A scheme in which Cardiff cyclists have been given leaflets warning they could be fined up to £500 for cycling on the pavement and £2500 for skipping red lights has been dubbed an “intimidation tactic” by cycling campaigners.
The scheme, which was put in place following complaints from residents, is being run by South Wales Police and Cardiff Council to combat the increasing number of collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists on pavements. Police were made aware of the problem after residents’ complaints were heard at PACT meetings. Figures on the number of incidents were unavailable at the time of publication.
Police were handing out flyers to people cycling on Queen Street yesterday, where cyclists are banned. The operation has also been carried out in Cathays. A total of 110 leaflets were issued to cyclists committing offences last weekend.
Shoppers on Queen Street, where cycling is banned
Bicycles parked up on Queen Street
South Wales Police confirmed some cyclists have been issued with £30 fixed penalty fines for breaching the ban over the past week, as a result of the operation.
Sergeant Louise Lucas, of South Wales Police, said: “Our concern is the safety of all city centre users and we wish to remind cyclists that this is a pedestrianised area where cycling can result in a £30 fixed penalty notice. Police officers and PCSOs will continue to tackle this issue as part of their daily patrols in Queen Street.”
The leaflets are designed to make cyclists aware of the highway code. The rules on the leaflet are as follows:
• Rule 60: At night your cycle MUST have white front and red rear lights lit. It MUST also be fitted with a red rear reflector (and amber pedal reflectors), if manufactured after 01/10/85).
• Rule 64: You MUST NOT cycle on the pavement. Maximum fine £500.
• Rule 68: You MUST NOT carry a passenger unless your cycle has been built or adapted to carry one. You MUST NOT hold onto a moving vehicle or trailer or ride in a dangerous, careless or inconsiderate manner. Maximum fine £1000. You MUST NOT ride when under the influence of drink or drugs, including medicine.
• Rule 69: You MUST obey signs and traffic light signals. Maximum fine £2500.
• Rule 71: You MUST NOT cross the stop line when the traffic lights are red. Some junctions have an advanced stop line to enable you to wait and position yourself ahead of other traffic. Maximum fine £2500.
Cardiff Council said: “After the issue was raised at a PACT meeting, we decided to work together on the initiative. We are giving leaflets to cyclists using the pavement, carrying passengers or jumping red lights. We want to educate cyclists who commit these offences.”
Members of the Cardiff Cycling Campaign condemned cycling on pavements, but at a meeting last night, some members felt the leaflets were being used as an intimidation tactic. Some members said public money was being spent on projects, which do not offer solutions to the problems faced by cyclists in the city.
Iona Gordon, Riverside Councillor and Cardiff Cycling Campaign member, said: “Generally we do not advise cycling on pavements at all, but very poor cycling facilities have been put in place in areas like Cathays Terrace, which suggests that it’s okay to cycle on pavements.
“I find it appalling in a capital city where we are trying to encourage more people to cycle and use public transport, because that is the way to get about a city. People in London don’t expect to drive their cars into the city centre and we should be working to get to that position too.
“Queen Street is a really important route across the city and until they promote safer cycling on these routes which go north of Queen Street, such as Boulevard De Nantes, and then to the south on Mill Lane, down past the hotel and towards the prison. Until those roads are what I would call cycle-able for ordinary cyclists, Queen Street does become a route of choice.
“When there are too many people on the pavement, most cyclists will get off because it becomes difficult to weave in and out. You just get the odd few who give cyclists a bad name.”
Coun Gordon said during a previous trial cyclists could use Queen Street before 10am and after 4pm, so people could avoid roads during rush hour.
The leaflets direct cyclists who do not have the confidence to ride on the road to Cycling Training Wales – a Cardiff-based organisation which runs cycling courses aimed at beginners and commuters. Training manager, Nick Canham, of Cycling Training Wales, said the organisation had not had anybody approach them on the back of the campaign yet.
He said: “The people who come to us generally use the road and not the pavement, but they are uncertain about the right way to go about it. On the training courses I explain the principles of positioning – taking the lane to prevent people passing unsafely, not riding in the gutter and making sure you can be seen.
“A lot of people I train said they know this is the sensible thing to do, but they were not sure what they were allowed to do on the road.
“The people we get on the courses generally do not cycle on the pavement. People just lack confidence. There are quite a lot of people around who are pavement cyclists, particularly in Cathays, because they think that’s the safer option, but it isn’t.”
Mr Canham said the courses cover some theory before taking cyclists out on the road to put what they have learnt into practice, both in residential areas and in the city centre. “I would say feeling unsafe on the road is a bit of an issue for cyclists,” Mr Canham added.
Katie Barrett-Goode, 36, of Llandaff North, was cycling with her two children and husband in the city yesterday. They had cycled into the city on the Taff Trail, but she was not aware cyclists are not allowed to ride on the pavements.
She said: “I understand why you can’t cycle on Queen Street because it’s pedestrianised, but I can’t take the kids on the roads in the city centre because it’s just too busy and dangerous.”
Cycling safety has been brought to the forefront recently, with cycling groups campaigning nationwide for improvements in road safety.
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