A former MP, who also stood as a mayor and councillor in Worcester, has lashed out at the council's decision not to extend a controversial Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) — which was brought in with the stated aim of tackling dangerous cycling in the city centre, as well as prohibiting feeding of gulls — claiming that the "outrageous" decision will signal a "free-for-all" for "dangerous and selfish" cyclists and "vicious" gulls.
Earlier this month, we reported that Worcester City Council had decided not to extend the PSPO, which was introduced in 2021 but drew criticism from campaigners who said it acted as a "psychological barrier" to more people using bicycles. Councillor Alan Amos was the only councillor to vote in favour of extending the order, Worcester News reports, the council stating that "people should be allowed to cycle responsibly within the city centre" and that there is "no evidence" of people intentionally feeding gulls.
However, the councillor, who represented the Conservative Party in Parliament as MP for Hexham between 1987 and 1992, has continued his outspoken campaign against removing the PSPO, calling it "absolutely outrageous" and a green light for "dangerous and selfish" cyclists and "vicious flying rats" that are "huge, unpleasant and dangerous".
"It is absolutely outrageous but typical that this Labour-Green run council has ignored the results of its own consultation which showed that well over 80 per cent of the public want to keep these orders in place and have them enforced. Instead, the council has given in, yet again, to vocal minorities and created a free-for-all in the shopping centre," he said.
"The council has never enforced the cycling order so it is absurd for them now to say that it doesn't work since they've never enforced it in the first place. It would work well if it were enforced. The council has given a green light for yet more dangerous and selfish cycling to take place in the busy pedestrianised shopping area completely uncontrolled."
Parts of Worcester's city centre are also subject to Traffic Regulation Orders, which pedestrianise certain streets and prevent driving and cycling between 10am and 6pm. However, cllr Amos argues this is not enforced by police, meaning we "particularly need this order".
"Pedestrianising the city centre shopping area was designed to create a safe and welcoming place solely for pedestrians but is now becoming a dangerous place, in particular for the elderly and parents with children," he claimed, before going on to state residents can "look forward to another year of noise, disturbance, and disruption to their lives" thanks to the fact the PSPO also prohibited feeding gulls.
"These vicious flying rats are a huge, unpleasant and dangerous problem," cllr Amos concluded.
In contrast to his protestations, the noise from the council's other representatives has been considerably calmer, cllr Neil Laurenson, who chaired a council meeting on the PSPO, stating that "people should be allowed to cycle responsibly within the city centre" and "as ever, it is a small minority who cause problems".
He also said PSPOs should be "based on evidence and effectiveness", pointing out that a report suggested there have been fewer reported incidents related to bikes and skateboards and there is "no evidence that people are continuing to intentionally feed gulls".
The council is currently not under the control of any one party, however Labour and Green leaders were appointed to joint control following an election last year. One Labour representative said he was "never convinced people feeding gulls, aggressive begging and dangerous cyclists were the big issues facing Worcester" and called the PSPO "political theatre".
Likewise, Green Party councillor Tom Piotrowski suggested the PSPO had been "more about culture wars than what we want for the city".
Bike Worcester chair Dan Brothwell has been critical of the PSPO and said the signs telling residents and visitors that no cycling is allowed in parts of the city centre act as a "psychological barrier" to people using bicycles.
In the autumn, the council announced that it would be rolling out a bike hire scheme in 2024 in a bid to "recognise the many benefits" cycling can have for the city.
"The scheme facilitates healthier lifestyles by promoting cycling and encouraging people to use active travel for short journeys," Mike Rouse, cabinet member for highways and transport said.
Locals and campaigners quickly pointed out a potential problem if cyclists are banned from riding through large parts of the city centre.
"I'm sure many won't want to pay for a bike if they’ve then got to walk on sections of their route from A to B," one said. "The big concern I have is it won't work unless either the cycle ban is lifted on the city centre or at least several through routes are provided."
Active travel charity Cycling UK has long been a prominent critic of PSPOs, which it says have the effect of criminalising cycling, with head of campaigns Duncan Dollimore stating that the orders only discourage people from riding bikes into town.
Elsewhere in England, Southend Council recently launched a consultation to impose stricter 'no cycling' rules in the town centre that could see cyclists being ordered to pay £100 for riding on the High Street.
Councillor Martin Terry said the council had received "a lot of complaints about cyclists and e-scooter users riding dangerously in the high street" and "older people are worried about it and there's been a number of people struck and quite badly injured by dangerous riders".
North East Lincolnshire Council too introduced a PSPO, a councillor earlier this month hailing a "great result for our enforcement teams" after a 60-year-old cyclist in Grimsby was fined and ordered to pay £500 after breaching a PSPO by cycling through the town centre.
It was the latest episode in the ongoing "zero-tolerance policy" and follows the council making headlines last summer after a female cyclist was ordered to pay £1,150 in fines and costs after being caught breaching the PSPO, which was introduced in 2019 and has seen more than 1,000 fixed-penalty notices.
In December, the council said it had "escalated" and "intensified" its "war on cycling menaces" by implementing a complete ban on riding a bike in pedestrianised zones, as part of a wider crackdown on anti-social behaviour.
The council and its enforcement officers have come in for criticism during the five years the PSPO has been in place, locals accusing council officers of targeting "old and slow" cyclists after a pensioner was fined for riding through the town in 2022. Barrie Enderby, who was 82 at the time, told the council to "stick it up your arse" after being fined £100 for breaching the order.
In November, Coventry too introduced a PSPO preventing e-bike use in pedestrianised areas, a measure the West Midlands' Walking and Cycling Commissioner Adam Tranter slammed as "reckless" and something that will "discourage cycling and penalise responsible cyclists".