Other council are considering a cycling ban in parts of the city center to prevent the “dangerous combination” of pedestrians and bicycles.

Birmingham City Hall has become the latest in a series of local authorities to consult on clamping down on cyclists in pedestrian areas, plus Colchester, Bedford and Grimsby.

Cycling guru Professor David Cox, former president of Cycling UK and leader of the charity’s Bike West Midlands Network campaign group, described the proposal as “counterproductive to Birmingham’s transport strategy”.

A community safety executive report submitted to the council argues that an increasing number of cyclists delivering food and mail are moving “at high speed and without concern for other pedestrians”.

The report recommends that the council consider restricting the use of bicycles and e-bikes in busy pedestrian areas.

It suggests new restrictions could be introduced as part of the Public Safety Protection Orders (PSPO) currently in place in the city.

Professor Cox, who has cycled around the city center for 50 years, argued the council should focus on addressing the specific issue of e-bike couriers.

He said: “Instead of fixing it, they want to ban all cycling. “That will affect people who use bikes as a mobility aid and people like me who are older.”

The city center has been “totally neglected” in terms of cycling infrastructure, Professor Cox said.

Martin Price, policy lead at travel campaign group Better Streets for Birmingham, said the solution is a “network of safe, separated cycle routes within the city centre”, as well as making delivery platforms “take the lead”. responsibility of his messengers”.

At least nine cities and towns across the country have implemented bicycling or skateboarding bans similar to the one proposed in Birmingham. the guardian information.

Bedford has seen 738 people fined for cycling in pedestrian areas in recent months, according to Peter Blakeman, chairman of the North Bedfordshire Cycling Campaign.

Write an open letter in The Bedford IndependentBlakeman said the result has been a “huge drop in the number of residents cycling into the city.”

In Grimsby, councilor Ron Shepherd told people to “get off their bikes and walk along the relatively short stretch of pavement” if they want to avoid a fine for riding in the city centre.

Birmingham City Council said: “We are considering measures to try to reduce instances of high-speed cycling in a small area of ​​the city center where there is a lot of foot traffic and it is unsafe to cycle due to the likelihood of near misses and collisions.

“Before making any decision, we seek everyone’s views through consultation on the best way to manage the issue.

“This does not affect the council’s commitment to prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists as part of ongoing developments and its transport plan.

“It may be that appropriate restrictions need to be introduced in this pedestrian-only area to restrict all cycles, some cycles, manage the direction of the cycles to provide a safe flow of movement, or take no action at all.”