Adelaide City Council reviews its by-laws, which would include a ban on street cricket Seven-year-old Tierre Rukundo is pleased he will still be able to feed pigeons in Victoria Square. CHAINING bikes to street poles, feeding birds along a road and even playing street cricket would be outlawed under proposed changes to Adelaide City Council by-laws criticised by civil libertarians as controlling and conservative. The council is running a survey on amending four of its by-laws, inluding the one governing the use of roads. The changes would outlaw playing any game on a road "which endangers the safety or interferes with the comfort of any person." They would also ban, unless specific permission was given, the following: CHAINING bicycles to poles, fences or anything else along a road other than a council bike rack; TYING a pet by leash to any tree, gate or fence, or feeding birds along a road; PARKING vehicles on a road to advertise a business; HANDING out leaflets to passers-by or placing them on car windscreens, except for authorised election material, and; JUMPING or diving from any bridge. South Australian Council for Civil Liberties ­chairwoman Claire O'Connor said rules about bikes, pets, games and leaflets went too far, showing both "a lack of faith in the community" and "a swing towards conserv­ative living." Isn't that the problem with South Australia already? It shows an inability of the council to be imaginative about the way we expect our public spaces to be used. "It sounds like revenue-raising," she said. However, Ms O'Connor backed a proposed offence for an adult to enter a public toilet designated for the opposite sex except with small children, to help a disabled person or in a "genuine emergency." A council spokeswoman said the changes struck "a balance between ensuring the public's safety and protecting infrastructure, while also being sensible and practical." After feedback from bicycle groups, the spokeswoman said the council was now proposing an amendment to allow cyclists to chain bikes to poles, as long as they did not cause "inconvenience or damage or (impede) access past the bicycle." "Pamphlets ... can be distributed with a permit but just not placed on vehicles," she said. Despite the wording of the proposed roads bylaw, she said the main intent on games was to allow the council to respond to complaints rather than stop games altogether. Games can be played if appropriate and with permission. Where there is no chance of danger or damage, we would have no concerns. The council spokeswoman said penalties for breaches of the new rules had not been determined. The draft regulations stipulate that when the council issues a parking fine, car owners would have to pay if they could not prove the car was stolen or provide a statutory declaration nam­ing another driver. Some changes also seemingly duplicate state laws such as banning the "use, discharge or explod (ing of) any firearms or fireworks" in the street. South West City Residents Association president Julie Jordan said the group was preparing a submission on the changes, some of which she said were heavy-handed and unnecessary. Children such as Tierre Rukondo, 7, will still be able to feed pigeons in parks such as Victoria Square. Consultation on the proposed by-laws closes on Thursday. What do you think of the by-laws?