Avid Portsmouth cyclists slam 'unworkable' proposals by Grant Shapps where bike-riders could be given number plates and insurance

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps mooted the changes, which also included 20mph speed limits, fines for jumping red lights, and the ability for pedestrians to claim compensation if seriously injured by a rider.

Tim Pickering, a member Cycle Hampshire, slammed the policy and branded it a political distraction tactic.

He told The News: ‘It's a dead cat being swung to distract from real issues elsewhere in society.

‘Such regulations have also previously been rejected numerous times, most recently by the Department for Transport in 2018 after a wide call for evidence and study.

‘This coverage is sadly distracting from significant issues in our society, such as the cost of living crisis, where many can't afford to warm their homes or fill their car and may be cycling instead to get to work.

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‘It will further enrage some in society who often ignore - either through choice or blind bias - the death and destruction on our roads from dangerous and careless driving.’

Mr Shapps told the Daily Mail he wanted to place speed limits on cyclists – which they are not abiding to – and close a legal loophole where cyclists can only be jailed for two years if they kill a pedestrian, potentially through insurance and number plates.

He then seemed to backtrack on the policy in an interview with The Times, where he said he was ‘not attracted to the bureaucracy of registration plates’.

Ian Saunders, a committee member for the Portsmouth Cycling Forum, was baffled by the idea, saying it was merely an attempt to play to their political base and would ‘undoubtedly’ put people off cycling – calling it a ‘culture war group attack’.

He said: ‘How are you going to ensure that a six-year-old that decides to ride a bike has a registration plate and insurance?

Mr Saunders added that none of the eight pedestrian deaths in Portsmouth over the last 12 months were caused by cyclists, and the proposals would go against environmental targets.

‘The bike is a cheap, clean alternative,’ he said.

‘The government and Portsmouth City Council have got net-zero carbon targets to reach, so anything that stops people using a clean form of transport is detrimental.’