CYCLISTS in Banbury are being warned they could be fined £50 for riding on the pavement.

Officers say they are getting more reports of cyclists riding on pavements and in the pedestrianised areas of the town centre, and riding without lights or reflective clothing.

Pc Paul Smith, from the Banbury town centre neighbourhood team and a keen cyclist, said: “There is no reason to ride on the pavement. For one thing, it is an offence, and also they could bump into someone, especially on icy mornings.”

He said the problem was particularly bad in Banbury’s pedestrian areas of High Street and Parsons Street, along with Middleton Road and Bolton Road.

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Town councillor Tony Ilott said: “The problem that we have is cyclists who seem to think that the laws of the land do not apply to them when they cycle down streets the wrong way or in pedestrianised areas. When I have accosted a few of these in the past I get a lot of verbal back.

“But there is a real danger, especially for elderly people who are walking down the pedestrianised areas and have cyclists slaloming in and out.

“I think it is only a matter of time before someone either gets hurt falling off their bicycle or hits a member of the public.”

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