“Why is cycling discouraged?” asks councillor as Stafford introduces ban when renewing its PSPO

If the point of pedestrianised zones is to encourage traffic free ambulation, cafe culture and a generally relaxed shopping experience, and assuming:

1. that the pedestrianised zone is not the only reasonable alternative for through traffic on bicycles v a busy ring road or excessively long detour for example.

2. That sufficient, secure cycle storage is provided at the edge of the zone.

3. Disabled access is preserved.

Then why not restrict cycling access? What is the benefit to the shops and restaurants within the zone of encouraging through traffic by bicycle?

Just throwing this out there, I have no particularly strong feelings on the matter either way.

This is really a question of mutual repect within of multi-use space. A pedestrianised area is really an Oasis for many people, they can wander without having to be constantly wary of what traffic may be doing around them, parents let go of their young childrens hands and allow them a little more freedom. Cyclists in this space should slow down to walking pace (or little above) and give the same respect to pedestrians as we wish we recieved from all motorists on the road. Unfortunately, some of the bad behaviour we see from motorists manifests from cyclists as well. Excessive speed, close passing and impatience all happens (I lived in Cambridge for a while and witnessed all of the above all too frequently, admitted largely by students rather than the older population). Perhaps the answer is to have cycling lanes in pedestrianised areas with cycling bans outside these lanes. 

Trouble is, most pedestrianised town centres are designed around people arriving by car or bus. If cycling is considered at all, it's usually seen as an alternative to the car. You're expected to dump your bike near the car park and walk the remainder of your journey to the shops. This really makes it difficult for the bicycle to compete with the car in terms of journey time, as you straight away lose the 'door-to-door' efficiency of the bike.

Take Milton Keynes as an example, famed for having an extensive (if flawed) cycling network, just look what happens when you get to the shopping centre - there is one cycle path that takes you to the southern end of the centre. All the other routes end at a car park some distance from the centre. There is no way to easily cycle from one end of the centre to the other.

https://www.getsmartertravelmk.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/MK_Redway_...

another Saturday visit to genteel Romsey, the main shopping street, The Hundred pedestrianised, no signs of vandalism on the barriers, after several weeks now.  it's working well. The barriers are of the plastic "roadworks" type - time now for something more elegant?

Why ever would you want cars back? Why ever did you have them in the first place?

Three boys rode through on their bikes while I was there - they shouldn't have, or at least they should have gone slower.  I'm waiting for the letter to the Romsey Advertiser: "Sir - My wife and I were shopping in Romsey on Saturday..." and to pasting in some links to that day's local motorised mayhem in the comments.  
EDIT: or better still, make the observation that in effect they were doing much the same in relation to shoppers as the cars used to do 

What is it about cars that alters our perspective so?

Not even allowed to mollest myself in the street anymore. Here's a picture of my bollocks. Since the public masturbation ban my nads have turned to rock. Next thing I know they are banning cycling too, so now I will have to ride a unicycle. I swear some people are only able to breathe because we let them!

Imagine there's no cycling

Easy if you try.....

“I can imagine people coming out of shops, not paying attention and being mown down by cyclists..."

Do they really let these people outside?

So pedestrians ”coming out of shops and not paying attention” causes cycles to be banned. Perhaps if a couple of road cyclists don't mind ”coming out of the homes and not paying attention” to be mowed down by drivers they can get cars banned.

Oddly, todays TheRantyHighwayman was about cycling in pedestrian zones-

https://therantyhighwayman.blogspot.com/2020/09/cycling-in-town-centres-...

So, with no data and no evidence, they institute a law making a healthy, safe, non-polluting activity a crime? Human rights anyone? Sorry, I forgot, Boris is withdrawing those.