London City Police Clamping Down on RLJs?

[g00se]

I'm waiting for me new bike so I walked from Liverpool Street to the Strand today. Crossing Ludgate Circus, a police motorcycle with light and sirens pulled over an RLJ. And on the way back, a souped up beamer with lights and sirens pulled up an RLJ after going through the nasty five way junction at Bank station.

I didn't want to hang about and rubber-neck in the rain, so I've no idea if it was just a dressing down or a ticket - but it's odd seeing it twice in one day when I've never seen it happen before...

 

[hackbike 666]

Yeah I have seen some beemer police cars recently.What's that about?

 

[Jake]

GOOD!

 

[Davidc]

Amount of sympathy for prosecuted RLJs (car or bike) = 0

 

[Dan B]

Yes, anyone silly enough to jump a red light in full view of the Police is quite easily argued to be too silly to be on the road.

 

[Origamist]

The City of London Police have an RLJ blitz every so often. When the RLJs dry up, they go for drivers using mobiles.

 

[Dan B]

I don't imagine drivers using mobiles will ever dry up, so I doubt they'll need a second backup plan ...

 

[parnes]

Soft policing.

Box ticking.

Yes, numpties on bikes who RLJ are annoying and suicidal.

Drivers who RLJ are homicidal.

How many drivers this week will get a fine for encroaching an ASL?

Parking in a mandatory cycle lane?

Get a FPN for using a mobile?

The City Of London is the most dangerous place to cycle in England, and CoL cops spunk their resources on this, a waste of time.

 

[amnezia]

You regularly see police on the major junctions in central london looking for RLJ cyclist, don't think its anything new.

 

[amnezia]

Soft policing.

Box ticking.

Yes, numpties on bikes who RLJ are annoying and suicidal.
.

They are also pretty dangerous for pedestrians.

 

[parnes]

They are also pretty dangerous for pedestrians.

Not really:

Figures released by Transport for London yesterday, covering the years 2001-05, show that a pedestrian in London is over 100 times more likely to be injured in collision with a motor vehicle than a cycle.

During that period there has been no upward trend in the number of London pedestrians being injured in collision with cycles, despite a 72% increase in cycle use on London’s main roads.

The figures show that, in London during the period 2001-05:

• There were 101 times as many reported pedestrian injuries due to collisions with motor vehicles than with pedal cycles (there were 34,791 pedestrian injuries involving motor vehicles, compared with 331 involving cycles).
• Motor vehicles were involved in 126 times as many fatal and serious pedestrian injuries as cycles (there were 7,447 fatal and serious injuries involving motor vehicles compared with 59 involving cycles).
• 534 pedestrians were killed in collisions with motor vehicles, compared with just one killed in collision with a cycle. That one fatal collision with a cycle occurred neither on a pavement nor a pedestrian crossing point.
• Even on the pavement, there were 2,197 reported pedestrian injuries arising from collisions with motor vehicles, including 17 fatalities. These injuries outnumbered those involving cycles by a factor of 42 to 1.
• The total number of reported pedestrian injuries in London due to collisions with cyclists on pavements was just 65 in the year 2001, and 69 in 2005. In the meantime, the figure went down, up and back down again, showing no clear overall trend. This was despite a 72% increase in cycle use over the period.
• On average just under 18% of cyclists ran red lights, whereas over a third of motorists encroached into cyclists’ “Advance Stop Lines” (cycle boxes at traffic lights).

So the cops waste their limited resources in a futile attempt at DOING SOMETHING that isn't that important, doesn't cause anything like the injuries caused by other road users and serves a s a box-ticking exercise- even if no FPN is issued the cops treat it as a detected crime,bumps up their figures you see?

 

[karlos_the_jackal]

On average just under 18% of cyclists ran red lights, whereas over a third of motorists encroached into cyclists’ “Advance Stop Lines” (cycle boxes at traffic lights).

In my opinion i would refute that, i would say it is closer to a third now. I'd say there are different RLJ'ers

 

[parnes]

A survey by the RAC found that, yes, a lot of cyclists run red lights. It also found that one in ten drivers in Manchester and London crossed traffic lights more than three seconds after the lights turned red, and one in five bus drivers ran red lights. There are ten thousand traffic light camera prosecutions annually in London alone, a small part of the 1.5 million prosecutions annually based on camera evidence (I don't know what proportion are speed versus red lights), in turn the tip of the iceberg of twelve million prosecutions and cautions for motoring offences by UK police forces in 2002.
Lawbreaking, then, is not restricted to bikes. Motorists break the law in vast numbers.

 

[Dan B]

How many drivers this week will get a fine for encroaching an ASL?

How many drivers have ever been done for stopping in an ASL? Anywhere?

I can't lay my hands on current figures, but ISTR the last time the issue came up, the exact number was a big fat 0

 

[Tharg2007]

A survey by the RAC found that, yes, a lot of cyclists run red lights. It also found that one in ten drivers in Manchester and London crossed traffic lights more than three seconds after the lights turned red, and one in five bus drivers ran red lights. There are ten thousand traffic light camera prosecutions annually in London alone, a small part of the 1.5 million prosecutions annually based on camera evidence (I don't know what proportion are speed versus red lights), in turn the tip of the iceberg of twelve million prosecutions and cautions for motoring offences by UK police forces in 2002.
Lawbreaking, then, is not restricted to bikes. Motorists break the law in vast numbers.

Bus driver today wizzed through a red led light, no sign of slowing and overtaking us virtually on the junction, when questioned later he claimed he did it for us cyclists?!?!?!
Then next bus stop overtook to pull in front of us

How many drivers have ever been done for stopping in an ASL? Anywhere?

I can't lay my hands on current figures, but ISTR the last time the issue came up, the exact number was a big fat 0

Well just the other day I was waiting in the ASL with a queue of traffic behind, all patiently waiting, when i hear the roar of a motorbike, guess who pulls up in the asl after overtaking all the parked up traffic and then indicates to turn left across my path? Plod, that's who!!!!