Manchester Traffic Enforcement Officers

[chargrill]

On my cycle home yesterday evening i had a chat with a couple of traffic officers on hairdriers about why they didnt ticket some cars in cycle lanes. They told me that they weren't allowed so i sent a nice email to several people at the council.
.........

"Lately I have been having problems using the cycle lanes through Fallowfield. It is becoming a more common problem and with the return of students to the city I forsee the problem becoming more dangerous, not only for the traffic on the road but for any less experienced cyclists.

I am sending this email to yourselves due to a conversation I had with a traffic enforcement officer on my cycle home this evening.

The following is the series of events of this evening;

This evening at approximately 5.15pm I was making my way home through Withington when I spotted two traffic enforcement officers on scooters heading north towards Fallowfield.

Once in Fallowfield I had to move into traffic at the lights at the junction of Wilbraham Road and Wilmslow Road due to a car parked in the cycle lane outside the Tesco Express store.

Further along the road where the new cycle lane is (this cycle lane has a solid white line running along its length), yet another car was parked in the cycle lane. This time I had to move out into fast moving traffic to avoid the parked car (which I regluarly see parked on the cycle lane). I was further incensed by this when upon passing the car there was an empty parking space.

I managed to catch up with the traffic officers at the junction of Platt Lane and Wilmslow Road. I asked the officers why they had not stopped to ticket the two cars that they had passed which were both parked illegally. I was told by the office on scooter registration MX57 CXU (I think this is the correct reg.) that they could not do anything because they didn't have the responsibility to do so.

I find this hard to beleive considering the job titles that they have emblazonded on their backs.

May I also draw your attention to the Highway Code and in particular the following rules:

Rule 240

You MUST NOT stop or park on

• the carriageway or the hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency (see Rule 270)
• a pedestrian crossing, including the area marked by the zig-zag lines (see Rule 191)
• a clearway (see 'Traffic signs')
• taxi bays as indicated by upright signs and markings
• an urban clearway within its hours of operation, even when a broken white line is on your side of the road, except to pick up or set down passengers (see 'Traffic signs')
• a road marked with double white lines, except to pick up or set down passengers
• a tram or cycle lane during its period of operation
• a cycle track
• red lines, in the case of specially designated ‘red routes’, unless otherwise indicated by signs

Rule 243
DO NOT stop or park

• near a school entrance
• anywhere you would prevent access for Emergency Services
• at or near a bus or tram stop or taxi rank
• on the approach to a level crossing/tramway crossing
• opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space
• near the brow of a hill or hump bridge
• opposite a traffic island or (if this would cause an obstruction) another parked vehicle
• where you would force other traffic to enter a tram lane
• where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles
• in front of an entrance to a property
• on a bend
• where you would obstruct cyclists’ use of cycle facilities except when forced to do so by stationary traffic

The previous two rules have been copied from:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_069860

Would if be possible for you to inform me of the role of the traffic officers? If not, contact details of somebody who can would be greatly appreciated.

It would also be appreciated, not only by myself but the majority of cyclists who use the afore mentioned cycle lanes, if action could be taken against the motorists who clearly think that the laws of the road do not apply to them and continually park in cycle lanes.

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this email and hope you will be able to take the time to send me a reply."
......

What do people think?

 

[Priscilla Parsley]

I am so Pleased you have bothered to write to them, I do like to write complaints (usually to the Post Office/Virgin Trains) but have not done so about cycle lanes, but as an ex council worker, I think people do underestimate the power of a complaint - especially if you go to a local Councillor or MP, council workers sure do jump then. I look forward to seeing the response, parking in cycle lanes is so arrogant, near me on Wilbraham Rd residents use it for parking outside their homes when their driveway has already got the requisite 2 cars.

I wonder if you composed a more abusive drafts first though like I usually do.

 

[litespeeder]

I am so Pleased you have bothered to write to them, I do like to write complaints

Is it me but ... I couldn't be arsed with reporting this to the council, as I'm sure they'd read the above and say so what............

 

[Priscilla Parsley]

It really depends what the department is like, but generally there is protocol for answering letters, it will be interesting to have an official response, as i mentioned if you have a Councillor writing on your behalf people do tend to take notice a lot more even if they read the letter and think "F$!* OOOOOF" (as I have on many an occassion) but they still have to deal with it. its not about whether they care its about what makes them look bad. Assocaitions have a lot of whack (again with Councillor support) People don't realise what influence a pack of moaning residents can have when they get a momentum, I have been on the recieving end of it and its brutal, saying that my field was a very high profile issue so it depends if the political wind is in your favour sometimes. But it is always worth complaining in my opinion.

