Agenda item

Report of the Chief Legal Officer

The Cabinet considered a report of the Chief Legal Officer which indicated that here has 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 has led to concerns being raised by people feeling unsafe.

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

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

One option which could potentially help to manage this emerging issue is 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, details of which were contained in appendices and which support a proposal to amend the current PSPO to require e-bike and scooter riders to dismount when entering the designated area within the pedestrian area.

The report indicated that enforcement will be a key element of the proposed amended City Centre PSPO and as such ensuring the right controls is essential. Feedback as part of the proposal to consider amending the City Centre PSPO has raised concerns about the effectiveness of enforcement to date.  Therefore, a multi-agency engagement, intervention and enforcement approach to support the amended PSPO, if approved, has been agreed with partners, details of which were contained in the report. If the proposed Order is made, during the first three weeks of its operation, it is intended to focus on engagement and raising awareness of the controls, following which enforcement will begin.

It is proposed to have a communications plan in place to reinforce the message to cyclists, pedestrians and local businesses. Public signage will be updated one week prior to the go live date and the Order will be publicised in accordance with the Act and the Regulations.  Communication will be sent to delivery platform operators and businesses who use their delivery services so that they can make their employees aware of the restriction operating in the city centre and a City Centre Cycle Map that they can use to navigate around the city centre. Officers will be also speaking to delivery cyclists congregating outside businesses. 

Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee had considered the report at their meeting on 6 November, 2023 and a Briefing Note detailing their consideration had been circulated to Cabinet. Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee had:-

1)  Supported the intentions of the Recommendations in the report

2)  Recommended that Cabinet support the Recommendations as in the report

3)  Recommended that Cabinet note Scrutiny Co-ordination’s concerns about enforcement of the PSPO

4)  Recommended that the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities write to both the Police Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner requesting a higher policing presence in the city centre and that they use their powers to seize illegal e-vehicles and asked that a copy of that letter be circulated to the Committee.

The Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities indicated that he had attended the meeting of Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee on 6 November and accepted the Recommendations outlined above.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1)  Notes the consultation outcome and accompanying Equality Impact Assessment.

2)  Approves an amendment of the current City Centre PSPO (as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report). This amendment would require e-bike and e-scooter riders to dismount when entering the designated area within the pedestrianised area which is shown in Appendix 2b of the report.

3)  Notes that anyone riding dangerously or recklessly on a bike of any kind could be subject to a fixed penalty notice.

4)  Authorises officers to bring the Order into effect from the 20th November 2023.

5)  Notes Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee’s concerns about enforcement of the PSPO

6)  Notes that the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities will be writing to both the Police Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner requesting a higher policing presence in the city centre and that they use their powers to seize illegal e-vehicles and that a copy of that letter will be circulated to the Committee.