Crackdown on rogue cyclists (From The Argus)
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Crackdown on rogue cyclists in Brighton and Hove
3:00pm Tuesday 13th January 2009 in News By Ben Parsons, Crime Reporter
Cyclists are to blame for a third of the accidents they are involved in, a senior traffic policeman has said.
Police are pledging to crack down on cyclists who ignore red lights, ride on pavements irresponsibly and without lights in the dark and stray from cycle paths and routes marked out for them on spaces shared with pedestrians.
Last year in Brighton and Hove 131 cyclists were injured in collisions, 23 of them seriously.
Inspector Phil Clarke said: "In one third of these incidents the cyclist was at fault, which demonstrates two things.
"Firstly, cyclists need to exercise more care and be responsible and secondly they are vulnerable to the actions of other road users.
"There is an increasing problem in the city with some cyclists riding irresponsibly and sometimes unlawfully."
He said work is being done to make the city more cycle-friendly and make drivers aware of the risks they can pose.
He added: "The city has and continues to develop facilities for cyclists in an effort to make cycling safer and more enjoyable.
"Cyclists have a responsibility to do their bit by complying with the law, riding sensibly and showing the same level of consideration to other road users, that they expect from them.
"Those who wish to ride carelessly or contravene legislation that applies to them, can expect to be dealt with robustly."
Are police right to clamp down on cyclists? Tell us your views below.
Comments(54)
Alan G Skinner
says...
3:13pm Tue 13 Jan 09
Nick Brighton
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3:19pm Tue 13 Jan 09
wild berry
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3:29pm Tue 13 Jan 09
The amount of times I have had to jump out of the way of a speeding cyclist on the path....or so much worse , a cyclist on the road at night WITHOUT a light!!
Come on you cheap , tight , miserlycyclists , and dig deep to afford the £5.00 that a light costs.
oyl
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3:31pm Tue 13 Jan 09
DougM
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3:40pm Tue 13 Jan 09
Every day I see cars, vans, taxis and buses breaking the law, more often than not jumping red lights.
These vehicles can and do kill people.
I know most road users are ignorant lazy slobs (obviously not me included), but wasting your breath and our money persecuting the harmless (yes harmless in comparison to the car-driving killers) minority that is cyclists is simply a past-time for pig-ignorant bone-idle losers.
Would you rather your child got hit by a bike or a car? And which is more likely - statistically the likelihood is that they would get hit by a car (by x1000 odds) - but you wouldn't mind this, no?
Peacehaven Paul
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3:44pm Tue 13 Jan 09
feline1
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3:46pm Tue 13 Jan 09
What are less than 34% of burglaries caused by? Could they please clamp down on it, whatever it is?
And as for the people behind less than 4 out of 10 violent crimes, could they please devote some resources to them pronto?
(Mind you - to all the cyclists riding on pavements, seafronts, through red lights and up drainpipes - WILL YOU BLOODY WELL STOP IT!?!? PLEASE?!?)
davyboy
says...
3:48pm Tue 13 Jan 09
Alan G Skinner wrote:alan, you are spot on. this should be what pcso's are used for, as they are out on the streets and appear to have no powers of arrest. just up their street. we have the same problem here in oxford, and they have a crackdown every few months for things like lights, cycling in pedestrian areas etc. it all stops for a short time, but then things get back to normal. the way i see it, cyclists should be made to register their bikes, and have insurance before being allowed on the road. in belgium, all bikes carry a small registration plate, so the ownwer can be identified.
Yes cyclists should abide by the rules of the road. Is this a good use of Police resources; absolutely not. There are far more serious issues the Police should be concentrating on. It is obvious for all to see, this will be yet another revenue generating exercise, handing out fixed penalty notices to cyclists, which they will pay without fuss. A lot easier than dealing with real criminals who may not come so quietly.
DougM
says...
3:58pm Tue 13 Jan 09
Ha ha - that'd be cheap to implement then wouldn't it? And it'd be SO worthwhile too...not.
