Cycle safely and considerately

Shropshire Council’s Cycle Shrewsbury team is working with the police as part of a new initiative to clear up confusion over the law, and encourage more people to cycle safely and considerately.

The police and the town warden are stopping people who cycle on the pavement in Shrewsbury, and handing out a new leaflet which explains the law on where you can cycle. The leaflet also makes clear that on shared-use paths cyclists should show consideration to other path users.

At the same time Cycle Shrewsbury is offering free cycle training to adults who aren’t confident about cycling in traffic.

Martin Taylor-Smith, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for transport
and IT, said:

“We welcome this opportunity to work with the police and town council to promote safe and considerate cycling
across Shrewsbury.

“We know that fear of traffic is the main thing that discourages people who want to start cycling, so we’re offering this free one-to-one training.

It’s only available until the end of March, so people should sign up as soon as possible by calling us on 01743 255435. As well as learning to cycle safely in traffic people can get help with finding quieter routes.

We also know that cyclists and pedestrians can be confused about where cycling is allowed. We want to help make it clearer, especially as we have recently converted some pavements to shared-use, such as along Smithfield Road, where previously cycling wasn’t allowed. If you aren’t sure if cycling is allowed along a particular path, look out for round blue signs showing a bicycle, and an adult and child walking.”

PC David Walton, added:

“This new leaflet will be very useful to us, as it will help us give advice to cyclists who are confused about the law, or nervous of traffic. Those who continue to break the law even after a warning can expect to be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £30.”