wafflycat
New Member
- Location
- middle of Norfolk
"Rogue cyclists who flout the law while riding throughout London are to be fined by Westminster Council under plans to crackdown on so-called “Lycra louts”."
Telegraph Article 07 December 2009, by Andrew Hough.
"In the first such scheme in the country, council staff, instead of police, could hand out penalty notices to cyclists who are caught breaking the law such riding through red lights or on pavements, reports said.
Under the plans, city inspectors, who already licensing, noise and waste laws, would be handed powers to issue infringement notices amid claims cyclists were the source for the largest amounts of complaints."
"It has not been disclosed how much the fines would be, but the council has proposed a £100 fine previously, up from the current £30 which was seen as too lenient.
Figures show that of the 30,000 cyclists that enter the council’s zone every day, about a fifth break the “Highway Code” by jumping lights, riding on pavements or ignoring one way signs.
While the powers already exist in the legislation permission from the Metropolitan Police would be required so that council officials could enforce them.
The plan, still to be ratified by the council, has been given qualified support by bike groups, but concerns were raised that the powers needed to be enforced by police.
Council officials said proposals had come about after concerns were raised about the growing number of so called “Lycra Louts” breaking the law that put other motorists and cyclists in danger.
“So many people are frustrated with it,” said Angela Harvey, chairman of Westminster’s scrutiny committee, which is behind the proposal.
“We’re always getting little old ladies who are knocked down and abused by a cyclist, who leaves them on the ground as they ride away.”
Mrs Harvey told The Times that the council wanted to encourage more people to cycle while at the same time ensuring pedestrian safety.
“The police are the only people who have the ability to enforce this issue and they just aren’t taking this seriously enough,” she said.
“There are more of our officers on the street than there are police at any given time, so it is a sensible solution.”
Tom Bogdanowicz, of the London Cycling Campaign, gave conditional support to the plan to help reduce the “unacceptably high number of deaths on our roads”.
“But our enforcement of moving traffic offences needs to be carried out by trained police or police community support officers,” he told the paper.
“They are the best qualified to enforce the regulations on pavement cycling and most other offences as they have the training and authority to do their work.”
Department of Transport figures show that 820 cyclists were killed or seriously injured in Britain in the three months to June – a rise of almost a fifth.
Transport for London statistics show a 107 per cent increase in cycle journeys throughout the capital since 2000, with a nine per cent rise since May last year.
Reports have previously suggested that in 2007 just 147 cyclists were fined for riding on the pavement."
Telegraph Article 07 December 2009, by Andrew Hough.
"In the first such scheme in the country, council staff, instead of police, could hand out penalty notices to cyclists who are caught breaking the law such riding through red lights or on pavements, reports said.
Under the plans, city inspectors, who already licensing, noise and waste laws, would be handed powers to issue infringement notices amid claims cyclists were the source for the largest amounts of complaints."
"It has not been disclosed how much the fines would be, but the council has proposed a £100 fine previously, up from the current £30 which was seen as too lenient.
Figures show that of the 30,000 cyclists that enter the council’s zone every day, about a fifth break the “Highway Code” by jumping lights, riding on pavements or ignoring one way signs.
While the powers already exist in the legislation permission from the Metropolitan Police would be required so that council officials could enforce them.
The plan, still to be ratified by the council, has been given qualified support by bike groups, but concerns were raised that the powers needed to be enforced by police.
Council officials said proposals had come about after concerns were raised about the growing number of so called “Lycra Louts” breaking the law that put other motorists and cyclists in danger.
“So many people are frustrated with it,” said Angela Harvey, chairman of Westminster’s scrutiny committee, which is behind the proposal.
“We’re always getting little old ladies who are knocked down and abused by a cyclist, who leaves them on the ground as they ride away.”
Mrs Harvey told The Times that the council wanted to encourage more people to cycle while at the same time ensuring pedestrian safety.
“The police are the only people who have the ability to enforce this issue and they just aren’t taking this seriously enough,” she said.
“There are more of our officers on the street than there are police at any given time, so it is a sensible solution.”
Tom Bogdanowicz, of the London Cycling Campaign, gave conditional support to the plan to help reduce the “unacceptably high number of deaths on our roads”.
“But our enforcement of moving traffic offences needs to be carried out by trained police or police community support officers,” he told the paper.
“They are the best qualified to enforce the regulations on pavement cycling and most other offences as they have the training and authority to do their work.”
Department of Transport figures show that 820 cyclists were killed or seriously injured in Britain in the three months to June – a rise of almost a fifth.
Transport for London statistics show a 107 per cent increase in cycle journeys throughout the capital since 2000, with a nine per cent rise since May last year.
Reports have previously suggested that in 2007 just 147 cyclists were fined for riding on the pavement."
Get her to put up or shut up.
