County’s broadside at borough over town cycle plans
CONTROVERSIAL plans for a shared 24-hour Pedestrian and Cycle Zone in the Market Place area of Loughborough were due to be discussed by county councillors today (Wednesday) amid claims of a U-turn on their stance by bor- ough council officers.
Leicestershire County Council opened up a consultation into the proposals online - but they sparked angry responses from the public, and Loughborough MP Nicky Morgan also objected.
Charnwood Borough Council has now given its official response to the consultation, which states: “The borough council would respond with the following concerns: current restrictions on cycling in the Market Place should not be relaxed unless there is compelling evidence that this would not be detrimental to pedestrian safety.
“The signage should clearly indicate what the restrictions are in a way that will be easily understood.”
And Coun Blake Pain, county council cabinet member for environment and transport, told the Echo: “I’ll deal with this at the county council meeting today (Wednesday) so, at this stage, I can only note that the proposals consulted on were prepared in conjunction with Charnwood Borough Council and the Loughborough BID, following an approach from Charnwood.
“We were told by Charnwood officers just prior to the consultation that they supported the proposals, but it’s our understanding there has been an apparent U-turn which may make it difficult for the county council to pursue future requests given the costs that we have incurred.”
At the moment, although cyclists do currently cycle through the pedestrian zones, they are technically not permitted through the Market Place zone, during the day, unless pushing the bicycle - although there are confusing signs at the moment which both ban them and allow them at certain times.