With the increase in cycling, sometimes there are conflicts between cyclists, other road users and pedestrians.
The Highways Act 1835 prohibits cycling on a footpath which is by the side of a road and set apart for use by pedestrians only. Shared use pavements are not included in the act, so if there's a specific cycle lane on a pavement, it's legal to ride on it.
Cyclist fines
If you're caught by a police officer or a community support officer riding on a pedestrian pavement by a road, you can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of £30, or prosecuted and fined up to £500.
We encourage cycling for environmental and health reasons, but wish people to cycle responsibly and with consideration for pedestrians and other road users.
No cycling signs
The familiar 'no cycling' signs (a red ring around a white circle with a black cycle symbol) are statutory signs and can only be placed in areas where cycling is specifically not allowed (such as a narrow alleyway).
The council is often asked to put no cycling signs on certain roads. We don't do this for two reasons:
- There's no generic prohibitive sign for no cycling
- The law says you shouldn't cycle on the footway unless there are signs to say you can (blue circular signs with a white cycle logo). So in these instances, the no cycling rule should be a given.