Police spotting (junction watch)

"town" is shorter than midtown so if you're referring to London, never gonna happen.

<<< Efficient

Hardly any around tonight because they'd got a better offer of kicking-in a few students on Russell Square. The ones that do show up in the evenings remind me more and more of Jimmy Cauty's Riot In a Jam Jar series.

Brixton Road - outside the police station. Heavy police presence at the lights. Police van breezes through a red light. Nobody bats an eyelid. Irony can be pretty ironic at times.

A PCSO in Victoria impressed me today. I was sitting in a cafe observing him watching for RLJing. He fined a woman for riding onto the pavement to the bike racks rather then getting off. Then stopped a guy for not having lights and fined him. While writing the ticket he stopped a car in the ASL and fined the driver for stopping in there. He also fined a couple for RLJing. All in under an hour.

I spoke to him when I left, asked him about hi-viz and helmets and he said he didn't give a toss about them as they are opinions not law. I'm impressed.

ah, but he shouldn't've fined the woman cycling on the pavement unless she was actually causing some nuisance to pedestrians (as per the boateng guidance..)

That's like saying people shouldn't fined for speeding unless they're causing a nuisance to other vehicles.

If a tree commits a road traffic offence in a forest and nobody sees it, does it get a fine?

Squirrel PCSO's?

Brixton Road - outside the police station. Heavy police presence at the lights. Police van breezes through a red light. Nobody bats an eyelid. Irony can be pretty ironic at times.

every day for the last two weeks. I suppose it maked is easy for them to pop in for tea and 4,000 HobNobs. Not seen them police a single piece of HGV fuckery yet.

squirrel pcso's?

a.s.a.b.

Was leafleted by a copper just outside Brixton cop shop yesterday morning. All very friendly. Of course, there wasn't an officer anywhere to be seen shortly thereafter when a cabbie tried to run me off the road. Ho hum. I'm sure the Met have got their priorities right here.

I've had good experiences with Operation Safeway so far.

The heaviest presence I've seen has actually been on 2 junctions; 1 is in Lewisham and the other is in Bromley. At both locations I've been offered a leaflet in a friendly manner and have seen motorists being appropriately fined for ASL infringements and blatant jumps. Where a motorist's wheel has popped over the first ASL only slightly they've been leafletted not fined, which I feel is fair.

Had a chat with a propper PC at E&C this morning. Pulled up at the lights at the southern roundabout. I looked over, and he said good morning! General chit chat about loving being out in the cold for hours etc...he joked that they needed to be out to keep "you lot" in line! I quipped back "well, as soon as your gone we'll be back to our old ways". he had a good laugh. I was quick to add that everyone has hopefully learnt to get along a bit better and chill out.

Was nice to have a laugh with the copper. Nice as well to have a chat to others as we rode off through the roundabouts of death. Some good vibes out there this morning.

That's like saying people shouldn't fined for speeding unless they're causing a nuisance to other vehicles.

If a tree commits a road traffic offence in a forest and nobody sees it, does it get a fine?

Legislative background:

The primary legislation which makes cycling on a footway an offence is section 72 of the 1835 Highways Act, this provides that a person shall be guilty of an offence if he "shall wilfully ride upon any footpath or causeway by the side of any road made or set apart for the use or accommodation of foot-passengers or shall wilfully lead or drive any carriage of any description upon any such footpath or causeway."
Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1888 extended the definition of "carriage" to include "bicycles, tricycles, velocipedes and other similar machines."
The object of Section 72 Highways Act 1835 was intended not to protect all footpaths, but only footpaths or causeways by the side of a road, and that this is still the case has been ruled in the high court. The legislation makes no exceptions for small wheeled or children's cycles, so even a child riding on a footway is breaking the law. However, if they are under the age of criminal responsibility they cannot, of course, face prosecution. The child's parents could be held responsible for any damage caused by their child riding on the path which could involve personal injury costs in the case of a collision with a pedestrian.
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.
Home office guidance
The Home Office then 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)".

Had a chat with a propper PC at E&C this morning. Pulled up at the lights at the southern roundabout.

... which hasn't been a roundabout since 2009. :)

Gotta stop living in the past ;-)

... which hasn't been a roundabout since 2009. :)

Has it been that long? OMG, time does fly...

A whole load of rozzers all up the holloway road flagging down cyclists

Squirrel PCSO's?

More useful than current pcso's

And sultana PCSOs.

And sultana PCSOs.

repped'

Why are they trying to make us abide by all road laws? I propose all red lights and stop signals mean "give way" for cyclists.

2/10

(2 for working out how to start a thread)