It is an issue which evokes strong feelings among pedestrians and cyclists alike.
Cardiff’s Queen Street – one of the capital’s busiest shopping thoroughfares – has been a pedestrianised zone for decades and cycling is prohibited there.
But it is a ban which is regularly flouted.
On Thursday, September 28, we spent an hour there during the lunchtime rush.
Between 12.30pm and 1.30pm a total of 97 people rode their bike through the pedestrianised area. Of this 76 did not wear a helmet and nine were delivery company workers.
A further 30 people got off their bikes and pushed.
When we posted the video on Facebook the response was enormous with almost 80,000 people watching the video with hundreds offering their views on the subject.
Some people considered the cycling a real issue and were behind the £50 fixed-penalty notice people breaching the ban could be hit with.
Mark Evans wrote: “Law unto themselves until there is some sort of education on cycling. It needs a lot of mainstream advertising and a lot of hefty fines etc.
“Motorists get hammered for similar actions it’s about time cyclists were they should also have insurance etc. By the way I am a cyclist.”
Thom Oakley agreed, posting: “Last month I witnessed a spiteful cyclist who rode into a child and listened as the child screamed in pain and terror.
“Cycling is illegal if on a public pavement. The road is for bicycles. So ignorant up and down Newport Road having to make way for them when they speed towards you.”
However many people actually thought that the root of problem was poor provision and dangerous conditions for cyclists on the roads.
Des Lloyd said: “Stories have been posted on here about how some cyclists behave badly and I have no doubt about the accuracy of such stories.
“But the infrastructure in the UK with regard to cyclists and cycling is primitive and invites conflict.
“In countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and others, the varying needs of pedestrians, cyclists, buses and cars are accommodated with imaginative design.”
Cycling in countries like the Netherlands was repeatedly cited as great example of where it works well.
Christina Macaulay said: “If we lived in the Netherlands there would be a two-way cycle path down the middle of Queen Street. Also it is legal to cycle on The Hayes.
“Why ban it on Queen Street? Just advise people to cycle with care as pedestrians have priority.”
Natalie Rees was one of many cyclists to point out that they do not feel safe on the roads. She said: “I cycle through the city centre often and all the bike racks should make people aware that there are shared streets and yet the pedestrians never look where they are going, crossing the streets randomly.
“For those of us who commute to work travelling through the city centre streets is much safer than travelling on the main roads. The roads aren’t set up for cycling and they are really dangerous.
“I’ve been knocked off my bike by a driver who didn’t stop. Maybe if there was a marked pedestrian lane along The Hayes etc then they wouldn’t randomly walk out in front of us (if there was a cycle lane people would walk in it anyway because they don’t care).”
Many people were not actually aware of the rules regarding cycling. James Mills said: “I didn’t realise there was a ban, I see so many...
“I’ve now got images of police on their bicycles hiding in shop doorways just waiting to pull a cyclist over... Haha.”
Louise Morris agreed, saying she “didn’t know” it was prohibited and adding: “Maybe there should be signs up.”
A Cardiff council spokesman said: “We want to encourage cycling in Cardiff, however there are certain places where pedestrians need to be given space – it may feel safe to cycle in these places but it can make pedestrians feel unsafe.
“Our ambitious plans for cycling include the building of new cycle superhighways and we would expect these segregated routes to help resolve the long-standing issue of cycling on Queen Street by providing dedicated routes for people travelling into and through the city centre by bike.
“We want to create a culture where cyclists and pedestrians can share space safely.