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Tory councillor who wanted mandatory cyclist number plates vows to keep high street cycling ban, blaming "lazy and selfish" cyclists

A cycling campaign has accused Cllr Amos, the only remaining Conservative on Worcester City Council, of “chasing ghosts” and questioned his “cogency”, while claiming the county’s cycling infrastructure is on “life support”

A Conservative councillor and former MP has claimed that removing the controversial cycling ban from Worcester High Street will turn it into a "dangerous and unwelcoming" place — just months after calling for mandatory number plates and penalty points for cyclists in order to "create a level playing field with lorries, vans and cars" and even criticising the local authority’s decision to install cones and bollards to protect cyclists.

The statement comes from Councillor Alan Amos, the sole Conservative elected representative on Worcester City Council, after a proposal was made at a council meeting to review the town centre cycling ban.

Worcester News reports that Amos is "horrified" at the idea, and has pledged to fight any attempts to relax and water down rules banning cyclists from riding through Worcester's high street.

Cllr Amos has sought assurances at full council that Worcestershire County Council had 'no plan or intention to rescind or amend the traffic regulation order banning moving vehicles (including cyclists) between 10am and 6pm', claiming that the proposal was only made to "appease the cycling lobby" and left disabled residents "horrified".

Cllr Amos said: “By definition, a pedestrianised zone is a safe and welcoming area where pedestrians can shop and walk because all moving vehicles, including cyclists, are banned.

> Councillor suggests mandatory number plates and penalty points for cyclists — so that bikes are on “level playing field with lorries, vans and cars”

"If you allow any moving vehicles into it, you no longer have a pedestrianised zone and the city centre shopping area will revert to a dangerous and unwelcoming place to be, especially for the elderly, those with hearing, visual, and physical disabilities, and young children. I have already been contacted by one disabled group objecting to this proposal.

"As it is now, cyclists routinely flout the law. Because cyclists don’t have any identification, they continue to do so with impunity and never get caught. I and many others worked hard to extend the hours of the ban on moving vehicles to what they are today, and it has worked very well.

"So there is now absolutely no need whatsoever to change it just for the sake of a handful of lazy, selfish cyclists. There is no reason why they just cannot dismount at one end of the zone, push their bikes through, and remount at the other end, which would take no more than a few minutes. I always take the view that “if it ain’t bust, don’t fix it”. In this case, leave well alone.”

Councillor Amos even went to the city's high street and challenged cyclists who broke the rules, confronting and reminding them that they were "not supposed to be cycling through here".

> Cyclists hit back at "inaccurate and self-serving" account of "ranting" councillor who claims mountain bikers abused him for pointing out no-cycling zone on historic landmark

However, cycling campaign group Bike Worcester has questioned the 71-year-old's commitment to road safety, saying: "Cllr Amos is chasing ghosts. The majority of paths where cycling is allowed are shared use with pedestrians, notably the riverside paths, the canal towpath, and paths in St Peters and Warndon Villages, all of which are much narrower than the city centre streets.

"Do we continue to force people using bikes to share space with large motorised vehicles, or do we take a best practice evidence-based approach and allow shared use walking or cycling on some of the streets in the city centre?

"The current prohibition of bikes is a huge barrier to encouraging more people to make short journeys by bike. Bike Worcester isn't advocating to fully revoke the ban - it supports the Cabinet Member for Highways suggestion of reviewing the current scheme to improve road safety for everyone.

"If Cllr Amos was serious about road safety (or public health, or air pollution), he would focus time, energy and effort on the most significant cause of road danger (reckless, dangerous and inconsiderate driving) and stop talking about paper cuts whilst the County is on cycling-infrastructure life support.

"We seriously question Cllr Amos’ cogency: he constantly refers to people who propel themselves on two wheels as “lazy and selfish”. We have concerns about his ability to mount a coherent argument if this is the best he’s got."

Alan Amos, Malvern Road, Worcester (Alan Amos)

Alan Amos, Malvern Road, Worcester (Alan Amos)

Councillor Marc Bayliss, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We value the opinion of all road users, including cyclists, and we will continue to work with them, and other residents and stakeholders to make the most of walking, wheeling and cycling opportunities in Worcester City and the wider county. I have been asked to look again at the Traffic Regulation Order that is currently in place, and will discuss any potential changes to it with the local county councillor.”

> Fuming former Conservative MP says cyclists “must dismount” on paths and slams “dangerous, irresponsible, and unnecessary” decision to protect cyclists with bollards on busy road – weeks after calling for all bikes to have number plates

Previously, Cllr Amos was the only one in the entire council who voted to extend the controversial Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). When the rest of the council voted to reject the extension, he ended up lashing out at the council's decision, claiming that the “outrageous” decision would signal a “free-for-all” for “dangerous and selfish” cyclists.

