Tour rides through town where cyclists are not welcome

THE Tour of Britain is to ride through a town where the council has banned cyclists from its centre.

Mansfield District Council has agreed to host more than 100 riders for the event, despite a public spaces protection order (PSPO) being in place for non-race cyclists.

The current legislation stops people from cycling in the pedestrianised market place area. Anyone who fails to dismount when asked could be fined.

But the council has said it would be a “dreadful shame” to miss out on the event because of its inflexibility.

Kate Allsop, Mansfield’s mayor, said: “This is about safety. This event will be properly monitored and managed. What we don’t want is people dashing through the town centre on their bikes frightening or upsetting people.”

However, Cycling UK has hit out at the authority for its seemingly hypocritical stance. The group is supporting six cyclists who are opposing the PSPO.

Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK spokesman, said: “They are marketing the town as cycle friendly, but not to people who want to shop there.”