Call for change

Press, 16 December 1985, Page 20

Call for change

Legislation should be introduced to allow people delivering newspapers, mail, or printed material to ride on footpaths, a Parliamentary select committee has recommended. Local authorities should also be encouraged to designate selected footpaths to be dual pedestrian-cycle paths especially where road traffic conditions might be hazardous for cyclists, the Communications and Road Safety Select Committee said. It also suggested that local authorities be allowed to designate ail footpaths in their areas as dual pedes-trian-cycle paths with cycling restricted to certain age-groups.

In each situation the pedestrian would have the right of way. • The report, presented by • the committee’s chairman, i Mr W. P. Jeffries, was laid on the table of the'House. I Present traffic regula- ■ tions allow, no-one to ride a > cycle or power cycle on any J footpath, footway, lawn or 1 garden forming part of a ) road, the report said. : Many submissions to the i committee expressed conJ cern about the proposal to allow cycling on footpaths t and the committee said that 1 in light of strong opposition i from many community - groups it was reluctant to i recommend national introi duction of such a scheme children under 12.