Councillor urges delivery riders to learn the Highway Code to ward off licensing or insurance rules that would have a “detrimental impact” on cycling

An SNP councillor from Glasgow has urged delivery riders to learn and obey the Highway Code, amidst concerns about traffic offences committed by such cyclists led to the proposal of license plates and insurance by his peer. However, the council said it will not support such measures, citing a “significant detrimental impact” on active travel.

In recent times, there has been an increase in tickets issed by the police force to cyclists in the city centre for jumping red lights and riding on the pavement, with a lot of them being cyclists using e-bikes and working for food delivery services, reports Glasgow Live.

At a meeting earlier this week, Labour councillor Patricia Ferguson raised the question of bringing in new licensing rules and an insurance requirement.

She asked if discussions had taken place with the government on the “possibility of introducing a licensing system and insurance requirement for those who ride delivery bikes.”

However, SNP councillor Angus Millar, Convener for climate, transport and city centre recovery, said it was uncertain how any new regulations would work however, and said the council couldn't support licensing for all cyclists in case it would dissuade people from being on bikes.

> Cycling charity urges food delivery companies to check couriers are using legal e-bikes after cyclist left "terrified" by cycle lane collision

SNP Councillor Millar said: “Local police operations, with council engagement, have had a particular focus on delivery riders.

“In my capacity as a local member for the city centre, I have also met with local police and representatives from delivery companies to impress upon them the importance of reinforcing the rules and responsibilities of the Highway Code among their riders.”

He added: “A licensing system or insurance requirement for delivery riders would likely require legislative change, likely at UK Government level. While I have discussed these issues with various parliamentarians, no formal discussions have taken place with either the UK or Scottish Government regarding this.”

Expressing doubt over how new laws would work, he said: “It should be noted that it is unclear how any such legislation or regulations could be targeted at a specific user group as opposed to all people on bikes, and it is not known how it would be enforced.

“The council would not support any general move to introduce licensing requirements for cycling as this would have a significant detrimental impact on our agreed active travel behaviour change efforts.”

> Is there anywhere cyclists are required to be licensed, and how has it gone in the past?

The subject of number plates and insurance has been brought up time and time again, however, many experts have argued that the idea is not feasible and difficult to implement, while also making it harder for people to ride bikes.

Speaking to road.cc in 2022, city planner and urban mobility expert Brent Toderian  said: “As those who are actually informed on the issue point out all the reasons why it's far too expensive, won't work, and would be detrimental to actual stated public goals. Usually the conversation is initiated by the same people who would rather see fewer bikes and less safe bike infrastructure.”

In August 2022, the UK had flirted with the idea much to the dread of millions of cyclists in the country when then Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that cyclists should be insured, carry licence plates on their bikes, and be subject to the same speed limits as motorists.

However, it took him only three days to backtrack from his statement, insisting that the government has “no plans to introduce registration plates” for cyclists.

Most recently, in November last year, former Met Police chief Lord Hogan-Howe reignited the discussion in the House of Lords, claiming that cyclists should need “a registration plate somewhere on the back” in order to avoid being “entirely unaccountable”.

> Cyclists blast Italian government’s “extremely worrying” plans to introduce bike registration plates and insurance

Meanwhile, in October, Cycling Scotland had called on food delivery companies to provide couriers “effective training around cycling safety” and check the bikes they ride “are legal and roadworthy”.

The comments come after a Glasgow cyclist said that he had been left “terrified” after a collision involving a courier riding the wrong way along a two-way cycle lane, the police admitting that some couriers are riding bikes that are “absolutely” not legal.

Just today, the UK Government announced it is planning to consult on doubling the legal wattage of electric bike motors to 500W. National charity Cycling UK has raised concerns about the decision, calling it a “huge safety risk to pedestrians and others who cycle”.