Dozens of food delivery riders have been slammed with £100 fines for riding through pedestrianised areas after locals were forced to dodge reckless cyclists in the streets.
Nearly 40 food delivery staff working for the likes of Deliveroo and Just Eat have been slapped with fines for cycling through Canterbury city centre.
The crackdown on riders in the cathedral city was ushered in at the beginning of the year as tourists and shoppers were complaining of having to dive and dodge couriers on the high street.
Earlier this year, a local mother said a takeaway driver nearly knocked down her son on the pavement – and flashed her a ‘V’ sign when she complained.
However some delivery drivers who have been hit with the fines were unaware they weren’t allowed to ride through the historic city centre.
Dozens of food delivery riders (pictured) have been slammed with fines – some barely a week into the job – as many are unaware of the fines for cycling pedestrianised areas of Canterbury City centre
Zia Zia (pictured) has managed to dodge a fine so far and has urged others to follow the rules after locals have complained of reckless cyclists in the city
Tariqul Islam was handed a £100 fine barely a week into his job with Deliveroo after riding through pedestrian areas outside the permitted hours.
‘One day I was on the high street at the wrong time and a city council officer called me over and talked to me about the rules,’ the 36-year-old said.
‘I told them it was unknown to me but they said it’s my responsibility to know and gave me a fine.
‘I respect the rules and I agree it was my fault. So after four days, I earned the money to pay the fine and since then I have been following all the rules.
‘It’s a good job delivering food, but when it puts other people at risk of harm it’s not good, so I call on all delivery persons to follow the law and be respectful.’
Another Deliveroo rider, Shagor Shafi, also found himself in a similar predicament when he didn’t know the city centre rules.
‘I was new – I didn’t know the rules,’ the 29-year-old confesed.
‘The council guy stopped me and said, “You can’t ride on a bike here”. I’m very careful now and just walk my bike through the high street.’
Just Eat worker Zia Zia has managed to avoid being stuck with a fine so far, but urged other delivery riders to know and follow the rules.
Shafiq Safi, who works for Deliveroo, found himself hit with a £100, as he was unaware of the rules in place
Sarah Lockyer (pictured) praised the recent crackdown by the city council, saying it was important that pedestrians were protected
‘People riding dangerously shouldn’t do this because people are walking by and there are so many tourists,’ he said.
Cyclists have been banned from riding through pedestrianised parts of the city such as St George’s Street, St Peter’s Street between 10.30am and 4pm every day for several years.
However in January Canterbury City Council issued a new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in a bid to crack down on aggressive driving and riding.
The new order was also put in place to tackle dangerous manoeuvres, excessive noise, which pose a danger to other road users and pedestrians alike.
There have been 37 fixed penalty notices issued this year alone by authority enforcement officers, who have been working in numerous joint operations with Kent Police.
The current PSPO will be in effect until at least January 7, 2027.
Shoppers have praised the recent crackdown, reaffirming they should feel safe when strolling around the city.
Sarah Lockyer, 63, said: ‘I think the important thing is that pedestrians are protected, given the rights that they should have – to walk in what is mainly a pedestrianised area and to feel safe doing so.
‘We get a lot of visitors to the city and they assume that they’re not going to bump into traffic, or traffic’s not going to bump into them.’
Gabriel Varley also revealed he’s been forced to quickly dodge speedy delivery riders on the high street in the past.
‘On the odd occasion I’ve seen one be a bit reckless, so I’ve had to move out of the way,’ the 17-year-old said. There are quite a lot of delivery drivers riding down.’
Labour Party city councillor Connie Nolan, the cabinet member for community engagement, safety and enforcement, believes the policy’s effects will increase over time as people become more aware of the rules and the fines that come with breaking them, spreads.
‘People living and working in the city have been calling on the council to take action against delivery riders who do not respect those around them and cause, at the very least, a real nuisance, and at worst act dangerously,’ Cllr Nolan said.
‘Putting the PSPO in place was the first step in tackling this issue but enforcing it is the most important one.
‘Anecdotally, this action is starting to have a real effect and the momentum will inevitably increase as word spreads among the delivery riders that we won’t stand for any nonsense.
Gabriel Valley (pictured) also revealed he has had to regularly dodge and dive speedy cyclists making their way down the high street in the past
‘And the delivery riders cannot say they were not warned.
‘In the two-week lead-up to issuing fines, we worked with the Canterbury BID and the team at Whitefriars to talk riders through the rules and supplied them with a handy flier explaining them too.’
Couriers have previously admitted some workers ‘drive like lunatics’ through the city, but other delivery riders have noted they face abuse on a daily basis.
One claimed he had been hit by cars on four separate occasions whilst out and about on his rounds.
A Deliveroo spokesperson said: ‘We regularly engage with riders and local authorities to help keep riders and other road users safe, including working with Canterbury City Council.
‘We will issue targeted communications to riders in the Canterbury area to help drive awareness of these rules.’
A JustEat spokesperson said: ‘At Just Eat, we expect all couriers delivering on our behalf to act respectfully and responsibly at all times.
‘We provide guidance to our independent restaurant partners and self employed contractors to ensure they follow the rules of the road.
‘If we are ever made aware that a courier delivering on our behalf has acted in a way that does not uphold the standards we hope to deliver, we will of course take action as appropriate.’
