pump. It was a lot simpler. Bedfordshire is a good place for cycling due to the terrain. A baptist minister I knew loved cycling around there - and got a shock when he moved to Wales! Not so easy down here.
Au contraire - there was plenty of beer available. Although, OK, it was probably pubs rather than bars.
Bang to rights! Why didn't this couple drive to the shops like normal people?
They're hooligans, that's why.
What's normal about driving a contraption that belches out co2 on what may be a totally unneccessary journey. The majority of UK car journeys are under 5 miles in total and could be walked or cycled. At least this couple are trying to help deal with this problem.
I am tempted to publish on Youtube "The world's shortest car Journey" I videod a few months ago. Including the loop around the Coop car park, I measured it to be 100 metres total distance!
When are you deemed to be 'mounted' on your bicycle? Foot on pedal and scooting along as far as I can see is not being mounted. Although I can pretty much say that the contractors trying to meet quotas will argue otherwise.
Can't recall where I read it but I believe in a case (FWIW) it was declared that if you were stood with feet on the ground (even if "mounted" e.g. sat on bike) you could be regarded as a pedestrian.
I'd say scooting is ... scooting - as in "riding a scooter". I'd say it was still "riding" and not walking. You've only got a foot in contact with the ground intermittently and most of the time you are in continuous motion as the bike rolls. You're not turning the pedals but then you might not be when riding.
Cyclists, scooterists and pedestrians are all vulnerable road users though!
There is a case history somewhere from 30 years or so back in which a cyclist claimed that they were not cycling across a crossing when stopped because they were scooting; the court rejected this on, if I recall correctly, the basis that at any point at which both feet are off the ground then you are cycling as in using the machine to propel yourself forward, the question of whether both feet are on the pedals or your backside on the saddle was held to be irrelevant.
Sounds like the difference between running and walking...so no jogging through the town centre!
ITYM Cranks vs Brooks,it determined wheeling a bike is not riding it, but scooting a bike, even with just 1 foot on a pedal is.
All caused no doubt, by a hanful of little feral yobs, without any dicipline, manners or consideration for anyone or anything. No doubt mum blinded by her phone, to the feral beats she's raised. "He was a little angel". Soon to be stabbed and/or collecting bins for a living.
You're such a lovely
trollperson, aren't you? Maybe take a minute to think about the people who do collect bins for a living and what happens if they don't and show a bit more respect for those who do that job instead of denigrating it as employment only suited for "feral yobs"?Community service order. Ask any binman, if its what they want to be doing. Its great that you think so well of people, but ignorance causes more problems than is solves.
I went to an Echo and the Binnymen gig once. Great cover band.
Ned's Atomic Dustbinmen - they had job satisfaction? Although I guess if their council jobs were outsourced and they ended up working for a private contractor on a reduced wages contract that would change things.
Don't know where they sit in today's energy strategy either - on the one hand nuclear's always being talked up as essential to reach net zero, but on the other, now coal's gone, refuse is being singled out as our next dirtiest energy source.
Binanarama? T'was a cruel summer for them
Bin Jovial seemed quite happy with their lot.
They all sound like Garbage to me
Presumably the authorities have counted the number of injuries reported prior to this ban being put in place.
And now counting the reduction in collisions due to the enforcement, the authorities will state (with conviction) that it was the correct thing to do.
No?
What a waste of time and money.
That's a bit desperate isn't it? Asking for evidence? What's the matter with you, or are you one of those "woke" people I keep hearing about?*
*May be a hint of sarcasm in there somewhere: see if you can spot it.
I can never understand why prosperous Kinston on Thames has no problem with cyclists going through the busy medieval pedestrianised part of the town, indeed they have built a cycle path through the pedestrianised area.
Similar here in the main shopping street of The Hague. A 3m wide bike lane right through the middle. Also used by emergency services occasionally. There is a pinch point near the entrance to Chinatown where the bike lane and sidewalk just sort of merge on one side (caused by the escalators down to the tram station below). But generally it seems to work OK.
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