CTC Raising Funds To Help Clear Cyclist

[buggi]

being in an a
being in a cycle box is not an offence

it kind of is.

check 0:50 on this. "crossing the first or 2nd line can makes you liable for a £60 penalty" .


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVJY7hsJYP8

 

[GrumpyGregry]

One officer who did witness radioed another who issued the fpn ie an officer did witness the offence, but did not in your case.

Don't think that is how the law on FPN's actually works. iirc they are supposed to be issued by the witnessing officer. ianal.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Whilst I agree that the law should be correctly applied, I can't say I am keen on the CDF getting into Mr. Loophole territory.

For the most part I agree. However I'm more keen that plod doesn't get into Mr. Loophole territory either because they seem to have a predeliction for applying FPN's to cyclists almost willy-nilly in a way I don't see paralleled with motor vehicle operators; my experience of illegally issued FPN's given to cyclists in these parts has filled the minutes of several meetings.

 

[PK99]

Don't think that is how the law on FPN's actually works. iirc they are supposed to be issued by the witnessing officer. ianal.

i can't find anything in CDF guidance or elsewhere that supports your view, can your reference it? ianale

 

[PK99]

it kind of is.

check 0:50 on this. "crossing the first or 2nd line can makes you liable for a £60 penalty" .


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVJY7hsJYP8

The offence is crossing the white line while the lights say stop. Not being in the box. Enter the box on green and be held up, then stay in the box through the red cycle = no offence.

 

[Frood42]

The offence is crossing the white line while the lights say stop. Not being in the box. Enter the box on green and be held up, then stay in the box through the red cycle = no offence.

But you should be able to anticipate that you are not going to be able to make it through the light phase due to traffic queues in front, if there is not enough room in front of the ASZ to fit your vehicle into, then don't move forward, that way the ASZ should remain clear, not rocket science, but clearly some drivers need more hand holding than others.

Don't even get me started on idiots that stop in the yellow hashed boxes or on pedestrian crossings...

 

[Frood42]

Have I ever mentioned my idea for yellow box snipers?

I was watching a BBC 2 program about transport in London, there was a chap with a camera joystick, and his job was to watch yellow boxes, zoom in and capture the license plates of vehicles that sat in them for too long.
These idiots stopping in the boxes must contribute quite a bit of money in the way of fines or crushed vehicles.

I watched with no remorse as peoples vehicles were taken away as they could not pay the fines they had built up.

Snipers with rapid fire air rifles would be fun.
A rain of rapid fire pellets or paint balls might surprise them quite a bit.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

i can't find anything in CDF guidance or elsewhere that supports your view, can your reference it? ianale

It may well be force guidance only repeated to me by several traffic officers of my acquaintance. What does RTAO 88 say I wonder?

 

[buggi]

well in that case, they don't really have a case. it would be interesting to know what happend to the driver though. did he get off scot free?

the whole thing is a bit petty though, he didnt run the red light, he just put himself in a safe place. not the safe place all of us would have chosen, but safer than sitting next to the car in a poorly designed cycle lane. but this is what i tell the cyclists at work... you can't get all high and mighty about drivers, if you flaunt the rules yourself.

I've changed my mind...
Today i had the misfortune to be placed in this position by a driver. Cycling to work i decided to take a different route as needed to go via the post office. Long queue of traffic up to the lights, lights had just turned red so knew i had time to filter to the front and that there was an ASL. When i got there, a car was sat in the the ASL which put me in a dangerous position as i had filtered up the right hand side and i had no choice but to sit out front of the car that was in the ASL.
Now I understand why the CTC are appealing and I fully support them on this one.

 

[Buddfox]

Paxton pleaded not guilty today at Lavender Hill Magistrates Court, appeal trial date set for December 5th.

 

[User482]

I'm struggling to see how the FPN is in the public interest.

 

[Whiskey88]

Every time bar two (that I can recall) that I've seen a car in an ASZ, the driver has deliberately rolled into it on a red light. The best place to witness this seems to be CS3 on Poplar High Street, heading eastbound (outside the Tesco).

I empathise with the cyclist. Given that he was making a turn and it was a multi-lane road, it probably was safer to cross the line than not. However, I'm more for a change in the rules regarding ASZs (as another use posted, give them the same rules as yellow boxes and enforce it with highly-visible cameras) than setting a precedent that it's ok to run reds.

 

[Leaway2]

There are 2 ASL's on my route. If I am in it, more often than not, a car will pull up along side me. I think drivers are unaware what its purpose is.

 

[dellzeqq]

1. Motorists are issued with tickets for going in to ASLs. The Met is on the case!
2. Don't cycle without knowing where you're going. It's precisely what we say to car drivers who pile round bends heedless of what they might find. This man rode around the cars and found no space in the ASL. If he didn't know where he was going, he shouldn't have gone there.
3. The CDF has (to misquote Ben Bradlee) got it's cock caught in a wringer on this one. This is a bad case that will not establish any kind of precedent. They've ramped up interest and expectations in the hope that the publicity will bring the CTC some memberships - but, this case is going to prove nothing to nobody. The CDF (in truth, we) got away with it with Daniel Cadden and they're looking for a Cadden mk.2. This isn't it. It's stupid.

 

[swansonj]

There's one light-controlled roundabout on my way home from work where I routinely create my own ASL. I've decided the only safe thing is to be ahead of the traffic onto the roundabout when the lights change, so as to avoid being wiped out by lane changers. So I routinely hold back on the approach till the lights are red, filter to the front, go over the stop line, and wait five metres ahead of the lights (which is still short of the roundabout itself) for them to change.

If a copper stopped me, I would plead guilty, as it is undeniable that I have crossed a red light, but go to court and argue that the appropriate penalty is a discharge, as what I have done is actually safer. I don't think I would try to argue that I was innocent, just that I was guilty but sensible (and alive).