A council is set to reverse a controversial cycling ban on a pedestrianised shopping street in Bicester and start a trial which would allow people to ride on it at all times of the day, leading to comments from residents who claim that “jumped-up, arrogant” cyclists will cause “carnage” and pose a risk to pedestrians, especially children and the elderly.

Sheep Street in Bicester has long been a contentious spot, with plans to implement the cycling trial earlier this year being put on hold and a consultation announced instead, after opposition from outspoken local councillors succeeded in piling pressure on the transport chief.

And then in August with the consultation underway, local traders came out in force to resist the idea of cycling on the street which has been pedestrianised for 30 years. Despite local cyclists arguing that removing the ban would provide a “great boost” to a “struggling” area, critics believed that allowing “speeding” cyclists to ride on the street would “frighten” the elderly.

Now, Bicester Advertiser reports that the cabinet member for transport management in Oxfordshire County Council, Andrew Gant, is set to introduce an Experiment Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) and approve a trial that would see the cycling ban being lifted on Sheep Street at a cabinet meeting tomorrow.

Gant is also recommended to request officers to “continually review in detail and stop the trial if there are any pedestrian safety concerns that cannot be suitably promptly addressed.”

> 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”

Provided the trial gets approved tomorrow, the council will begin another six-month consultation to seek the locals’ views on cycling on Sheep Street. At the end of the consultation in May 2025, a decision will be taken, which can either result in the ETRO being made permanent with its current rules, or it can be called off and have the cycling ban reinstated.

The council said that the goal of lifting the ban is to “enhance active travel in Bicester by making Sheep Street more accessible to cyclists”. It added it aims to “provide significant benefits for cyclists by improving the choice of routes across Bicester”.

Sheep Street, Bicester (Google Maps)
Sheep Street, Bicester (Google Maps) (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

Now, with the latest news of the trial making riding bikes legal on the street, comments from residents have once again targeted cyclists. One person wrote: “No one cares about cyclists except Gant! And cyclists have ANY road or path they choose to use! Why should pedestrians be put at risk so some jumped-up arrogant cyclist can shave a couple of minutes off their journey time?”

Another person said: “So, in order for entitled cyclists to have their own way again, you obviously don’t care about the elderly, disabled pedestrians etc getting hurt along the way? Just so you get what you want?! Shall we just ban the ones I mentioned, from going out, or even better, let them only come out at night when the proposed lights out at night come into effect? That way you are warmly tucked up in bed.”

Yet another person added: “As someone who cycles a lot, I can’t understand the logic of this decision. People cycle down there anyway but who is going to have the right of way, who is at fault if someone gets hit? Silly idea. If it’s a pedestrian area, park the bike and walk through, it’s not a big distance!”

However, one local cyclist that Sheep Street is part of Route 51 of the National Cycle Network. “Cyclists are currently prevented from using a designated national cycling route. No alternative route was ever put in place. It highlights how poor and disconnected the UK cycling infrastructure is,” they added.

> 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

Previously, Bicester Bike Users’ Group has said that the 25-metre wide street with defined pavements and road areas has “ample” room for bicycle riders and pedestrians to co-exist safely and is the “ideal place for cycling”.

In March, the chair of the campaign, Catherine Hickman, told road.cc: “Sheep Street in Bicester is the main shopping street, as well as the only safe and direct route between the north and south of the town and the two railway stations.

She added: “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. 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.

HGV on Sheep Street in Bicester (Catherine Hickman, Bicester Bike Users Group)
HGV on Sheep Street in Bicester (Catherine Hickman, Bicester Bike Users Group) (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)
HGV on Sheep Street in Bicester (Catherine Hickman, Bicester Bike Users Group)

However,  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.”

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

Hickman pointed out that “those who cite safety seem almost completely unconcerned about big trucks, vans, and cars regularly driving along the street, even on market day”.

“Their priorities seem all wrong,” she said. “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 the NCN route 51.”