London City Police Clamping Down on RLJs?

[Sprocket Dog]

Well, sorry if I was strident. That's tremendously decent of you and a rare thing here sprocket. You are a lovely person. I love you.

No need to apologise, dear chap. Let's spread the love around.

 

[swee'pea99]

how would you rather see the CoL police force use their time and energies?

We've had 8 cyclists killed by HGVs in London this year. A spot check of HGVs in London found that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM breached road safety law, the driver was uninsured, on a mobile, had fiddled the tacho.

1 in 8 cars in London are uninsured.

Speed limits, ASLs, cycle lanes are regularly flouted.

I see a dozen drivers on mobiles every day.

These should be police priorities, not stupid box-ticking exercises.

Vote me for mayor and I'll sort out policing priorities.

Excellent post. All the more so since I got home yesterday to a wife in shock, having just seen an old lady almost certainly killed on the crossing round the corner from us by a woman who was probably texting her nanny or something. I don't know that, I wasn't there, and my wife didn't see, but she did say that there was absolutely no reason for it - the road and crossing were completely clear, no parked cars, nothing obscuring vision, nothing. The car just came round the corner at speed and ploughed into the old dear.

There are killers on the roads, and they're not on two wheels. That's where the police should be focusing their attentions.

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

Don’t have an issue with Police fining RLJ cyclists, or those on the pavement, without lights at night etc…
Suppose it’s frustrating when, while the are doing it, they ignore the drivers on the mobile stopped in the ASL.
As cyclists, I think we’re in danger of sounding like the idiot motorists who moan on that the police should try and catch “real criminals” when they get pulled over for speeding/no tax etc
I think RLJ’s should be given the choice of a fine or some cycle training – might be a little more proactive.
Funnily enough, never had an issue with RLJ cyclists when I’m in the car – doesn’t bother me in the slightest and I’ve never had one jump the lights into my path – but they really annoy me when I’m on the bike… giving us all a bad name.
Like it or not (and I know where the real danger lies on the road) there is a lot of “public” anger at law breaking cyclists – think the Police are buggered if they do and buggered if they don’t on this issue…
Regarding focusing on poor driving standards instead, does it have to be an either/or situation? – Can’t they be encourages/supported for focusing on all problems on the road.

 

[gaz]

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.

The City of London only covers 1.12 sq miles, so you may want to rephrase that.

 

[parnes]

The City of London only covers 1.12 sq miles, so you may want to rephrase that.

Nope.

A tiny area, with an appalling record of safety as far as cyclists are concerned.

 

[dellzeqq]

Stats Stats Stats,I love it.

1/

I've already said RLJing cyclists are numpties

Sorry I haven't read the whole thread.

There were 44 deaths involving police pursuits in the year to March
2002.

What about 2008?

gone up - sorry I know no more than that. It was on the news today

 

[dellzeqq]

how would you rather see the CoL police force use their time and energies?

We've had 8 cyclists killed by HGVs in London this year. A spot check of HGVs in London found that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM breached road safety law, the driver was uninsured, on a mobile, had fiddled the tacho.

1 in 8 cars in London are uninsured.

Speed limits, ASLs, cycle lanes are regularly flouted.

I see a dozen drivers on mobiles every day.

These should be police priorities, not stupid box-ticking exercises.

Vote me for mayor and I'll sort out policing priorities.

well - to be fair to the City of London police they pull trucks over on the Farringdon Road on a very regular basis. They pull cars over at getting on for closing time on some pretext, and then breathalyse anybody who smells of booze. They pull cyclists over for not having lights. They chase speeding cars to the death (I've seen a City of London police car take the bridge in Queensbridge Road, which is well in to Hackney, with four wheels off the floor).

The truth is that they're bored. Street crime has just about vanished. And the reason for that, and it's not one that some of us (me included) are going to like, is that the entire City is now camera'd up to the nines.

The Babe and I first kissed on Beech Street. I'm sure that we were being watched...

How many of the cyclists deaths this year and last were in the City? There have been six so far this year, and I can't recall one, although Goswell Road is pretty close to the border.

 

[Origamist]

How many of the cyclists deaths this year and last were in the City? There have been six so far this year, and I can't recall one, although Goswell Road is pretty close to the border.

Upper Thames St last autumn. I don't believe there have been any in the City this year.

 

[dellzeqq]

gone up - sorry I know no more than that. It was on the news today

A correction. Up from 27 to 40 - so not as high as 2002.

 

[LOGAN 5]

Met police motorcycle rider rode right around the wrong side of a traffic island on the approach to Trafalgar Square in yesterday's evening rush hour because he just wanted to overtake the traffic instead of queueing and passing the bollard on the correct side! No he wasn't on a call as he then proceeded to stop in the ASL! Arrogant b****ds.

 

[Tharg2007]

Met police motorcycle rider rode right around the wrong side of a traffic island on the approach to Trafalgar Square in yesterday's evening rush hour because he just wanted to overtake the traffic instead of queueing and passing the bollard on the correct side! No he wasn't on a call as he then proceeded to stop in the ASL! Arrogant b****ds.

seems its one rule for us and another for those who seem to be above the law.
We should all have video cameras and show them up constantly, i bet the press would be interested in a campaign to highlight this abuse of power.

 

[swee'pea99]

Um, stopping in the ASL is one thing, but is there actually anything inherently wrong/illegal with going round 'the wrong side of a traffic island'? Isn't it a bit like using the other side of the road to overtake - ie, totally legal, so long as it's done sensibly, carefully etc. I'm not being cute here - I'm curious.

 

[Origamist]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Um, stopping in the ASL is one thing, but is there actually anything inherently wrong/illegal with going round 'the wrong side of a traffic island'? Isn't it a bit like using the other side of the road to overtake - ie, totally legal, so long as it's done sensibly, carefully etc. I'm not being cute here - I'm curious.[/quote]

It is against the law. Pedestrians often use them as a half-way house and are less likley to look in the opposite direction of traffic flow.

 

[skwerl]

It is against the law. Pedestrians often use them as a half-way house and are less likley to look in the opposite direction of traffic flow.

hmm. do you have the HC rule? They're surrounded by diagonal lines/chevrons inside broken lines which means there's no rule forbidding entry. The bollards have a blue, keep left arrow on them but those are positive instructions, not orders.

 

[mm101]

hmm. do you have the HC rule? They're surrounded by diagonal lines/chevrons inside broken lines which means there's no rule forbidding entry. The bollards have a blue, keep left arrow on them but those are positive instructions, not orders.

Blue circle signs give mandatory instruction