Should police swoop on cyclists who ignore red lights? (ES poll)

[tdr1nka]

I think I'm just banging about the sparce solidarity between cyclists in London.

T x

 

[John the Monkey]

Or do you think that the police should be going after cyclists heavily even though they make an infinitesimally small contribution to road deaths, injuries and adverse quality of life/anti-social behaviour?

Heavily is open to interpretation, but I don't see any reason that a cyclist breaking the law should escape punishment because x number of motorists do for their offences. I'd imagine that enforcing traffic law at junctions need not involve focussing particularly on one group of road users, unless that group was over represented among those breaking the law.

Hence my agreement with Bentmikey's statement;

The police should do every red light jumper, and not focus on one particular type.

 

[BentMikey]

Domtyler has a point though. With limited resources, police should first be targeting the issues that most affect the community. I'm not sure that the hatred of cyclist RLJing is worse than the death and injury toll generated by RLJing motorists.

 

[domtyler]

Personally I would put red light jumping [by cyclists] at a similar level to graffiti and littering, in fact probably well below this level. Compare this to the 3,500 deaths directly caused by motorists, plus the thousands of extra deaths attributed to the pollution caused by motorists, plus the thousands and thousands of serious injuries (= lives wrecked) caused by motorists, plus the millions of people who have their lives blighted by speeding motorists on a constant basis right outside their own homes.

Do you still want to go after cyclists?

 

[BentMikey]

I think that cyclist RLJing is at least slightly worse than your estimate, given the number of peds reportly injured by such muppets, and that I personally know two cyclists who've been taken out by RLJers.

Secondly, it's not fair to compare the total motorist death toll to RLJing cars, because RLJing will only be a small subset of that.

In any event, neither group has the slightest right to complain about being ticketed.

 

[tdr1nka]

What is wrong with expecting the same of all road users, only the penalties should be dealt out according to the transport involved.

T x

 

[John the Monkey]

Domtyler has a point though. With limited resources, police should first be targeting the issues that most affect the community. I'm not sure that the hatred of cyclist RLJing is worse than the death and injury toll generated by RLJing motorists.

I think if a junction is going to be policed, it should be policed. If there's only one officer present, and a bike *and* car go through, I can see the rationale for going for the car driver rather than the bike rider in terms of the potential for harm. (Presumably this means that the larger vehicle is the choice when a car and a bus, or a car and a lorry both ignore the signal).

I'm not entirely convinced that writing out a £30 ticket to cyclists ties up a huge amount of resource (although I'm willing to be corrected, given the amount of paper generated by the modern police service).

 

[domd1979]

In fairness, nationally the amount of resource put into policing motorised traffic, against the odd Met Police action against cyclists is probably about in proportion.

Dealing with the death toll caused by motorised traffic isn't just a matter of policing. A lot more could be done like fitting speed limiters (GPS linked to speed limits if necessary) to cars. Attitudes in society towards the car as a status symbol need to change. The media's pro-motoring stance needs to change. Transport planning policy needs to change. Unfortunately many of those things are also politically unpalatable, will lose votes, and so politicians at all levels will refuse to deal with the problem properly.

I don't subscribe to the notion that the police should ignore RLJers. The police are there to deal with all crime, and cyclists aren't above the law.

Domtyler has a point though. With limited resources, police should first be targeting the issues that most affect the community. I'm not sure that the hatred of cyclist RLJing is worse than the death and injury toll generated by RLJing motorists.

 

[snorri]

plus the millions of people who have their lives blighted by speeding motorists on a constant basis right outside their own homes.

Do you still want to go after cyclists?

Yes, and drivers as well. Just because aggressive cyclists are not killing people, it does not mean to say they are not blighting lives by brushing through groups of peds who are going forward on the green light.

 

[Old Walrus]

I'll 'do' either if they run a red light in front of me! Practically a car is easier as it's got an index number and you can always summons them if they get away. No I'm not advocating index numbers for bikes.........

Whatever FPN is issued it takes 10 minutes maximum if you're unlucky, don't start on how long even the easiest file takes!

 

[yenrod]

Some bloke, whom I work with, Son got nabbed by the police for riding on the pavement !

£30 quid fine !

He (father) went to the local police sta. and complained...to no amends...

The lad had gone to Macs for a bite and was riding home when the police nearly ran him off the pave' - unjust I feel and unneccessary !

Heavy-handed police tactics !

 

[Old Walrus]

Yenrod, one of the biggest complaints we get is about bikes on pavements, having said that a word in the ear is usually the best remedy, it would have to be a particularly obtuse pavement rider who ended up with one of my £30'ers. I fear your friend's son probably failed the 'attitude test', but as for them nearly running him off the pavement I am not impressed.

 

[domtyler]

Yenrod, one of the biggest complaints we get is about bikes on pavements, having said that a word in the ear is usually the best remedy, it would have to be a particularly obtuse pavement rider who ended up with one of my £30'ers. I fear your friend's son probably failed the 'attitude test', but as for them nearly running him off the pavement I am not impressed.

I have a pavement... and a road outside my house. I hate pavement cyclists as I am never too sure when I walk out of my gate that I won't get hit, constantly prays on my mind. I would like to complain to the police about these dreaded pavement cyclists.

The speeding motorists that are a constant presence I hate much more, they are a far, far, far bigger threat to the health and safety of me and my family than the one or two pavement cyclists (estimate) that go past each day. I probably wouldn't bother complaining about the cars though, there's just no point is there?

 

[yenrod]

Yenrod, one of the biggest complaints we get is about bikes on pavements, having said that a word in the ear is usually the best remedy, it would have to be a particularly obtuse pavement rider who ended up with one of my £30'ers. I fear your friend's son probably failed the 'attitude test', but as for them nearly running him off the pavement I am not impressed.

I'll expand as you appear to be a servant of her majesty's police force.

As much as I recognise and back the police wholeheartedly.

Attitude or not i feel the police brought that upon themselves, nearly running someone over especially as this lad was only supporting the local business community ie macdonalds !

Police 0 member of the Public 1

 

[domtyler]

One could argue that cars RLJing is no more dangerous, and just annoying.

One could, but then one would be an idiot.