Ron Hogg, the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Durham, is urging adult cyclists to be considerate when using public footpaths.
The announcement is part of a wider campaign to reduce the number of blocked footpaths by drivers and cyclists and reclaim public footpaths for their main purpose, the safety of pedestrians.
Ron said: “It is encouraging that more people are using their bicycles as it is a sustainable way to travel, healthy and a much cheaper alternative to cars.
“That being said, we are getting more and more comments from pedestrians who feel that some footpaths are being blocked by cars or they have to move out of the way for adult cyclists. I urge adults to be considerate when using their bikes and to leave cycling on footpaths for children whilst playing.
“I recognise there are some circumstances when this is not possible, for instance when an adult is cycling with a child and therefore safety in these circumstances should not be comprised. We are lucky in County Durham and Darlington as there is a wide network of cycle routes already in place which I encourage cyclists to use, instead of footpaths, wherever possible”.
Information on cycle paths in Durham is available at: http://www.durham.gov.uk/, and for Darlington: http://www.darlington.gov.uk/LocalMotion/cycle/routesandmaps.htm.
The Sustrans website is also helpful for cyclists at: http://www.sustrans.org.uk/change-your-travel.
