Worcester Liberal Democrats back cycling review but say High Street should remain pedestrian only

Worcester Liberal Democrats have welcomed a review and public consultation on cycling in Worcester city centre, while making clear that they believe Worcester High Street should remain pedestrian only.

The Liberal Democrat group supported an amended motion at Worcester City Council allowing the current policy to be reviewed and residents to have their say.

The group said the amended motion was a significant improvement on the original proposal, which they could not support. However, they stressed that supporting a consultation should not be interpreted as support for allowing cycling along the pedestrianised High Street.

Cllr Jessie Jagger said:

“We welcome the amended motion because policies should be reviewed and residents should be properly consulted. Policies that are never reviewed risk becoming stale and undemocratic.

“But I want to be absolutely clear about our position: Worcester High Street should remain pedestrian only.

“We strongly support cycling and active travel. We want better and safer cycling routes into and around our city centre. But that does not mean every pedestrian space should become a shared space.

“The High Street is used by older people, disabled residents, families with small children and people with visual or mobility impairments. They should be able to use the heart of Worcester without having to worry about sharing that space with bicycles.

“We already have experience of shared spaces elsewhere in Worcester, particularly along the riverside and around the racecourse. These are wonderful parts of our city, but some people find sharing them with cyclists stressful or avoid them because they do not feel safe.

“Those voices matter. Older and vulnerable residents are not necessarily as vocal or as organised as cycling campaigners, so the consultation must make a particular effort to hear from them.

“We also know that the existing cycling restrictions on the High Street are regularly ignored. The review therefore needs to look seriously at enforcement as well as at the rules themselves.

“Our position is straightforward: yes to better cycling infrastructure, yes to reviewing the wider policy and yes to extensive consultation – but Worcester High Street should remain pedestrian only.

“We will listen carefully to the consultation and the evidence it produces, particularly about how we can improve cycling routes around the city centre without compromising pedestrian-only spaces.”