Cyclists fined. Photo: movingtargetzine, flickr
The Police have introduced fines and other measures to stop cyclists jumping red lights and driving dangerously in the traffic.
In an operation launched in Hackney last weekend, cyclists were stopped for ignoring road laws and to be given advice on riding safely. The cyclists who had broken the rules were either given a 30 pounds fine or the option of attending a cycling education event.
Cycle Task Force Inspector Graham Horwood said: “The joint Metropolitan Police Service and Transport for London Cycle Task Force is committed to tackling anti-social road use including jumping red lights, cycling on the pavement and advanced stop lines.”
Metropolitan Police and Transport for London have created a team that is dedicated especially to promote cycling safety and educate road users. The campaign includes an ‘Exchanging Places’ event, which gives drivers the opportunity to swap places so they can gain an understanding of what being in the traffic is like for someone riding a bike.
In the past lorry and bus drivers have been blamed for many cycling accidents, but as the issue has received more exposure recently it has become accepted that cyclists need to share the responsibility on the roads.
Inspector Horwood said: “The Cycle Task Force will continue to organize targeted operations to encourage considerate, safe and lawful behavior from all road users.
Cyclists who ride irresponsibly make my blood boil, if a car driver flouts the law, they are banned. Cyclists should face the same.
Good, being a cyclist myself, these people give us cyclists a bad name, and no respect from other road users (although, that will ‘NEVER’ change…
Quite right too.
I trust they will be putting the same resources into tackling all of the motorists who routinely speed, jump red lights, drive over advanced stop lines on red, pass vulnerable road users too fast and close, tailgate other vehicles, drive whilst on the mobile phone, abuse their horns, use their vehicles in a threatening and abusive manner, etc, etc, etc.
Good idea since as a cyclist who follows the law, I’m fed up of being tarred with the same brush by the Daily Mail et al. I’d also like to see the Met clamping down on motorcyclists and scooter riders who habitually abuse the cycling facilities, especially their habit of barging into the Advanced Stop Line (cyclists saftey zone) on a red light.
Interesting. I’ve repeatedly complained to tfl about buses encroaching on ASLs. Completely illegal and yet they (tfl) seem incapable of doing anything tangible about it. Strange, then, to see that tfl Cycle Task Force is, supposedly, committed to tackling anti-social road use – but apparently only when it involves cyclists. Don’t get me wrong – I think cyclists who choose to ignore basic traffic law are certainly worthy of censure. It just appears that the rampant law breaking by motorists goes relatively unpunished.
We, as cyclists, are daily are subject to vehicles not only encroaching on ASLs but also overtaking dangerously closely, cutting us up, not infrequently driven by people who feel it is perfectly acceptable to hurl abuse at cyclists, who speed, jump red lights, park in cycle lanes etc. In contrast to the misguided view expressed by LondonCar above, motorists are very rarely banned for anything but the most serious of offences. Jail sentences for motorists who kill cyclists (a not unusual occurrence) are considerably shorter than those being doled out to the current crop of looters passing through our courts. Clearly something with the law here, not to mention the Police’s aptitude for prosecuting offenders.
Despite the increase in cyclists in the great Metropolis, the experience of cycling in London has actually become more unpleasant and this is largely down to the behaviour of motorised vehicle drivers. It seems that the powers that be are very happy to exhort the public to get on their bikes – after all it’s an easy way to notch up their green credentials. The reality is that they appear to have little interest in improving the lot of those who actually make pedal power their chosen method of transport. Why, for instance, is there no law legislating a minimum overtaking distance – in line with a number of other EU countries?
The attitude of many motorists towards cyclists in the UK is, at the least, questionable. This is a serious issue which needs addressing if we are to persuade more people to take up cycling on the road.