Controversial cycling ban that saw cyclist ordered to pay £1,150 has "rejuvenated" town centre, claims councillor behind it... just days after 'no cycling' speaker message cut to twice an hour because "it was too repetitive"

Grimsby's town centre has been "rejuvenated" with "café and street culture" since cyclists were banned from riding through a main shopping street, according to the councillor behind the controversial ban that has seen numerous locals ordered to pay eye-watering sums up to £1,150.

The comments from Ron Shepherd come just days after North East Lincolnshire Council admitted a town centre 'no cycling' PA message, that has drawn comparisons to George Orwell's dystopian classic 1984, would be cut down to twice an hour because it was "too repetitive".

Since the introduction of the controversial Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in Grimsby town centre, hundreds of cyclists have been fined and some ordered to pay sums in excess of £500, and even as much as £1,150 in one case, Cllr Shepherd previously insisting that cyclists "who have not followed rules" will be "rightly punished".

Now, commenting on the news that a similar cycling ban is being considered for parts of Birmingham's city centre, Cllr Shepherd told BBC Breakfast that Birmingham City Council should be "very brave" and follow North East Lincolnshire Council's lead.

> Active travel campaigners blast "clumsy, unworkable, and discriminatory" plan to ban cycling in Birmingham city centre, which council says will target delivery cyclists "speeding around city without care"

He claimed the Grimsby cycling ban had "rejuvenated the area" and said "it's brought back a lot of the café and street culture which we didn't have before".

Also on the BBC programme this weekend, Cycling UK's head of campaigns Duncan Dollimore suggested banning cyclists from riding through parts of Birmingham's city centre was "completely at odds with several other policies that Birmingham Council have" and revealed the council's transport team "weren't really aware this was happening".

"The irony in Birmingham is that their transport team have done a great job in encouraging people to cycle," Mr Dollimore said. "We have another team in the council who are proposing something completely at odds with several other policies that Birmingham Council have."

Cycling UK has long been a prominent critic of PSPOs, which it claims have the effect of criminalising cycling.

"Some councils have used PSPOs as a geographically defined version of an ASBO to restrict the use of public space and criminalise behaviour not normally regarded as illegal," Mr Dollimore has previously said.

The PSPO in Grimsby has been controversial since its inception five years ago. Last summer a cyclist was ordered to pay £1,150 after being caught riding through the town centre and failing to pay the £100 fixed penalty notice. Likewise, the council in September reported that a cyclist, Adam Wherrett, had recently failed to pay his FPN and has since been ordered to pay £508 in total having been prosecuted at Grimsby Magistrates' Court.

"These PSPOs are there for a reason. Not because we want to put them in place or to cause a nuisance, but to ensure the safety of the borough. These people have not followed the rules and for that they have been rightly punished. Others need to be made aware that we will not simply look the other way, those breaking these PSPOs will face repercussions," Cllr Shepherd said.

In July, it was revealed that the council was to play 'no cycling' messages on speakers in the town centre every 15 minutes, while Shepherd previously called a case of a cyclist being ordered to pay £500 a "great result for our enforcement teams".

On Friday, it was revealed that the PA messages would be cut to twice an hour as they were "too repetitive".

In 2023, Lauren Cullum was found guilty of breaching the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) after she was spotted riding a bicycle in a pedestrianised zone in the town. She was issued a fine of £660, and also ordered to pay a victim services surcharge of £264 and costs of £226, a total sum of £1,150.

In response to the hefty financial sum for the offence of cycling through a town centre, some pointed out that by contrast in the same week at Grimsby Magistrates' Court, Paul Berry pleaded guilty to driving at 50mph on a 40mph road. He was disqualified from driving for seven days, fined £60, and ordered to pay a victim services surcharge of £16.

A year earlier, in October 2022, a pensioner made headlines after telling the council to stick its £100 fine "up your arse", his case also attracting outrage from locals who reported seeing council officers targeting "old and slow" riders while ignoring youths "racing up and down".

Birmingham City Council has pressed on with plans to consult on adding cycling in pedestrian zones to the city's PSPO, which is due to expire early next year and currently includes a ban on large-scale gatherings, graffiti, and street drinking.

"We are considering measures to try and decrease instances of cycling at speed through one small area of the city centre where there is high footfall, and it is unsafe to cycle due to the likelihood of near misses and collisions," a spokesperson said.

"This does not impact on the council's commitment to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists as part of ongoing developments and its transport plan. It may be that appropriate restrictions should be introduced in this pedestrian only area to restrict all cycles, some cycles, manage the direction of cycles to provide a safe flow of movement, or take no action in this issue."