In July, he made headlines after indulging in an age-old anti-cycling trope, by calling on the council to introduce mandatory number plates for cyclists so that they're on a "level playing field with lorries, vans and cars" — a statement which drew lots of ire from cyclists.

And then a month later, the former Tory MP criticised the local authority’s “dangerous, irresponsible, and unnecessary” decision to install cones and bollards to protect cyclists diverted onto a busy road following the collapse of an active travel bridge. According to the controversy-stoking councillor, the temporary infrastructure was further evidence that “the demands of a handful of cyclists are given priority over pedestrians and road safety”.

The councillor’s complaints have sparked a backlash from local cyclists, with one Worcester News reader describing them as “Typical Cllr Amos. His views are well-known, and he did so much harm when he held the transport portfolio. The pavement referred to is currently designated as a shared path. Both pedestrians and cyclists need to pass each other with respect.”

Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after graduating with a masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Wales, and also likes to writes about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.

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38 comments

Avatar
festina | 6 days ago
4 likes

So does he truly champion walking? Does he ask for pavement parking to be banned? What about low traffic neighbourhoods?

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Sir Wobbly | 6 days ago
3 likes

As a Worcester resident myself, I can confirm that the execrable Cllr Amos is pretty much reviled here by anyone under 60.

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Stevearafprice | 6 days ago
4 likes

Amos is a bellend of the first order.
This is the cartard who said "cyclists should be run off the road" in the Worcester News a few years back. A vile hate filled individual.
Worcester has a cycling culture thanks to some of the locals and Amos is livid.

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muhasib | 1 week ago
2 likes

What has changed in me is the fundamental way I look at situations and look at people. I like to think I'm a tolerant, understanding person. In those days I was more judgmental."

-Alan Amos February 2000 in The Guardian

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ubercurmudgeon | 1 week ago
3 likes

The way to deal with anti-cycling Tories is to present them with dichotomy that their reactionary brains cannot cope with. Find a group that the simplistic narratives they base their opinions on has always considered to be virtuous beyond reproach, put them on bikes, and watch their heads explode. Maybe a pro-cycling campaign group staffed entirely by military veterans? It would be like asking a Daily Mail reader, who has spent half-an-hour shouting about how it is disgraceful it is that winter fuel payments should be means-tested, whether they believe a retired train driver should get it, regardless of the size of the final-salary pension that their union got for them. Did they become, the moment they clocked-off from their final shift, someone who deserves free money from the taxpayer to preserve the lifestyle they've striven for all their life, or are they still a work-shy scrounger who has held the country to ransom?

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chrisonabike replied to ubercurmudgeon | 1 week ago
1 like

I like this idea, it comes round in various forms - who wins, veteran (on benefits) vs. single mum (tragically widowed)?  Or the literal collisions (local true-blue types knock over the war memorial).

Unfortunately at party / tribal level people are long familiar and happy with making exceptions for their own.  So in your example if they were also e.g. a Conservative party functionary (unlikely I guess) they're right, if a socialist shop steward they're wrong!

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john_smith | 1 week ago
3 likes

Wouldn't "creating a level playing field with cars" mean allowing you to carry a 0.50 Desert Eagle or the like around with you, so if they try to kill you you can do the same to them?

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chrisonabike replied to john_smith | 1 week ago
3 likes

No, it would mean you driving too.

Or:

"This place is not fit for cycling!  Do you expect me to walk?"

(Councillor, stroking white cat) "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to drive".

EDIT - not a white cat I know and I think this is more "Oilfinger" than Goldfinger...

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john_smith replied to chrisonabike | 1 week ago
2 likes

"No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die" would also be quite apt under the circumstances.

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Disgusted of Tu... | 1 week ago
4 likes

I honestly feel sorry for the old fella, some may say, a life without cycling is truly one without any meaning or purpose?

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brooksby | 1 week ago
6 likes

Dear Cllr Amos - bicycles will NEVER be on a level playing field with cars and lorries.  Just not in the way you think surprise

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Mr Hoopdriver replied to brooksby | 1 week ago
1 like

brooksby wrote:

Dear Cllr Amos - bicycles will NEVER be on a level playing field with cars and lorries.  Just not in the way you think surprise

Absolutely - why would we want to lower ourselves that far.

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hawkinspeter | 1 week ago
13 likes

So, are Tories just fixated on trying to endanger cyclists as much as possible?

If he's so public spirited to tell all the cyclists that they shouldn't be riding through the pedestrianised zone, then I hope he also takes the time to patrol nearby roads and berate all the drivers that speed or use mobile phones.

