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Newport backs down on city centre cycle ban

Cycling UK discovered Newport City Council had read its own traffic order wrong, and can only ban cycles for half the time it wanted to

Newport City Council and Gwent Police have backed down on a city centre cycling ban after realising they hadn’t read the traffic order correctly and couldn’t bar cycling for as long as they wanted to.

Cycling UK, with the Cyclists’ Defence Fund, pointed out the Council and police had details of its Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) wrong, and could only ban cycling between 11am and 5pm, rather than the 11am-midnight ban police announced it would enforce last month.

Although the ban will still apply 11am-5pm, the clarification means those who commute by bike through the 11 city centre streets on which the ban applies will now be able to do so without risking a warning letter, or a Fixed Penalty Notice.

Outrage as police ban ALL cycling in Newport city centre

Duncan Dollimore, Senior Road Safety and Legal Officer, speaking on behalf of Cycling UK's Cyclists' Defence Fund (CDF), told road.cc: "I'm relieved that someone at Newport has at last looked at the order they wanted the police to enforce, and realised the Council's mistake. Hopefully they will now reflect on CDF's wider points regarding whether the order is enforceable at all, and indeed why they need to restrict cycling generally due to the actions of a minority.”

Dollimore said the TRO, which was made in 1997, banned vehicles between 5pm to midnight, but not cycles.

In a blog for Cycling UK, Dollimore said: “It appears the Council and police have misunderstood the legal position for many years, and now this summer have suddenly decided to adopt a forthright approach to enforcing an order that was badly thought through when it was made, and is either a completely invalid cycling ban for signage reasons, or at most only valid between 11.00am and 5.00pm.”

Cycling UK looks to fight town centre "ASBOs" for riding a bike

The ban, which was introduced following reports of "anti-social cycling", covers Bridge Street, Cambrian Street, Charles Street, Commercial Street, Corn Street, Griffin Street, High Street, Market Street, Skinner Street, Stow Hill and Upper Dock Street.

Warning letters will be handed out and cyclists flouting the ban will be made to hand over their personal details. Fixed penalties will be brought in at a later date. 

Cycling UK questions why the actions of a few people on bikes should lead to a ban and asks whether a few bad drivers or dangerous pedestrians should lead to a similar ban on walking and driving in Newport. 

Cyclists could be fined £1,000 for riding in pedestrian zones in Mansfield

Dollimore has made an appeal for those who cycle in and around Newport to get in touch. 

"We've been speaking to Cycling UK members and Road.cc readers from the Newport area already,” he said. “But would encourage cyclists in and around Newport to still get in touch at www.cyclistsdefencefund.org.uk/contact”.

When asked for comment, Newport City Council directed road.cc to a statement on its website, which says: "Newport’s main shopping area was pedestrianised in 1997. The traffic order (Prohibition of Driving Order) put in place at the time included restrictions on cycling and this has remained in force ever since.

"It is the responsibility of the police to enforce the traffic order and we are pleased to hear they plan to increase their focus in this area following calls from local businesses and residents."

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11 comments

Avatar
IanW1968 | 7 years ago
3 likes

Newports exists to remind us all it could be worse.  

Its a pity because the people IME are brilliant but bad luck upon misfortune and the usual opportunism has put the area in a poor place. 

 

Avatar
NPlus1Bikelights replied to IanW1968 | 7 years ago
1 like

IanW1968 wrote:

Newports exists to remind us all it could be worse.  

Australia now also exists to remind us all it could be far worse for us here in UK.  Though I will shortly  eventually be compliant with some such rules with a Knog Oi when it arrives . Can't wait.

Avatar
handlebarcam | 7 years ago
3 likes

Newport has a city centre? I thought it was just a velodrome surrounded by dilapidated housing and scrap metal yards.

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kenyond | 7 years ago
1 like

Its Newport what can you say, always making a masive balls up of things. Built a new street where as they could have rejuvinated to dieing shopping street right next to it, issues with the train station, appaling roads, never mind all the junkies and their dogs (dogs are banned from the shopping streets to but police wont approach anyone with a dog....) cars racing down the SDR etc etc. 

Avatar
brooksby replied to kenyond | 7 years ago
1 like

kenyond wrote:

(dogs are banned from the shopping streets to but police wont approach anyone with a dog....)

You mean *outside* shopping streets, not an enclosed mall? How do you ban dogs from outside spaces? #rhetorical_question

Sheer madness. Local councils, dontcha just love 'em...

Avatar
kenyond replied to brooksby | 7 years ago
1 like

brooksby wrote:

kenyond wrote:

(dogs are banned from the shopping streets to but police wont approach anyone with a dog....)

You mean *outside* shopping streets, not an enclosed mall? How do you ban dogs from outside spaces? #rhetorical_question

Sheer madness. Local councils, dontcha just love 'em...

 

Yea outside street not malls, the dogs were banned cause theyre owned mostly be chavs so the big fighting type dogs 

Avatar
brooksby replied to kenyond | 7 years ago
1 like

kenyond wrote:

brooksby wrote:

kenyond wrote:

(dogs are banned from the shopping streets to but police wont approach anyone with a dog....)

You mean *outside* shopping streets, not an enclosed mall? How do you ban dogs from outside spaces? #rhetorical_question

Sheer madness. Local councils, dontcha just love 'em...

 

Yea outside street not malls, the dogs were banned cause theyre owned mostly be chavs so the big fighting type dogs 

Ah: so another of these pieces of legislation which seems massively blanket coverage and draconian, but will only be enforced selectively. Yes, all dogs are banned but in practice we'll only enforce it against Jones the Hoodie and his American Bulldog "Killer", not nice Mrs Evans and her Shih-Tzu "Fluffy".

I wonder if that's how the council had anticipated using their "ban all cycling" laws...

Avatar
kitkat replied to brooksby | 7 years ago
0 likes

brooksby wrote:

 Yes, all dogs are banned but in practice we'll only enforce it against Jones the Hoodie and his American Bulldog "Killer", not nice Mrs Evans and her Shih-Tzu "Fluffy".

i think it's more a case of sending Evans down for daring to flaunt the law while Jonsie doesn't give a monkeys as he has a conviction list as long as his arm and would never pay the fine due to 'hardship' so just let him pass by this time. 

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Rich_cb | 7 years ago
2 likes

I asked a member of Gwent Police about this proposed ban.

According to him it is completely unenforceable with the current signage.

So in order to issue these notices Newport Council will first have to change every (relevant) sign on all of the affected roads.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that to happen seeing as the council are skint.

Avatar
Housecathst | 7 years ago
6 likes

I wonder if the police will enforce this as rigorously as 20 mph speed limits. 

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mike the bike | 7 years ago
8 likes

 

Local councils eh?  They can't even do stupid things properly.

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