I'm sure the treasury would just love that idea ...
"so the owner can be identified"
Yeah but what about the person RIDING the bike - consdiering how much bike theft there is I doubt most of the riders would be the registered owners... unless you'd like a photocard license and cycle lane cameras all over the country to make sure that those riding the bikes are the registered owners? Get real matey.
thensx
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4:00pm Tue 13 Jan 09
thensx
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4:04pm Tue 13 Jan 09
MzEden
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4:08pm Tue 13 Jan 09
By the same token, last night I didn't see the idiot dressed in black on a black bike without any lights until I was about to cycle past him!
One other thing, if someone 'lets you go' please don't assume it's safe, check that it's safe before going. I have seen a couple of people, pedestrians and cyclists, get hit when that happens.
davyboy
says...
4:13pm Tue 13 Jan 09
DougM wrote:the system works abroad, but then maybe they don't have the amount of cycle theft we do(lol). anyway, this system is in use for motor vehicles, so why not extend it to bikes. everyone is moaning about cyclists, so let's come up with solutions, matey!!!!! if a car driver cannot be identified, then the registered owner carries the can, so the same should work for cyclists. i also agree with thensx, who says he will kick cyclists off their bikes. all you do then is hold them down, claim you need an ambulance, and the police have toturn up. the clown on the bike can then be prosecuted.
"cyclists should be made to register their bikes, and have insurance before being allowed on the road"
Ha ha - that'd be cheap to implement then wouldn't it? And it'd be SO worthwhile too...not.
I'm sure the treasury would just love that idea ...
"so the owner can be identified"
Yeah but what about the person RIDING the bike - consdiering how much bike theft there is I doubt most of the riders would be the registered owners... unless you'd like a photocard license and cycle lane cameras all over the country to make sure that those riding the bikes are the registered owners? Get real matey.
DougM
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4:19pm Tue 13 Jan 09
As for your theory that the 'registered owner carries the can' I'm afraid you might need to do a little rethink on that one...
leedsnowfan
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4:19pm Tue 13 Jan 09
puddingandpi
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4:21pm Tue 13 Jan 09
I always give them a telling, using the strongest language (as long as there's no little kids around) & sometimes it works. And I haven't been stabbed yet, so that's not bad, is it?
Fercri Sakes
says...
5:00pm Tue 13 Jan 09
I cycle on the pavement North up Dyke Road past the Tesco garage as the cycle lanes are always filled with cars. I ride responsibly and give pedestrians lots of room and the right of way.
A mile up when the cars disappear I go back to the cycle lane. If I didn't do this I doubt I'd be alive right now to be able to type this.
Also will we have to fine little children having their first cycle down Hove prom? You can't have one rule for some.
I think that cyclists should be fined for any cycling that endangers pedestrians. But not on an empty pavement where I couldn't hurt anybody.
pancaker
says...
5:16pm Tue 13 Jan 09
Bryan taxi driver
says...
5:30pm Tue 13 Jan 09
But cyclist never gets stopped for going down the street the wrong way or no lights or riding on the pavement etc.
But soon as we got a light bulb out we are stopped or at the moment if we do not have a seat belt on we are getting stopped
And find £30. On Saturday the police with the hackney carriage officer were targeting private hire taxis with these fines plus anything
Else they could find. But they would not bother with the hackney taxi drivers who were parking illegally in North Street on zig zag lines.
So my point is if you are going to target someone? Then target us all and punish us all by the same rules.
Plus a little something to think about! Why the police go on about safety why still do buses have no seat belts for all passengers?
How many passengers get injured every year when a bus stops suddenly for a cyclist and everybody fly’s forward.
Stu
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5:48pm Tue 13 Jan 09
DougM
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5:54pm Tue 13 Jan 09
Stu wrote:And you'll be waiting a long time for your fix Stu, because in all likelihood it's not going to happen. If you're that keen to hear of some people dying, look at the headlines under 'car crash'.
