Cars parked in cycle lanes, again :(

[d87francis]

Hi all,
on part of my commute there is a section with a green coloured cycle lane with a solid white line along the edge of it and double yellows next to the pavement. Now it is my understanding that you cannot drive or park in solid line cycle lanes, as opposed to dashed line lanes where it's suggested that you don't, see section 140 on this link:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070308

Yet everyday on my commute I will encounter 3 or 4 cars completely blocking this 1km stretch of lane. Given that the police no longer deal with parking since they de-criminalised it, is there a way of reporting people parked in these lanes. I have given up saying anything to drivers as on Monday I had an 'incident'.

I was held up by a car parked in this cycle lane with stationary traffic to the right, I did not want to filter down the right as I was approaching a junction where I needed to be on the left if I did not reach the ASL by the time the lights went green. Instead I decided to try and fit between the parked car and the stationary traffic, with their wing mirrors being the same height I had to stop and waddle with the bike to get past. As I did I noticed the parked car's driver was sat in it with the window slightly open so my exact words said to the driver were "that's a good place to park isn't it?" with a sarky tone. Somehow this prompted the driver to get out of his car and start shouting at me, I haven't reported it as I didn't get any of his number plate or witnesses as I felt it best to cycle away as his shouting led his friends to come out of the shop they were in.

Does anyone know of a way that currently exists to report people parked in cycle lanes, and whilst I probably annoy other cyclists by being extra careful when filtering between these parked cars and stationary traffic, if I were more brazen and happened to accidentally clip the parked cars wing mirror could I ever be in the wrong as they are never supposed to be in a solid line cycle lane in the first place? (this isn't the reason the driver started shouting at me!)

 

[perplexed]

Try the local council.

A cyclist in Sheffield did this (I can't remember where I read it, sorry) and apparently the parking services dudes blitzed it over the next couple of days...

 

[Kiwiavenger]

i used to call the councils parking services people and they where out quite quick. we had them lift 2 59 plate "exec" cars from outside work because they blocked the gates to the office and stopped them from opening properly.

 

[d87francis]

Cheers for your suggestions, I'll see what happens. However, I don't know if this will change peoples attitudes towards parking in cycle lanes. Here in Oxford they use cctv to fine car drivers in bus lanes, it would be nice if they could extend this to drivers in cycle lanes.

 

[compo]

We need more of those trials riders, straight up and over the car and up the road before the driver realises what has happened.

 

[d87francis]

We need more of those trials riders, straight up and over the car and up the road before the driver realises what has happened.

Fantastic idea, I'll get training

 

[Banjo]

In a perverse way I quite like cars parked in cycle lanes .I then cycle down the middle of the traffic lane next to it with not a care in the world.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

In a perverse way I quite like cars parked in cycle lanes .I then cycle down the middle of the traffic lane next to it with not a care in the world.

It's a bugger when it's a contraflow cycle lane. Which is where I encounter most mandatory cycle lane blockages

 

[d87francis]

In a perverse way I quite like cars parked in cycle lanes .I then cycle down the middle of the traffic lane next to it with not a care in the world.

I hold a healthy dislike for many cycle lanes too and like to take a strong primary position in most of central Oxford, but unfortunately this is one of the few useful lanes on my commute, as being a mandatory not advisory lane it should allow for easy filtering along traffic.

 

[G-Zero]

If it's purely a parking on yellow lines issue, then it will fall to the local authority to deal, however the Police will still deal with an 'Uneccessary Obstruction' offence and IMO, in the situation described above by the OP, the solid line is definitely to keep the ****ers out of the cycle lane.

Usually where they have gone to the bother of putting a solid line in, there is normally a good safety reason for keeping the cycle lane clear and the Police should take this on board.

 

[400bhp]

If it's purely a parking on yellow lines issue, then it will fall to the local authority to deal, however the Police will still deal with an 'Uneccessary Obstruction' offence and IMO, in the situation described above by the OP, the solid line is definitely to keep the ****ers out of the cycle lane.

Usually where they have gone to the bother of putting a solid line in, there is normally a good safety reason for keeping the cycle lane clear and the Police should take this on board.

I'd agree with this. Call the local plod.

 

[d87francis]

Cheers I think I shall call the Thames Valley Police non emergency number next time, and see what happens. There has been some local attention lately over the cctv system that issues tickets to cars in bus lanes in Oxford with regards to extending it to other bus lanes, I shall see if I can get them to consider adding cycle lanes to it. Despite its Orwellian nature it's got to be a far cheaper means of enforcement than paying for lots of traffic wardens to wander around, if we are begrudgingly to embrace a surveillance culture in this country we should at least make it pay.

The paradox of general attitudes towards bus and cycle lanes does confuse me. Is it purely lack of enforcement that means you rarely see a car parked in a bus lane yet it is a common sight in a cycle lane or is it a deeper resentment or non acceptance of cyclists as road users?

 

[steveindenmark]

What is the legal standpoint if you just run into them using some battered old bike? Is it criminal damage or would the police count it as tit for tat?

I would side on the criminal damage side and let the CPS sort it out.

Steve

 

[CopperCyclist]

What is the legal standpoint if you just run into them using some battered old bike? Is it criminal damage or would the police count it as tit for tat?

I would side on the criminal damage side and let the CPS sort it out.

Steve

If you do it on purpose it's straight criminal damage. If you have a genuine accident, e.g. swerving into them due to a close pass or something then it's just a normal rtc with the usual civil arguments as to fault.

 

[steveindenmark]

An empty parked car in a cycle lane. One of those mysterious loose dogs or cats to swerve round and a collision occurs.

Maybe we should start a national campaign. It would certainly do more than the critical mass rallies but still pi@@ the motorists off.

Steve