Or is he just pushing divisive crap?

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brooksby replied to hawkinspeter | 1 week ago
10 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

Or is he just pushing divisive crap?

Oooo! Oooo!  I know, sir!! 

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hawkinspeter replied to brooksby | 1 week ago
7 likes

brooksby wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

Or is he just pushing divisive crap?

Oooo! Oooo!  I know, sir!! 

I just saw a headline in The Gdniarua stating "Truss claims she would have done better than Sunak at election if she had stayed as PM". They really are living in their own little make-believe worlds aren't they?

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2024/sep/30/robert-jenrick-kemi-badenoch-conservative-party-conference-uk-politics-news-live-updates

(Thinking about it, maybe she's trying to imply that a lot of Tory voters are racist and at least she has white skin)

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quiff replied to hawkinspeter | 1 week ago
9 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

I just saw a headline in The Gdniarua stating "Truss claims she would have done better than Sunak at election if she had stayed as PM".

"If I had not made such a monumental f*** up that I only lasted 40 odd days and had to be replaced, I would have done well in the ensuing election". 

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hawkinspeter replied to quiff | 1 week ago
8 likes

quiff wrote:

"If I had not made such a monumental f*** up that I only lasted 40 odd days and had to be replaced, I would have done well in the ensuing election". 

Don't forget she was in charge when the Queen died too.

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Rollo5014 replied to hawkinspeter | 3 days ago
1 like

The Queen saw who was in charge and thought "I'm outa here“

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hawkinspeter replied to Rollo5014 | 3 days ago
0 likes
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brooksby replied to hawkinspeter | 1 week ago
6 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

brooksby wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

Or is he just pushing divisive crap?

Oooo! Oooo!  I know, sir!! 

I just saw a headline in The Gdniarua stating "Truss claims she would have done better than Sunak at election if she had stayed as PM". They really are living in their own little make-believe worlds aren't they?

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2024/sep/30/robert-jenrick-kemi-badenoch-conservative-party-conference-uk-politics-news-live-updates

(Thinking about it, maybe she's trying to imply that a lot of Tory voters are racist and at least she has white skin)

Very thin white skin - did you see that clip of her walking out of a presentation after Led By Donkeys produced a lettuce banner?

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jaymack replied to brooksby | 1 week ago
10 likes

....and watching that was worth every penny of my monthly contributions.

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eburtthebike replied to hawkinspeter | 1 week ago
2 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

I just saw a headline in The Gdniarua stating "Truss claims she would have done better than Sunak at election if she had stayed as PM". They really are living in their own little make-believe worlds aren't they?

Can we not demand mandatory drug testing for politicians?  I wonder which particular cocktail she's on.  Answers on a charge sheet please.

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Rendel Harris replied to eburtthebike | 1 week ago
3 likes

eburtthebike wrote:

Can we not demand mandatory drug testing for politicians? 

Boris "it's just a sniffle" Johnson wouldn't have lasted five minutes, that's for sure. Not just a random slur (fun though they are), a couple of people I know who work in drug rehab have told me that his "eccentric" behaviours during his premiership, ranging from hiding in fridges to avoid being interviewed to the "giant robot chickens" speech at the the UN are all classic indicators of a high-functioning coke addict. 

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Sniffer replied to Rendel Harris | 6 days ago
0 likes

High-functioning?

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Rendel Harris replied to Sniffer | 6 days ago
0 likes

Sniffer wrote:

High-functioning?

I think as in manages to function, no indication of the competency of said functioning implied…

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quiff replied to Rendel Harris | 6 days ago
3 likes

Rendel Harris wrote:

Sniffer wrote:

High-functioning?

I think as in manages to function, no indication of the competency of said functioning implied…

High-functioning, as in only functions when high

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ktache replied to eburtthebike | 1 week ago
3 likes

Cheese....

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anke2 replied to hawkinspeter | 1 week ago
2 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

So, are Tories just fixated on trying to endanger cyclists as much as possible?

No, just trying to reduce (edit: decimate) the number of people who are sure to vote for other parties...

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to anke2 | 1 week ago
4 likes

anke2 wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

So, are Tories just fixated on trying to endanger cyclists as much as possible?

No, just trying to reduce the number of people who are sure to vote for other parties...

They had 14 years to do that, so I don't think playing the "old man waves angrily at cloud" card is going to do much. If anything, it draws attention to how little attention the police give to traffic policing (to be fair, I wouldn't be prioritising policing pedestrianised areas as that's not where people are getting injured and killed).

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anke2 replied to hawkinspeter | 1 week ago
3 likes

Sorry, not a native speaker - I should have probably written "decimate" to make it clear...

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