I'm still waiting for the Argus headline "Pedestrian killed by cyclist cycling wrong way down one way street". I see it happen EVERY time I am in town - fortunately I am aware and check but most people dont. Do we really have to for an innocent pedestrian to be killed before something is done about this? How about spikes that come out of the ground and puncture their tyres when the CCTV operators see them?
Wouldn't your energies be better spent trying to reduce road deaths caused from car accidents?
Surely if you care about peoples lives that much you ought to get up and do something about it, instead of wasting your energy worrying about people on push-bikes?
Scoomer
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6:10pm Tue 13 Jan 09
Or do rogue pedestrians not count?
davyboy
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6:36pm Tue 13 Jan 09
Bryan taxi driver wrote:some fair points, bryan, but they don't stop all of you with lights out. i have seen literally dozens with lights missing, some hackney, some private. a lot seem to have these problems for months, as the same ones are seen day after day, maybe until mot time. i agree with the same fines across the board, and equal time targeting each mode of transport.
As a taxi driver in Brighton we are always getting criticised about our driving.
But cyclist never gets stopped for going down the street the wrong way or no lights or riding on the pavement etc.
But soon as we got a light bulb out we are stopped or at the moment if we do not have a seat belt on we are getting stopped
And find £30. On Saturday the police with the hackney carriage officer were targeting private hire taxis with these fines plus anything
Else they could find. But they would not bother with the hackney taxi drivers who were parking illegally in North Street on zig zag lines.
So my point is if you are going to target someone? Then target us all and punish us all by the same rules.
Plus a little something to think about! Why the police go on about safety why still do buses have no seat belts for all passengers?
How many passengers get injured every year when a bus stops suddenly for a cyclist and everybody fly’s forward.
NoWaySeriously
says...
6:57pm Tue 13 Jan 09
Nick Brighton
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7:04pm Tue 13 Jan 09
TheInsider
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8:03pm Tue 13 Jan 09
These are my observations: van drivers and taxi drivers tend to be too fat to move in their seats to be able to use their mirrors efficiently; women in 4x4s are a death trap as they have no spacial awareness and spend their time driving so close to you, you can see the baby sick on their clothes...if you asked a woman to take the wheel of a Transit she would wet herself, but put some windows in it and an air freshener and they think they can drive, but they can't.
Taxi drivers drive too close, too fast and ignore every road rule...if they were on bikes, they would be the ones without lights riding on the pavement..having a crafty fag en route....and taking the long route to get somewhere.
I was knocked down by a mum on the school run who ploughed into the back of me on my motorbike....she got out and cried as I lay in the road saying that she wasn't paying attention as her kids were distracting her.
I also ride a bike and to be honest I can't make head nor tail of the cycle markings which lead you up onto pavements and then stop...what do they mean?
As for the drivers on the Lewes Road who use the bike lane as a car park.... there were 12 cars parked in it last week, two of them untaxed, I tend do "do a Taxi" on my bike and clip all the mirrors off.
I hate to say it, but the bus drivers are not too bad considering the load they are moving but that's probably because they have some training.
grabur
says...
9:36pm Tue 13 Jan 09
"someone will be killed or seriously injured by a cyclist going the wrong way down church street at the junction of jubilee street!"
That sums it up, perfectly. Because this was such a common cut for cyclists (take at least a minute to think why!) they finally put a contra-flow cycle lane in, great. But at the same time, they narrowed the road, making it a nightmare for cyclist going up the road.
Cycle lanes are full of pit holes and obstacles, and almost suggest to the motorists, that we should be swept to the side off of roads. As someone else pointed out the Dyke Road cycle lanes are ridiculous. I have a FOAF who was violently knocked off his bike at the top of that road and died as a result, that was not his fault.
It's pretty darn simple. Pedestrians always have right of way.
I'm from the crazy school of thought that thinks you should pass a cycle test to get on a motorbike. A motorbike test to get in a car. And so on.
