November 1, 2024, 08:17 | Updated: November 1, 2024, 10:54 a.m.

A city is proposing a blanket ban on cyclists in the city center to protect pedestrians from “anti-social” cycling.

Birmingham City Council is considering banning cycling in pedestrian-only areas of the city centre.

A report from Birmingham City Council’s regulatory and community safety officers raises concerns about couriers and food delivery bikes crossing pedestrian areas “at high speed and with little regard for pedestrians”.

A study has recommended adding cycling in pedestrian areas to the city’s current Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which gives police powers to crack down on anti-social behavior.

Under the new proposals, which are to be submitted to a public consultation, cycling could be “limited by time slots”, or even banned altogether.

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Mat MacDonald, chairman of campaign group Better Streets for Birmingham, told the Guardian: “If you have someone going at 20mph over one of these things it creates a risk.

“But there are already many laws to address this problem.

“There are ways to solve this problem without blocking access to the entire city center for people who travel by bike.

“This would only make cycling more dangerous in Birmingham.”

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

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: “We are considering measures to try to reduce instances of high-speed cycling in a small area of ​​the city center where footfall is high, and it is dangerous to cycle. cycling due to the risk of near misses and collisions. .

“This has no bearing on the council’s commitment to prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists in ongoing developments and its transport plan. »