Allowing “speeding” cyclists to ride on “struggling” high street would lead to “carnage” and “frighten” elderly, say traders opposed to lifting cycling ban in pedestrianised shopping area

Plans to allow two-way cycling on a pedestrianised shopping street – which local cyclists argue would provide a “great boost” to a “struggling” area which is “ideal for cycling” – have been opposed this week by local traders, who say the proposed trial will lead to “carnage” and health and safety concerns for elderly shoppers.

Oxfordshire County Council is currently carrying out a public consultation on the implementation of an 18-month trial to enable cycling on the pedestrianised area of Sheep Street in Bicester.

The shopping street has been pedestrianised for three decades, but earlier this year an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) to allow cyclists access to the route, which local cycling campaigners the Bicester Bike Users Group said has “ample” room for bicycle riders and pedestrians to co-exist safely, was set to be approved by the Liberal Democrat-controlled local authority’s transport chief Andrew Gant.

However, after Conservative councillors and Thames Valley Police raised concerns about the trial, with the force noting that the proposal would “split public opinion”, Gant acknowledged the views of those councillors demanding that the “lack” of listening to concerned residents was addressed, and instead opted to order a public consultation.

> Hopes cycling's "great boost to struggling high street" will not be lost as plan to let cyclists ride pedestrianised key shopping street not approved, goes to consultation instead

And as the consultation draws to a close on Saturday, traders on Sheep Street have told the Oxford Mail that the potential legalisation of cycling in Bicester’s shopping area could have serious health and safety implications for elderly residents.

“It’s definitely a no-go for me – for the simple reason I sit out the front watching every day and the street is full of elderly people with Zimmer frames, mobility scooters, and mothers with push chairs,” John O’Leary, the landlord of McCafferty’s at the White Hart on Sheep Street, told the newspaper.

“I observe bikes up and down the street everyday – it’s a disaster. From what I've seen myself, my main concern is health and safety.

“At the moment it’s not working, it’s not going to work in the future. The market will be carnage. Sheep Street is a pedestrianised street and it should stay that way.”

O’Leary’s argument that some cyclists already (illegally) use Sheep Street was in fact raised earlier this year by Bicester Bike Users Group chair Catherine Hickman, who told road.cc that a lack of enforcement in the area means “the least responsible cyclists” cycle along the pedestrianised area regardless, leading to a “worst of both worlds” situation.

> "Their priorities seem all wrong": Calls for cycling ban to be lifted on key shopping street for "great boost to struggling high street"

However, other locals who work on the street argue that the trial would make matters worse and make the street more “dangerous”.

“We don’t need it,” Holly Lewis, who works at Lewis’ Butchers, said. “People will speed along here – when it’s busy on a Friday you can’t see up the street. I think it will be a bit dangerous.”

Meanwhile, Janette Lee, who works at Nash’s Bakery and says she is a cyclist, added: “We all cycle here and we don't think they should [allow the trial] because it’s not fair on the old people. It’s an accident waiting to happen.”

“There’s nothing more frightening than someone coming up behind you,” her colleague Angela Stephens agreed.

“There’s so many things that need doing in Bicester, it’s not a priority.”

> Cyclists to be allowed to ride on popular shopping street pedestrianised for 30 years as police say it will "split opinion"... and Conservative councillor concerned about "abuse by vehicles"

Despite these apparent health and safety concerns, Bicester’s cycling campaigners have pointed out that there is plenty of room on Sheep Street for both pedestrians and cyclists, and that opening it up to allow those who have travelled into the town by bike access to the street could prove to be a “great boost to the struggling high street”.

“It’s really wide and spacious with a delineated central ‘road’ area and ample wide pavements,” Hickman told road.cc in March when the plans were first raised in the council.

“Almost all week the footfall is very light. Guidance and research indicate that it would be the ideal place for combining walking and cycling, so we’d really like to see the current cycling ban lifted, at least on a trial basis.

“If we don’t give it a go, it’s hard to know how well it will work. It would be a great boost to the struggling high street, as well as encouraging healthy and sustainable travel choices.”

She continued: “The current situation is unworkable because the current blanket prohibition is not enforced anyway. This means that the least responsible cyclists cycle regardless, causing aggravation and resentment towards cyclists.

“More responsible cyclists either have to lock their bikes out of sight at either end of the street as there is no provision for cycle parking along the street, push their bikes the whole way, or leave their bikes at home and choose to access the town centre by car instead.

“For some disabled cyclists, pushing a bike is very difficult or not possible. It’s therefore really frustrating that some of the local councillors say they are ‘totally opposed’ even to a trial."

A spokesperson for the coalition of Healthy Streets and Active Travel agreed, calling the current restrictions on cycling “ridiculous” and saying that “every study of cyclist-pedestrian interaction shows it to be safe”.

Those comments came as Conservative councillor Michael Waine claimed that allowing cyclists to use the route would mean being unable to “safeguard pedestrians and other users, especially on busy days when the street is full of people”.

Beyond the local authority, Thames Valley Police also weighed in on the situation, noting that the street has been “the source of misuse” by cyclists for years, and that lifting the ban “could set a precedent for other locations”.

Calling the decision a “tricky one”, before adding that the council is “only trying to formalise what is the norm”, a spokesperson for the police said: “Allowing this could set a precedent for other similar locations. This location has been the source of misuse by cyclists for many decades despite the restriction and also a burden on use. This is probably one of those proposals that will split public opinion.”

And while much of this criticism of the plan, from councillors and police officers alike, has centred around pedestrian safety, especially on days when Sheep Street hosts markets, campaigners have pointed out that there is rarely the same concern about large HGVs and delivery vehicles accessing the route to supply businesses.

“Their priorities seem all wrong,” Hickman suggested while speaking to road.cc. “Cycling responsibly along the street would be relatively low risk, particularly as there is space, and it would provide a safe route given that there are no alternative routes that actually have safe cycle provision. It’s also worth mentioning that Sheep Street is part of NCN route 51.”

Responding to the latest criticisms from traders, a spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said: “We would urge everyone who wishes to raise an issue to go to the consultation page and log them there, so they can be taken into account during the decision-making process.

“We want to hear all views on every aspect of this proposal. Please remember that the scheme being proposed is a trial.

“If it is approved, an additional public consultation will be held for the first six months of its operation. This will enable people to give their views on how the trial is progressing, potentially allowing amendments to be made or ending the trial.

“It will also form part of the considerations about whether or not to recommend the scheme be made permanent.”