RLJ Police

[mr_cellophane]

A couple of cycle coppers and a PC on the corner of Norton Folgate and Bishopsgate this morning. They are catching cyclists RLJ coming from Shoreditch and handing out notices to bikes who stop in the ASL box(didn't see a car do it).

 

[Cab]

In itself, not unreasonable. Although as the result of these crimes is so utterly trivial any expenditure on the problem at all is disprportionate to the harm caused.

 

[spindrift]

handing out notices to bikes

Motorbikes?

 

[BentMikey]

Good!

 

[zimzum42]

Are they giving out fines or just warnings?

 

[mr_cellophane]

Are they giving out fines or just warnings?

Only saw one cyclist pulling away from being stopped as I got there. The rest were obviously looking ahead. I would say fines to cyclists and warnings to cars and motorbikes in the ASL box.

 

[Origamist]

Perhaps there was an RLJ blitz this morning as I saw a police motorcyclist pull over a RLJer at Balham and then two others at Stockwell. I think they were only dishing out warnings though...

 

[Animal]

All the while insane driving continues unabated. Pathetic populist, waste of taxpayer's money.

 

[Cab]

All the while insane driving continues unabated. Pathetic populist, waste of taxpayer's money.

Can't disagree with you there. I'm all for stopping people behaving like idiots on the roads, but this really ought to be so far down the list of priorities that I can't imagine why it should get any police attention at all.

 

[spindrift]

I kind of agree animal, it's disproportionate, but I wouldn't complain if I RLJ'd and got stopped. Fair dos.

 

[Cab]

I kind of agree animal, it's disproportionate, but I wouldn't complain if I RLJ'd and got stopped. Fair dos.

Would it rather depend on what other crimes were being committed at the same time? I've yet to see a cyclist RLJ at a junction where motorists don't regularly do precisely the same thing ('cos that happens at every junction, motorists going through several seconds after the light has gone red, often accelerating hard to 'just get through'). Imagine you're being told off for RLJing at a junction while the far more dangerous, analogous offense from motorists is going on. Yeah, plod has got you fair and square, wouldn't you be narked that he wasn't concentrating instead on people causing harm?

 

[Twenty Inch]

I kind of agree animal, it's disproportionate, but I wouldn't complain if I RLJ'd and got stopped. Fair dos.

When I worked in the City, I regularly saw cycle coppers stopping RLJ cyclists while PTWs, taxis and cars would RLJ, lorries would blat through and none ever got stopped.

I spoke to one of them about it, got the impression he was unhappy about doing it but "orders from above". It really is the most populist, idiotic waste of resources.

 

[spindrift]

Yes, but "Other people are doing it" is not a defence.

I agree though, I've seen blatant RLJs in vans as cyclists are stopped.

 

[spandex]

They should do that in York its a big pain

 

[atbman]

This does sound rather like radar gun "victims" complaining about the police not chasing real criminals and they only speed when it's safe to do so.

Even tho' I agree that drivers RLJ far more dangerously than cyclists, since they do it at speed, whereas riders generally choose a "safe" gap to go thro'