Coronavirus: Speeding Bournemouth seafront cyclists warned of ban

Vikki Slade said there had been accidents on the promenade

Speeding cyclists have been warned they face a ban from riding along a seafront promenade unless they behave responsibly.

Cycles are usually banned from the beachside walk in Bournemouth and Poole during July and August's holiday peak.

But with an increase in the number of riders during lockdown, there are fears some are putting pedestrians in danger.

Local council leader Vikki Slade said cyclists were being given "one more weekend" to behave responsibly.

'For crying out loud'

Ms Slade, chief of the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole combined authority, told a Facebook Q&A session there had been "issues with cyclists going too fast and too many of them".

"We want to give it one more weekend to see if people can behave fairly and responsibly.

"For crying out loud, it's a promenade - 10mph absolute max, single file, one at a time."

Similar concerns have been raised about cyclists getting too close to walkers on the Rodwell Trail - a former railway line in Weymouth which is part of both the National Cycle Network and the South West Coast Path.

Resident and cyclist Rose Mussenden said she had noticed "negative reactions" by the increasing numbers of walkers and cyclists using the route and said everyone needed to be "more tolerant of each other."

Peter Claxton who owns Dorset Cyclelife in Poundbury said his company had seen an "almost exponential growth in demand" for bikes since the start of coronavirus restrictions.

He said: "There will always be flash points and it's really just a question of people being sensible. Have some sense of shared responsibility and shared space."