Leicester to put up 'considerate cyclists welcome' signs in city centre

Signs reading ‘considerate cyclists welcome’ and ‘cyclists: thank you for slowing down’ are to be put up around Leicester city centre, reports BikeBiz. The aim is to ensure that everyone is aware the space is shared between pedestrians and cyclists and also to remind cyclists to ride responsibly.

A number of towns have recently made moves to ban cyclists from their centres using public space protection orders (PSPOs). PSPOs target various activities which are deemed to be ‘anti-social’ in nature.

Bolton is the latest to consult on such a move, while Bedford, Mansfield and Peterborough have already imposed bans. We’ve previously reported how the enforcement firm tasked with patrolling Peterborough raked in £80,000 in fines for unauthorised cycling in just over a year as part of its contract with the council.

Leicester is taking a different approach. Deputy city mayor Adam Clarke, who leads on environment and health, said: “We want to encourage people to travel to the city centre by bike, on foot or using public transport and once they are here, our large, people-friendly pedestrianised zone gives priority to people ahead of vehicles.

“Bikes are welcome in our pedestrianised zone too, but obviously we ask that cyclists show consideration to people on foot. These signs and our safer cycling campaign are a simple, straightforward reminder of that message.

He added: “Our ongoing Connecting Leicester programme aims to create people-friendly streets that link the city’s retail, heritage and cultural destinations more effectively, so that it’s easier than ever to leave the car at home and choose a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly form of transport.”

Statistically, there are very few collisions that involve pedestrians and cyclists – there were only 12 officially reported in Leicester in the last five years.

This compares to 739 injuries resulting from collisions between cyclists and motor vehicles and 958 from collisions between pedestrians and vehicles.