Cycling ban ‘to be reversed on town’s historic parkland’

The Tory Minister has announced he is giving councils new powers to revoke any bylaws restricting access to green spaces without Government interference, in a bid to create more cycle-friendly routes across the country.

Mr Shapps says the example set by Harrogate Council, which controversially moved to overturn century-old bylaws to allow cycling on the 200-acre stretch of parkland last year, is one he now hopes will be followed by scores of other local authorities.

“This Bank Holiday, and over the course of the next week, thousands of budding Chris Hoys and Victoria Pendletons will be getting on their bikes and making the most of the half-term holidays”, he said.

“I want to make sure they can cycle in safety and where appropriate use the local parks, promenades and public spaces, but all too often unnecessary, unwanted and outdated bylaws instead force them onto nearby busy roads.

“This Government has already been taking the stabilisers off councils and trusting them to do what’s right for their area – and now, I am giving them the freedom to revoke whatever bylaws they need to in order to crank up their efforts and make their local areas safer for cyclists.”

But despite Mr Shapps’s comments, Harrogate Council leader Don Mackenzie warned that even when the changes come into force, cycling would still not be permitted until new dual-use paths were built on the Stray, which is protected against development by an Act of Parliament.

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