You have to give cyclists and motorcyclists plenty of room. Cars are murderous.
There is nothing wrong with cyclists using pavements, a lot of the time it's the only sensible option. Though they need to always slow down and give pedestrians space.
Those with no lights that's different. One way streets, that might be one for the town planners (but please don't make it any worse).
If I see a large vehicle with momentum i.e. a bus, as a cyclist I'll always give them room to maneuver.
Shame bad cycling, motorbiking and driving. But do not put people off getting on their bikes.
It's the needless, thoughtless car journeys into town, that should be targeted. While money and resources go into teaching people how to ride/drive carefully.
What ever happened to common sense?
jooj
says...
2:09am Wed 14 Jan 09
Riding on the pavement (i.e., a pedestrian walkway not indicated as being partly or in whole a cycle path) is against the law, Section 64 of the Highway code states this quite clearly. There's no exception, if it is unsafe on the road, get off and walk.
Personally it seems I break the law quite often, as I like to ride up the cliff walkway, and also on possibly the biggest pavement in England on Hove seafront... although the only time I get some idiot shouting obscenities at me is when I use the clearly marked cycle path along the sea front when they walk in or across the lane. Go figure.
Strugg Lynn
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9:31am Wed 14 Jan 09
trolleydolly
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11:55am Wed 14 Jan 09
deanaprior
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12:13pm Wed 14 Jan 09
Sometimes I cycle through Brighton on sunny mornings going to work and its pure joy.
thensx
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12:26pm Wed 14 Jan 09
DougM
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1:33pm Wed 14 Jan 09
You sound exactly like the type of aggressive knuckle-dragger that is the scourge of our society.
Never mind the odd cyclist committing a very minor misdemeanour every now and again, what the police need to crack down on is people like you.
Our society would be ineffably better were it not for your type.
thensx
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2:34pm Wed 14 Jan 09
DougM
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2:43pm Wed 14 Jan 09
If your internet posturing were to become reality (which I doubt,) it does however suggest that you will either end up quite rightly with a criminal record (or a longer one?), costing the decent law-abiding taxpayer more money, or a bicycle wrapped around your face.
thensx
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2:44pm Wed 14 Jan 09
DougM
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2:49pm Wed 14 Jan 09
thensx
says...
2:58pm Wed 14 Jan 09
deanaprior
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3:02pm Wed 14 Jan 09
Made In Sussex
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3:39pm Wed 14 Jan 09
Yeah I reckon we should give all road users a bit of space to bend the rules after all its not like anyone is going to get hurt is it..
grabur
says...
4:27pm Wed 14 Jan 09
A third of cyclists are responsible. The other two thirds?
The cycle lane on the front. It doesn't work well. There is so much room, I don't see why there isn't just a lane on the side of the road, perhaps protected.
As for cycling on the seafront. I love to cycle there as I don't need to worry about traffic, it's a joy, but supposedly I'm not allowed. Why not just ban cyclists during the peak months. Or just let us use pavements sensibly. That's what needs to be drummed into kids (especially) and adults.
Would you let your kids cycle on the road?
Why should I have to get off and walk every time I pass the Vogue gyratory? And many other spots, that have clearly been designed in favour of a motor car.
The city got loads of money to make it cycle friendly. Where did it go? Painting parts of the pavement red, does not constitute a cycle lane, especially when there are bloody great lamp posts and bollards in the way.
It's a waste of money. Spend it on education. And Parents, teach your kids how to cycle properly. A policeman taught me, and it was invaluable. Best thing I learnt at school.
zamo28
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6:13pm Wed 14 Jan 09
caeos
says...
7:13pm Wed 14 Jan 09
either he is bored, or wants ever moving thing removed.
Perhaps the nice people from Bricycles or sustrans would like to stand at the front of a bus and watch the aboslute horror caused by some of these two wheel road users.
