CYCLISTS will be allowed to ride along North End under experimental new plans to improve safety for riders in the town centre, which were given the go-ahead this week.
Cyclists are currently banned from riding southbound along the pedestrianised shopping street, and may only ride northbound after 6pm and before 10am.
Those who flout the rules can be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £50 by police.
But on Tuesday, the council's traffic management committee authorised an experimental order, which is designed to help reduce traffic collisions with cyclists on the streets around North End.
The £15,000 trial, paid for with money allocated from TfL, is expected to be in place initially for 18 months, and could be in place in five weeks' time.
A contraflow cycle lane will be built on the section of North End which allows cars between Poplar Walk and Tamworth Road.
Councillor Kathy Bee, cabinet member for traffic and environment, said the plan was to make cycling in the town centre safer, as alternative routes around North End "are not safe".
She said: "At the moment, the reality is that quite a lot of people do try to take their bike down there.
"The plan is experimental, this is not something where we've made a final decision on yet.
"If there are problems, we can stop it, but we hope its successful."
The council's accident data shows that 15 cyclists have been involved in collisions in along the Wellesley Road route they must use to travel legally around North End, two of which were classed as "serious".
In the same period, the report says, there were no reports of collisions between cyclists flouting the ban and pedestrians on North End.
A UK Government study on cycling in pedestrianised areas, mentioned in the report, found that accidents between cyclists and pedestrians were "very rare" and that "cyclists respond to pedestrian density, modifying their speed, dismounting and taking other avoiding action where necessary".
Cllr Bee agreed: "Actually cyclists are quite likely to come off badly as well if something like that happens.
"From a cyclist's point of view running into people is not a great idea."
Kristian Gregory, of campaign group Croydon Cyclists, welcomed the move.
He said: "This is an important step in the right direction to facilitating safe cycling in the town centre and local businesses will appreciate the increased trade that cycling routes bring."
Mr Gregory also called on the council to do more to improve cycle safety in the area.
"The council can complement this by making the roads leading in to the town centre fit for people of all ages and abilities to cycle on - by introducing protected cycle lanes on main roads such as London Road, Brighton Road and Wellesley Road," he added.
"This is an important step in the right direction to facilitating safe cycling in the town centre and local businesses will appreciate the increased trade that cycling routes bring
During the first six months of the scheme, members of the public can write to the council to support or object the plan.
The scheme can then be reviewed based on that response
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