Agenda and minutes

Councillor Ridley declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in the matter in minute 28 below, headed ‘Amendment of the City Centre Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO)’, he left the meeting for consideration of the item.

Report of the Chief Legal Officer

Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee considered a report of the Chief Legal Officer, that would also be considered by the Cabinet at their meeting on 7^th November 2023, on a proposed amendment to the City Centre Public Spaces Protection Order relating to people on bikes in defined pedestrian areas of the city centre. Appendices to the report included: the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, Section 59 Public Spaces Protection Order (City Centre) 2023; a map of the City Centre area covered by the PSPO; the consultation document and responses, including responses from key partners; and enforcement activity for the existing Order. The Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities attended the meeting for consideration of this matter.

There had been a visible increase in the number of e-bikes, cycles and e-scooters using pedestrian areas of the city centre, namely, Broadgate, Upper Precinct, Market Way, Smithford Way, Shelton Square, Hertford Street and Bull Yard. This had led to concerns being raised by people feeling unsafe.

The level of concern had been raised particularly due to the volume of e-bikes and motorcycles that looked like bikes being used by delivery teams. Some people had also been observed to be riding recklessly and in a dangerous manner and the speed of some of e-bikes, e-scooters and cycles made some pedestrians feel unsafe.

The Council wanted to ensure that people felt safe when visiting the city centre and mitigate against any potential accidents whilst also recognising the importance of enabling cyclists to travel around the city.

One option that could potentially help to manage this emerging issue was an amendment to the current City Centre Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) requiring people on bikes to dismount in defined pedestrian areas of the city centre. To understand what city centre users felt about this proposal a comprehensive consultation was undertaken into the stopping of e-bikes, e-scooters and push cycles being ridden in the pedestrianised area of the city centre.  The report outlined the outcome of that consultation and supported a proposal to amend the current PSPO.

Formal consultation responses, detailed in Appendices to the report, were received from Transport for West Midlands, the West Midland Mayor’s Walking and Cycling Ambassador and Councillors all asking if a blanket ban on all bikes was necessary or proportional to the current issues.  Concerns were raised that it could be counterproductive and send out contradictory messages about how cyclists are treated in the city.

Some respondents to the consultation also opposed the blanket ban and commented that we should target only e-bikes as they caused the majority of the problems.

The Committee considered the report and its appendices, questioned the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities and officers and received responses as summarised below:

·  Concerns around enforcement of the additional amendments to the PSPO, in terms of police capacity and priority within the city centre

·  Identifying key locations in the city centre for deployment of enforcement personnel

·  The powers of the police and how the Council would be working  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

Any other items of public business which the Chair decides to take as a matter of urgency because of the special circumstances involved.

There were no other items of public business.