Police spotting (junction watch)

Thanks for merging - didn't spot this thread

"As a member of the new Cycle Task Force I need to clear up a few points about Asl's (Cycle boxes at traffic lights)
*The police can give words of advice to car's and motorcycles in them but there is no legislation to prosecute. These boxes along with the new cycle super highway lanes are advisory only and drivers/riders cannot be prosecuted for entering them. *

Please feel free to email us about any cycle issues you have. We are a team of experienced police officers who love cycling and want to help London cyclists. "

http://www.lfgss.com/post1545121-28.html

Well that's complete bollocks for a start.* Driving into an ASL reservoir against a red light is an offence because they have crossed a STOP line illegally. If the people charged with dealing with traffic offences don't know that, then what chance do we have?

fwiw, I didn't ride CS7 yesterday cause I had a couple of errands. This morning I came through slightly earlier than usual, but saw no motorbike cops, just several vans questioning a group of yoof at a bus stop at E&C.

I wish we could swap ASL policing for stopping mobile use, women doing make up while driving, reading, eating, shaving FFS, smoking even (advisory only). But there is nothing to swap. The Met don't care about motoring offences.

• Not hippy, but the post he was quoting.
  

Why does everyone think they don't stop motorvehicles? I've seen plenty of cars pulled over by the police.

fucking man up! If you're gonna jump reds then be prepared to pay if you get caught

Especially if you're in a taxi...?

Beware of around Holborn from today. InMidtown a business improvement disctrict have issued a press release which encourages people to report cyclists. They are calling for "responsible" cycling but without calling for "responsible" driving. Very one-sided. Thread on Bikeradar here: http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12718620[http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12718620](http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12718620)

Sheriffs on Bishopsgate watching the Wormwood/Bevis Marks junction

Some fella has been unlucky. He stopped, but too far over the line apparently and has been booked. Prob would have been ok, but opted for a trackstand on gears and crept forward a bit too far. Also sheriff was bored due to there not being any real offenders.

Dashed bad luck fella....very nice bike though.

Sounds like a pile of shit.

That policeman should hand in his badge.

that Inmidtown press release is really condescending.

+1 About the copper booking someone for a bit of line-creep whilst track standing.

Would he have booked a car driver the same..? No. Because that would cause traffic chaos, whereas you can pull a cyclist over onto the pavement far more easily.

With the demise of speed cameras, on the spot fines are probably the new revenue-generation tool for the cash-strapped Met police.

fucking man up! If you're gonna jump reds then be prepared to pay if you get caught

This.

Paid into a government pool, but they do count towards sucessful bust stats. Hence the theory proposed earlier that you are more likely to get done at the end of the month when coppers realise they are ten short of their target...

Allegedly.

Loads of motorbike Police out yesterday on embankment pulling over motorbikes.

I had a close pass by a transit having a race with a BMW at next lights a patrol car pulled up & mentioned what had happened, they thanked me, put siren & lights on and burned off after them! A quiet day then, but can't complain.

Do the police actually receive the FPN money into their budget, or are they paid to HMCS?

I don't know for certain actually, I have just assumed so.

But given that many forces were using speed traps as a way to generate revenue, I'd be surprised if they don't get a portion of fines back too. And if the portions add up to more than the cost of putting the bobbies out manning the RLJ traps... You see my point.

It's usually when people have a target to meet, that they start booking people for being just over a line or whatever.

There's a few cops hanging around theobalds road going west as it becomes a bus only lane. Don't usually use that lane, and tend to go down the linking road to high holborn. Got pulled over and informed it was definetely for BUSES ONLY, and that I should use the far nicer multi-lane road (down past cycle surgery) and onto the cyclist-friendly high holborn. The cops themselves didn't seem too bad and were pretty understanding, and it's obviously some initiative they have to carry out. I doubt that stretch is any better in terms of traffic anyway, but worth avoiding today.

^The danger there comes from crossing Southampton Row where traffic is turning right from Bloomsbury Way/Vernon Place. There are signs for that traffic to give way to oncoming buses but a cyclist could easily be missed; especially as they are not meant to be there. I don't think it's worth using.

Yeah, that's probably why I've never used it before, and now you mention it I've seen cyclists coming the other way coming into difficulties crossing the junction.

There's a few cops hanging around theobalds road going west as it becomes a bus only lane. Don't usually use that lane, and tend to go down the linking road to high holborn. Got pulled over and informed it was definetely for BUSES ONLY, and that I should use the far nicer multi-lane road (down past cycle surgery) and onto the cyclist-friendly high holborn. The cops themselves didn't seem too bad and were pretty understanding, and it's obviously some initiative they have to carry out. I doubt that stretch is any better in terms of traffic anyway, but worth avoiding today.

Camden Cycling Campaign campaigned to prevent this restriction on cyclists, but unfortunately they weren't successful. The ban is unworkable and will be lifted in due course, but until then there'll still be a lot of annoyance.

There's a few cops hanging around theobalds road going west as it becomes a bus only lane. Don't usually use that lane, and tend to go down the linking road to high holborn. Got pulled over and informed it was definetely for BUSES ONLY, and that I should use the far nicer multi-lane road (down past cycle surgery) and onto the cyclist-friendly high holborn. The cops themselves didn't seem too bad and were pretty understanding, and it's obviously some initiative they have to carry out. I doubt that stretch is any better in terms of traffic anyway, but worth avoiding today.

Is that really buses only? I always use bit that now. It's much easier if I have to get to pOxford St than the alternative fiddle.

Is that really buses only?

Yes, it is, but as with any other contraflow bus lane from which cyclists are banned, that restriction is completely unenforceable.

Unenforceable in what sense? They'll never do anything because it's a waste of time (everyone uses it) or they don't have a legal way of fining/prosecuting me?

Sorry, I meant that as cyclists will constantly be using it (as the restriction makes no sense whatsoever), they'll be able to make periodic spot checks (as they are doing), but not be able to consistently enforce it. I should have said "unworkable" again, as above.

This sort of pointless restriction only makes a mess because its unreasonableness creates a kind of 'contempt for the law' scenario. Cyclists will continue to use it (many will deliberately ignore the restriction, many won't look at the signage properly, many will be new to the country, etc.)--'ah, so cyclists must all be lawless/above the law/arrogant etc.'--'but it's so unreasonable'--'reasonable or not, you have to abide by the rules'--'but how is it going to be changed unless people show up that there's a problem with it'--and so on ad infinitum.

There is in many areas still a mindset that by default there should be permeability restrictions on cyclists, where exceptions are granted only by special permission (e.g., expensive contraflow lanes), as opposed to changing the default. This is one such very regrettable case, and like every single other contraflow bus lane ever in London, it won't work here, either.

I didn't even know we couldn't use it. I used to go down past Cycle Surgery. If a copper is there I guess I might have second thoughts now (if I remember this). I only ride that way once in a blue moon so it's not really a big issue? big issue? big issue?! for me.

Was this initially for both buses and bikes and then redesignated as bus only?

Or maybe it's only been in the past few months that I actually noticed the signage excludes bikes

I remember the road opened up and then closed again

When it reopened I noticed it was bus only.