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) (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)
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.”