Inconsiderate drivers who park in cycle lanes could face fines under new plans being considered by councillors.

A transport charity has backed the move, saying it would reduce the dangers for cyclists on the district’s roads.

At a Council meeting in July, concerns were raised about parked cars blocking the lanes, forcing passing cyclists to pull out onto the main carriageway.

The Regeneration and Economy Overview and Scrutiny Committee heard that currently little could be done about the problem, because most of the district’s cycle lanes were ‘advisory’ only, meaning parking in them was allowed.

The meeting heard that only the district’s five Area Committees had the power to change this, by turning them into ‘mandatory’ cycle lanes - effectively banning parking in them.

Anyone breaking the rules would be given a £70 penalty charge notice by the district’s team of Council Wardens.

The first Area Committee to consider the matter will be Bradford South, when it meets on Thursday.

A report into the issue says the move could be an important gesture ahead of next year’s Tour de France.

It says: “Given that the 2014 Tour de France passes through the district, the committee may wish to further promote safer cycling routes within the constituency area as user demand is likely to increase pre- and post-event.”

But the report points out that it may not be suitable to turn all cycle lanes into mandatory ones – for instance if this narrowed the rest of the road to an unacceptable level.

It recommends considering each cycle lane on a case-by-case basis.

Sustainable transport charity Sustrans has backed the idea of mandatory cycle lanes.

Regional director David Hall said: “Sustrans clearly supports anything that would improve the safety of cyclists in making their way through some fairly busy roads. Traffic is a danger to a cyclist, so anything that improves road safety generally has got to be welcomed.”