Prom wars: CTC Cymru launche news campaign to end Llandudno prom cycling ban

CTC Cymru has launched a new campaign to try and persuade Conwy Council to seek an independent review of a by-law that currently bans cycling along the promenade in the seaside resort of Llandudno.

Roy Spilsbury from CTC Cymru said that four years ago, there was a chance to incorporate part of the promenade at Llandudno into National Cycle Route 5 and use it to commemorate the four members of Rhyl Cycling Club killed when a car slid into them on icy roads at Abergele in January 2006,

He told the BBC: "This simple act would have provided much needed comfort to those who had lost loved ones and added to the many examples of shared-use promenades in this country and abroad, to which Llandudno is a rare exception."

Last year, we reported how a local campaign group, Save Our Promenade had convinced councillors to ensure that a proposed cycle path was routed away from the promenade.

Speaking this week, Mr Spilsury claimed that Llandudno had "remained resolutely opposed to cycling on its vast promenade".

He also highlighted the fact that the Welsh National Transport Plan unveiled recently focuses on reducing CO2 emissions and highlights the role of cycling in sustainable communities.

Conwy councillor Philip Evans, however, claimed that the ban on cycling on the promenade was justified.

"It is nothing new, and has been in place since the original act of parliament which allowed the promenade to be built in around 1876," he insisted, saying that cyclists visiting Llandudno should dismount if they wanted to take in the view and asked, “do they want to enjoy the place or just whizz though it?"

He added: "There are also hotels which cater for people with disabilities, those with mobility problems, sight disabilities, and these people use the prom too - and they need a safe environment in which to do so."