"Those who wish to ride carelessly or contravene legislation that applies to them, can expect to be dealt with robustly."by being run over, driven at harshly, hit by people with bags and brollies while cycling on the pavement etc
BrightonBoy
says...
9:58pm Wed 14 Jan 09
The problem here is the great British Public and in many a serious lack of social skills, values and beliefs - not how they are transporting them selves around.
Its these that need to be adddressed by being responsive before we do our usual and try to be reactive - which rarely works.
black123
says...
9:38pm Thu 15 Jan 09
Officers investigating the murder of Stuart Slade released a picture on Wednesday of 24-year-old Michael Bishop, a resident of the city.
Sussex Police's Det Ch Insp Steve Johns has appealed for Mr Bishop to come forward as soon as possible.
Mr. Kipling
says...
4:19pm Fri 16 Jan 09
deanaprior wrote:Only problem is the roses smell of manure
How can people be so grumpy and aggressive about a few cyclists breaking traffic regulations. Smell the roses
Mr. Kipling
says...
4:21pm Fri 16 Jan 09
black123 wrote:Well this *is* the Argus
A man believed to have vital information about a fatal stabbing in Brighton is being sought by police.
Officers investigating the murder of Stuart Slade released a picture on Wednesday of 24-year-old Michael Bishop, a resident of the city.
Sussex Police's Det Ch Insp Steve Johns has appealed for Mr Bishop to come forward as soon as possible.
rusky
says...
11:56am Sat 17 Jan 09
The only law I break is cycling on the pavement, but only when it's safe to do so.
There are certain areas that, in my opinion, it is not safe to cycle on the road, the bottom of the Old Shoreham Road up to BHASVIC being one. When I cycle home I cycle on the pavement but only if there's no pedestrians around, if there is, I stop & wait for them to pass (I welcome the rest for a minute or so!).
I have also seen cyclists riding around 7 dials roundabout at night, in dark clothes, with no lights & on a mobile! There are some bad cyclists but most are law abiding.
I have to say that bus & taxi drivers are the worst offenders for endangering cyclists.
Oh, anyone know what the consequences are of not being able to pay an on the spot fine??
Stan Z
says...
5:03pm Sat 17 Jan 09
Some taxi drivers' attitudes are awful (noticeable when in a taxi).
Many are unable to use indicators control speed or use their mirrors.
Taxi driver complacency in being a "professional" driver has led many to think they own the road (plus safety in number etc.) and I have experienced too many near misses with me and others on the road. Sometimes taxi drivers acknowlegde their mistake or apologise but mostly they are ignorant anything has happened or rude. It is no excuse for cyclists but I can see why some people move onto the pavement at times.
Personally, I feel more reporting of taxis and a stricter process for punishing them would increase safety for everybody.
If the Council ever properly sorted out the cycle paths (incl removing broken glass) and linked them to each other rather than to pavements or middle of the road (e.g. at old steine/edward street) then this would be of great help.
For cyclists, I understand the best contact to get in touch with about your issues re: cycle routes and transport planning is Jo.Brooksbank@Bright
on-Hove.gov.uk
Mr. Kipling
says...
10:24am Sun 18 Jan 09
Tonsim
says...
2:35pm Sun 18 Jan 09
Ming
says...
1:02pm Mon 19 Jan 09
Osmo
says...
5:45pm Thu 29 Jan 09
The other evening a man cycled toward me on the pavement by Preston Park, with no lights. He must have needed glasses too because the clearly marked cycle path was less than 6ft away to his right. I've also seen cyclists illegally using the A23 rather than the cycle path.
It's about time enforcement is used but education on proper road use would bring greater benefits in the long run.
Whatever happened to cycling proficiency?
rusky
says...
6:38pm Tue 3 Feb 09
Why do you say the cyclist was "illegally using the A23 rather than the cycle path."?
The use of cycle paths are not mandatory.
I agree that there are some cyclists that routinely break the law but they are in the minority.
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