Cyclist gets points on licence

[magnatom]

You don't 'accidentally' stray onto that motorway. The M6 now turns into the M74 without any intervening non-motorway road. There's just no way he did not know he was breaking the law. He was being an arsed, stupid git who endangered his own lives and the lives of others, and he deserved what he got.

I was only paraphrasing! Although I have driven down the A(M)74 a number of times I don't pay much attention to the slip roads I'm not using, so I can't comment on how easy or not it is to miss a motorway sign...

 

[User482]

why on earth was he on that road?? The A7 takes you more or less straight to the Forth Road Bridge.

Perhaps he was doing the western route via Glasgow & Ft William?

When I did my Lejog, I took the A7 to Longtown, then cut back to Gretna and picked up the old A74 that's parallel to the motorway, which takes you most of the way to Glasgow. I understand that you no longer have to do that as there's a cyclepath alongside the new motorway section. It would have been quite easy to make this mistake before the recent changes - if you got on the A74 dual carriageway at Carlisle but didn't turn off when it becomes the A74(M), but I fail to see how you could unwittingly make this mistake with the road layout as it is now.

Anyway, this is all by-the-by. What I would like to know is what law allows a cycling offence to be punished with penalty points?

 

[marinyork]

It's not a cycling offence User482, it's just a misc offence not to do with speeding on a motorway or other special road.

 

[HelenD123]

Perhaps he was doing the western route via Glasgow & Ft William?

When I did my Lejog, I took the A7 to Longtown, then cut back to Gretna and picked up the old A74 that's parallel to the motorway, which takes you most of the way to Glasgow. I understand that you no longer have to do that as there's a cyclepath alongside the new motorway section. It would have been quite easy to make this mistake before the recent changes - if you got on the A74 dual carriageway at Carlisle but didn't turn off when it becomes the A74(M), but I fail to see how you could unwittingly make this mistake with the road layout as it is now.

Yes, you no longer have to go all the way out to Longtown as there's a cycleroute/road that runs parallel to the A74(M) and takes you into Gretna. I took the back route to get onto it so don't know what the approach is like going straight up the A7 out of Carlisle, presumably a big motorway junction type roundabout looking at the map so easy to spot you're heading down onto a motorway...

 

[User482]

Yes, you no longer have to go all the way out to Longtown as there's a cycleroute/road that runs parallel to the A74(M) and takes you into Gretna. I took the back route to get onto it so don't know what the approach is like going straight up the A7 out of Carlisle, presumably a big motorway junction type roundabout looking at the map so easy to spot you're heading down onto a motorway...

Cheers Helen. I intend to do a Lejog once every ten years, so your info will be useful in 2017!

 

[02GF74]

By cycling on the motorway he proved he didn't know or couldn't obey the laws of the road. So it proved he wasn't competent to drive a car. Whether he was actually driving one at the time is irrelevant.

yeah, but if he was in a car, it would not be an offense.

I managed to stray onto the M40 or was it A40 M - the junctions is quite complicated or poorly sign posted - don't recall which or how it happened now - in days before sat nav. and before the M40 was finished up to the M25 i.e. it started around oxford area.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

yeah, but if he was in a car, it would not be an offense.

I managed to stray onto the M40 or was it A40 M - the junctions is quite complicated or poorly sign posted - don't recall which or how it happened now - in days before sat nav. and before the M40 was finished up to the M25 i.e. it started around oxford area.

they're still working on it!!!!

 

[ed_o_brain]

I've heard of juveniles receiving cycling bans and points before they are even eligible to hold a license.

And as for cycling on a motorway, no person in their right mind would deliberately try riding on one. I'm more than prepared to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. I can't see how it was anything other than a mistake.

 

[661-Pete]

I don't think we should be too harsh on someone who may have genuinely made a mistake, and who, fortunately, hasn't done any harm.

My son recently strayed onto a motorway. In France. Only for a few yards, mind, and as soon as he realised, he backtracked before anyone noticed. He didn't even get as far as the toll-booth.

No satnav involved. He was merely trying to navigate his way out of Calais, his first try at cycling in a strange country, and he found the town layout and road signs confusing. Anyone can make a mistake. It didn't take him long to realise that 'A' doesn't mean 'A-road' and that autoroutes are signed in green in France.

 

[Kirstie]

Hmm. And the moral of the story is never trust a satnav....

 

[Brains]

Sorry I'm missing a point here, is it some weird Scottish law ?
How can a cyclist have points deducted from his Car licence ?

He does not need a Licence to ride a bike so what is the connection ? Why not dye his hair green, it would be just as logical

Or to put it anotherway if a pair of cyclists were caught on the motorway one who had a licence and the other who did not, how would you administer the points issue ?

 

[domd1979]

Ticket's been cancelled:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/8149629.stm

 

[marinyork]

Sorry I'm missing a point here, is it some weird Scottish law ?
How can a cyclist have points deducted from his Car licence ?

He does not need a Licence to ride a bike so what is the connection ? Why not dye his hair green, it would be just as logical

Or to put it anotherway if a pair of cyclists were caught on the motorway one who had a licence and the other who did not, how would you administer the points issue ?

Good that it has been cancelled.

On the issue of one having a licence and one not the assumption that one is being punished more heavily than the other is not as simple as that. The system assumes that people want a licence. So in terms of that if you haven't got one and did get one one day, under the New Drivers Act you only need 6 points to have to redo the lot, you're being punished far more heavily than someone who does have one (unless they have a lot of points on there). You could argue they are being punished even more heavily than those with prison sentances related to being disqualified as in that case the ban runs whilst they are in prison!

 

[medals]

There are some pretty thick coppers around arn't there?
How can they issue points on the driving licence of somebody commiting an offence on a bike! Fixed penalty notice, yes. But how an earth did plod connect riding a bike with driving a car. Did they not see the clue between his legs?

At least this case has clarified the fact that you cannot get points on your driving licence for offences commited on a cycle. Duh!

 

[Bob]

I wonder if the same police have tried to punish a driving offence, not by points on the licence, but by removing an offenders Cycling Proficiency Test certificate..?