 

[BentMikey]

OTOH I'm quite happy with cars parking in the cycle lane. I don't want to use the bloody things anyway, and I'd be quite happy if they stripped them off the roads.

 

[Cab]

OTOH I'm quite happy with cars parking in the cycle lane. I don't want to use the bloody things anyway, and I'd be quite happy if they stripped them off the roads.

As long as they're parked bumper to bumper that all works out fine. The problems arise when they're not doing a good job of entirely ruining the cycle lane; if there are stretches of a few tens of yards at a time that you'd be crazy to pull in to but which if you don't you get aggro and abuse for not doing so.

It has to be one way or another; a cycle lane that is clear (with enforcement where needed) or no cycle lane at all.

 

[Cab]

Oh, and Chargrill, excellent first post there, and an entirely correct and proper point you're making too. I feel that perhaps your local council and plod will most likely point their fingers at each other and do nothing, as the 'systems' in place seem to be designed to allow them to do precisely that. But if you don't try, you can be even more certain that nothing will happen, so good on you for trying.

 

[janm399]

I agree with BentMikey; the cycle path in Fallowfield is a death trap -- it follows on the left of the Wilmslow road, but then it crosses to the right of the bus lane only to cross the bus lane again past a bus stop.
I have seen so many close calls where the cyclists (POBs, really) follow the cycle path oblivious to the buses and other traffic.
I never use it and I think that people who use it are in far more danger than they realise.

 

[John the Monkey]

I agree with BentMikey; the cycle path in Fallowfield is a death trap -- it follows on the left of the Wilmslow road, but then it crosses to the right of the bus lane only to cross the bus lane again past a bus stop.

The key is to start to move over where the bus lane begins (imo) - check traffic behind, signal right, and then follow the dashed line indicating the start of the bus lane until the cycle lane begins.

I think the Southward stretch is worse, tbh - the camber by the tree is bloody lethal in the wet, and the gaurdrailed (and thin) traffic lane that's the alternative is hardly inviting.

 

[Crackle]

Slightly ambivalent about parking in cycle lanes. They put one in by us on a residential road where there is no choice but to park on it if visiting people there. It also goes from nowhere to nowhere - utter piece of sh$te.

 

[fossyant]

I have seen so many close calls where the cyclists (POBs, really) follow the cycle path oblivious to the buses and other traffic.

Student's mainly - I avoid that road due to the nasty mix of europe's busiest bus route, students without a clue how to ride a bike, snarled traffic and the 'shoppers' of Rusholme who think it's OK to park in the middle of the road to go into a shop !

Plenty of other routes that run parallel, with less traffic, and they are quicker.

 

[LOGAN 5]

Near where I live there's a long uphill busy road with a broken line cycle lane on both sides of the road with cars always parked right along its length. The road isn't wide enough for parking both sides, a lane in each direction for traffic and cyclists. I always ride right out in the middle of the road to avoid close overtakes but I am aware that traffic is queuing up behind me. What else can be done when vehicles park in the cycle lane. Obviously when I've passed the parked cars I move over and do acknowledge the driver behind if he's been stuck behind for some time. Most of the parked cars presumably (because of the location) belong to the very large households with garages and driveways which they obviously don't want to use, easier to park in the cycle lane instead!

Penton Road in Islington is another road with a solid white line marking the cycle lane is regularly abused by motorists parking up to use the cafe. The problem with this road is that it's busy and narrow with traffic queued up at the lights so if there's a parked car cyclists cannot easily get round it. Might send a letter off to the council about this one.

 

[leoc]

If these are council rather than police officers it's possible they can only book cars that are parked in violation of the specific traffic regulation order, TRO (e.g. http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/answers/traffic_reg_order/trafficreg_order.shtml) for the area.

It's one of the problems of the decriminalisation of parking control so the police no longer deal with it. A police officer / police traffic warden would be able to write a ticket out for parking unlawfully, but a council officer can only do one for unlawful parking in the TRO. IANAL by the way, and this is just my interpretation.

HTH

 

[simoncc]

The situation in Manchester is hopeless as regards traffic regulation. In Altrincham there is a one way road for motor traffic with a cycle lane along one side allowing cycles to travel in the opposite direction. This strange cycle lane was only painted in about 2004 and is regularly parked on by cars.

I complained about these cars blocking the cycle lane to both the traffic wardens and the police. They each told me enforcement was the reponsibility of the other. I wrote to the council about the matter and they candidly confessed they were not sure of the legal status of the cycle lane even though they admitted it was the council who painted it.