“They have all the resources in the world to pick on cyclists”: Council slammed for stopping and fining cyclists on pedestrianised city centre street

Cyclists have slammed Cardiff City Council's latest social media post about the crackdown on cyclists on the only pedestrianised street in the city centre, raising concerns about the rising trend of picking on cyclists, including commuters and delivery riders who are allegedly seen as easy targets by the police.

In the social media post, the council states that city centre wardens, joined forces with South Wales Police to enforce the no-cycling rule along Queen Street. It said: "Between October-December, OpCastor has seen: 504 cyclists stopped, 98 stolen OvoBikes seized, 14 fixed penalty notices issued, [and] two Section 59s issued to electric scooter riders."

Our City Centre Wardens teamed up with @SWPCardiff to enforce the no-cycling rule along Queen Street.
Between October-December, #OpCastor has seen:
✅504 cyclists stopped
✅98 stolen OvoBikes seized
✅14 fixed penalty notices issued
✅2 Sec 59's issued to electric scooter riders pic.twitter.com/QE6HG04b4O

— Cardiff Council (@cardiffcouncil) January 11, 2024

Queen Street is one of the three major streets curtailed off to vehicles in Cardiff's city centre. However, it is the only one where cycling is officially banned. In fact, it has been illegal ever since the street was pedestrianised in 1974, yet it is far from an uncommon sight to see riders, partially because it is a busy shopping area with a number of cafes and retail stores, as well as because it runs along the horizontal length of almost the entirety of the city centre, starting from Newport Road on one end and opening up at Duke Street on the other.

The cyclists stopped and fined in the past couple of months were part of Operation Castor, a SWP initiative aimed at "tackling bike crime through education and enforcement", with people signing up with the force as police community support officers (PSCO) and taking on the responsibility of dealing with cyclists illegally riding on Queen Street.

> Illegal electric bikes seized and arrests made in Cardiff crackdown

The reaction to the council revealing the figures on social media has been sort of mixed, with some people agreeing that cycling shouldn't be allowed and even asking for further bans in the rest of the city centre. However, cyclists seemed to be in unison in criticising the council's decision to police cyclists strictly while ignoring other behaviours which could potentially endanger pedestrians and wheelers, such as pavement parking and speeding.

Michael Young said: "Cycling should be allowed on Queen Street. It's wide enough for a designated section to be put aside. This is anti-cycling nonsense. Shame on you all.", while another Twitter account named Scowling Monkey wrote: "Please can we see instead a focus on the awful driving standards around the city. They put far more citizens at risk of severe injury or death than a few folk cycling down Queen Street. I am far more interested in seeing you crack down on irresponsible and dangerous drivers."

Another account on Twitter called @closepassescdf, which documents near misses by motorists on cyclists in Cardiff, asked the council if Operation Castor still potentially breaking the law by targeting disabled cyclists with adapted bikes, as was allegedly confirmed by the council's official social media account last year. 

> Council “escalates war on cycling menaces” with new town centre ban, saying: “We will not stop until we eradicate this behaviour”

Is #OpCastor still potentially breaking the law by targeting disabled cyclists with adapted bikes, as you confirmed it was this time last year? And have you worked out yet whether the Queen St ban on cycling applies before 10 am or not?
🙄 pic.twitter.com/kKqwya7WYF

— closepassescardiff (@closepassescdf) January 11, 2024

Please can we see instead a focus on the awful driving standards around the city.

They put far more citizens at risk of severe injury or death than a few folk cycling down Queen Street.

I am far more interested in seeing you crack down on irresponsible and dangerous drivers. pic.twitter.com/SLCGDS28NR

— 🦧Scowlin Munkeh (@scowlingmonkey) January 12, 2024

Meanwhile, Penny Dinh on Twitter said: "The council can’t afford to pay bin collectors liveable wages. The council has no resources to crack down on landlords guilty of illegal evictions. Yet they have all the resources in the world to pick on cyclists, many of whom are precarious gig-economy workers. Make it make sense!"

On Facebook, Paul Rock argued that if Queen Street was pedestrianised today, it would have been designed to allow cycling as other streets have been. He added: "The police always has the power to deal with people who cycle dangerously. The status and design of Queen Street needs to be reviewed in the light of why it has become such a popular route for cyclists."

road.cc has contacted Cardiff City Council for comment.

Despite cycling being banned on Queen Street, it is not however, a breach of the infamous Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which has been used by many councils in the last couple of years to charge hefty fines from cyclists.

> “Stick it up your a*se”, 82-year-old tells council officer after being fined £100 for cycling in town centre

Just last month, North Lincolnshire Council said that it has "escalated" and “intensified” its "war on cycling menaces" by implementing a complete ban on riding a bike in pedestrianised zones, as part of a wider crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

Following a public consultation earlier this year, the council announced the PSPO will be in place in Scunthorpe and Brigg, while also introducing stronger powers and increasing fines for what the local authority described as the "scourge" of "irresponsible behaviour".

In March, the North Lincolnshire Council leader Rob Waltham came under fire from cyclists for his rhetoric. He said: “Residents are fed up and we are fed up with that small minority of people who think the rules do not apply to them.

"We have taken a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour, and we have spent a great deal of time - and taxpayers' money - to crack down on these people already. Despite this, they just will not listen nor learn.

In the past, PSPOs have also been used to target the elderly as well. In 2022, an 82-year-old cyclist was fined £100 for riding in the Grimsby town centre. However, he defied them by saying he would rather go to jail than a pay a fine.

"I've been riding my bike around here for 40 years and have never once been fined," he said. "When he gave it to me I told him, 'stick it up your arse'."