Police may be called to tackle 'trouble' around Brighton bike hangars

The revelation came at a town hall meeting as a Conservative councillor complained that the policy had been brought in “by the back door”.

The Greens said that councillors had had a number of chances to debate the introduction of bike hangars – and that they were proving popular with residents who “really want them”.

But Labour said that the zealous approach risked alienating those who would otherwise support measures to boost “active travel”.

The row played out at a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting where the Tories and Labour called for a detailed report on bike hangars.

Conservative councillor Robert Nemeth said that the scheme had not had proper scrutiny before more than 60 hangars appeared on the streets of Brighton and Hove.

Cllr Nemeth said that officials should prepare a report setting out the financial, legal and equality aspects of the scheme.

• READ MORE: Woman wins battle to stop new cycle hangar being placed outside her home

He said that the green hangars were “unbeautiful objects springing up in inappropriate places” and added: “One underlying issue is that the council introduced the hangars without going through the usual channels – by the back door as it were.

“Those of us who serve on transport committee are well used to debating controversial issues and we do our best to scrutinise and improve any such policies before us. Financial, legal and equalities issues are all within our remit.

“But cycle hangars haven’t had a proper public airing. There was a brief mention in the ‘budget council’ paperwork and some ‘traffic regulation order’ consultations for the most controversial placements but never a proper debate on the principle.”

Cllr Nemeth said that more opportunities to scrutinise the policy could have headed off public concerns.

Labour councillor John Allcock backed calls for a report which, he said, should include the criteria used to decide where the bike hangars are sited.

Cycle hangars have been installed across the city

He criticised the advice sent to installation workers telling them to call the police if they were challenged by residents.

Outside the meeting, Cllr Allcock said that he became aware of the advice after people in a Hove street contacted him.

Residents in Cissbury Road were expecting a cycle hangar in their street – but two were sited there this month despite their objections.

When residents asked workers what was going on, they were shown an email advising the hangar installers to call the police “if there was any trouble”.

Cllr Allcock said: “It’s certainly highly inappropriate and unhelpful to threaten well-meaning and responsible citizens with a call to the police when they question how council services are being implemented in their neighbourhood.

“I’m very afraid that this zealot-like behaviour will only alienate citizens from engaging in the process of active travel rather than govern by consensus and win support.”

Some residents have been critical of the hangars

Labour back the bike hangars in principle, Cllr Allcock said, because they helped people living in flats and shared houses who were unable to store a bike at home.

Green councillor Hannah Allbrooke said that there had been “plenty” of opportunities to debate and vote on cycle hangars because they were in the “local transport plan” which was agreed by the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee.

She said: “We saw from the responses to the survey last year that residents really want them. With so many people living in shared accommodation, flats or houses where storage space is at a premium, it can be so difficult for people to find spaces to store their cycles.

“The locations of those hangars are determined by where people asked for them.”

Conservative and Labour councillors voted in favour of a report on the scheme being presented to the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee.