Calls to end Bridge Street bike ban - as restrictions go un-enforced in the city

There has been a call for a ban on cycling in Bridge Street to be lifted ahead of Peterborough’s university opening in the city.

Yesterday lunch time The Peterborough Telegraph captured a dozen cyclists – and a number of e-scooter riders – breaching the rules in the space of just 45 minutes.

The rules currently forbid people from riding bikes along the shopping street between 9am and 6pm, with an £80 fine the penalty if caught.

It is illegal to ride e-scooters on public land in England, unless it is part of a government trial. There are no such trials in Peterborough.

Residents have contacted the Peterborough Telegraph, saying the rules are no longer being enforced in the city centre.

The Peterborough Cycle Forum has called for an end to the restrictions entirely on a number of occasions over the past 20 years – and they have once again called for the ban to be lifted.

A spokesman for the group said: “There is a lack of safe cycling routes through the city centre.

"We have been commenting on the Bridge Street cycling ban for close to 20 years, and we must have provided comment to the Peterborough Telegraph a dozen times. Yet nothing has changed. No alternative routes have ever been provided.

"With the city council adopting government policy around design (which is quite clear cycling should not be prohibited in pedestrianised areas) and targets (50% of all local trips to be by foot or by bike by 2030), as well as local policy (to reduce motor vehicle miles by 15% by 2030) something needs to change, as cycling levels in Peterborough are lower than they were a decade ago.

"With university students soon to start at the Embankment site, and to only grow in the coming years, surely now is the time to make some improvements to allow more people to enjoy the benefits of cycling?”

During lockdown, the group had called for an experimental lifting of the restrictions – however, then council leader John Holdich said: “There’s no reason for anyone to cycle through Bridge Street as you can go round and it’s only an extra 50 yards.”

In 2016, Mr Holdich called for a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to cycling on Bridge Street during the restricted hours, demanding fines for all cyclists breaching the ban.

A Peterborough City Council spokesperson said: “We understand residents' and pedestrians concerns for cyclists breaking the rules in Bridge Street. Our enforcement officers regularly patrol the area and will continue to tackle those who flout the city centre cycling ban. 69 fixed penalty notices have been issued to cyclists in Bridge Street this year."