Laws which impose a blanket ban on cycling in public parks in Oxford are set to be reversed.
Oxford City Council cabinet members will decide whether to agree with officers' recommendations to amend the cycling byelaws in place on Tuesday evening.
If passed, these amendments will allow cyclists to ride through areas of leisure owned by the council across the city such as Shotover Country Park.
The proposal will then be put to a full council meeting on July 15 for the final seal of approval.
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Speaking out on the laws, councillor Chewe Munkoge, cabinet member for a Healthy Oxford said: "We sometimes have to proactively tackle anti-social and nuisance behaviours that negatively impact users of our 130 green spaces.
"To help us do this, we have a set of byelaws – but it’s high time these were amended to reflect how our parks are enjoyed by everybody.
"The proposed changes are a long-overdue, positive step towards creating a more accessible, pragmatic and sensible framework for users to ensure a cleaner, safer environment within our city's green spaces.
"Most importantly, we are not doing this in isolation.
"We are committed to fostering a comprehensive consultative process with park stakeholders that captures the diverse perspectives across our community, ensuring their opinions contribute to shaping the future regulations governing Oxford's Parks and Open Spaces."
Reacting to the proposal, Independent Oxford Alliance councillor Ian Yeatman, of the Cowley ward, said: "The top priority must be ensuring a safe environment where everyone, including vulnerable groups like young children and the visually impaired, can walk safely and enjoy our parks.
"We cannot permit thoughtless or reckless behaviour from individuals on bikes, e-scooters, etc to jeopardise the safety of other park users.
"If space permits, I would support the creation of safe, segregated cycle routes. Shared spaces should be minimal, clearly defined, and strictly regulated."
Green councillor Emily Kerr, of the St Mary's ward, said she thinks the changes to the rules "make sense".
She said: "Oxford City Council is updating the rules around activities such as ball games and cycling, which will encourage more active lives.
"There are already cycling paths in Cowley Marsh and Donnington Recreation Ground so it makes sense to be consistent across the city’s parks and permit considerate cycling.
"Cycling in parks is always going to be slower than cycling on-road, so I don’t foresee fast and confident cyclists switching to parks.
"I imagine they’ll be mostly used by children, novice cyclists, and those who are nervous of traffic."
Hinksey Park, Lye Valley Nature Reserve and Trap Grounds Nature Reserve will retain the cycling ban in light of responses to a consultation.
This consultation also suggested "a majority supported lifting the blanket ban on cycling in parks".
If the byelaws are changed this would the first update to them in 25 years.
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