Ah, my favourite subject.
No one is exempt from the law!!!
However I ride mine on pavements and I will justify this. If I am going to an emergency call I will use the most direct route from A-B. If this means pavements then so be it! The patch I patrol is criss crossed by various paths and I can crossit in less than 5 minutes cutting across. However if I use the roads then I will double my time getting to my destination.
If I stick to the roads on normal patrol, I cannot possibly cover my whole patch or get a good look at what is going on. Basically Police Officers riding on footpaths to achieve thier patrol aims is justifiable.
Will I give a ticket to sombody for riding on a pavement, probably not. Will I give them a ticket for riding on the pavement no handed, whilst texting. Oh Yes! (or knock them off for inconsiderate cycling).
And to finish.
On 1st August 1999, new legislation came into force to allow a fixed penalty notice to be served on anyone who is guilty of cycling on a footway. However the Home Office issued guidance on how the new legislation should be applied, indicating that they should only be used where a cyclist is riding in a manner that may endanger others. At the time
Home Office Minister Paul Boateng issued a letter stating that:
"The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of traffic and who show consideration to other pavement users when doing so. Chief police officers, who are responsible for enforcement, acknowledge that many cyclists, particularly children and young people, are afraid to cycle on the road, sensitivity and careful use of police discretion is required."
Almost identical advice has since been issued by the Home Office with regards the use of fixed penalty notices by 'Community Support Officers' and wardens.
"CSOs and accredited persons will be accountable in the same way as police officers. They will be under the direction and control of the chief officer, supervised on a daily basis by the local community beat officer and will be subject to the same police complaints system. The Government have included provision in the Anti Social Behaviour Bill to enable CSOs and accredited persons to stop those cycling irresponsibly on the pavement in order to issue a fixed penalty notice.
I should stress that the issue is about inconsiderate cycling on the pavements. The new provisions are not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of the traffic, and who show consideration to other road users when doing so. Chief officers recognise that the fixed penalty needs to be used with a considerable degree of discretion and it cannot be issued to anyone under the age of 16. (Letter to Mr H. Peel from John Crozier of The Home Office, reference T5080/4, 23 February 2004)
