Police spotting (junction watch)

Not read this thread in a while, jeez I have been cycling though there all the way to New Oxford St. Is the same true of the new layout on Shaftsbury Avenue into Piccadilly Circus as well?

Yeah. I spotted them parked up the ginnel that's the CS route. Two of them then. Not sure what they were after. I'm pleased to hear they were stopping cars, too. That makes a refreshing change.

Not read this thread in a while, jeez I have been cycling though there all the way to New Oxford St. Is the same true of the new layout on Shaftsbury Avenue into Piccadilly Circus as well?

No the lane at the bottom of Shaftsbury going into Piccadilly is dual use and bikes can use it.

Police on the southwest side of Farringdon Road/Rosebury Avenue crossroads today, hiding behind that big tree by the fire station like some kind of peeping tom.

Also a couple on the set of traffic lights maybe 100m east of Holborn Circus on Theobalds Road, they seemed to be in a forgiving mood though as a bloke in front of me jumped the lights but stopped before he reached them (he'd jumped the road the lights were for though) and all he got was a 'Next time' from one of them.

Colleague said Oxford Street had a few on too.

There were 4 police ticketing rlj'ers at the junction of Waterloo Road/Bayliss Road/The Cut on Tuesday night, were dishing out loads of tickets, they had people queued up for them.

Police on the southwest side of Farringdon Road/Rosebury Avenue crossroads today, hiding behind that big tree by the fire station like some kind of peeping tom.

Ha, I saw them.
Well, one in particularly who chased me the other week. I waved.

I was at that same junction heading north about two weeks ago trackstanding at the lights like the best of these skiddie-fixers. I saw the other lights change and adjusted my balance to get ready.
I had headphones in at the time and was listening to a particularly rousing bit of Talk Talk so didn't hear the police cyclist behind me say "Wait...."

Lights went orange. I got ready to push. Just turning green, I was away.
Record timing up Roseberry avenue, right down Tysoe Street. Across to Myddelton Street and all the way up to Spencer Street where the lights changed so I duly stopped.

I hadn't done a thing wrong at all as far as I could tell, I had waited, cycled safely, stopped at lights.

Except I hadn't noticed the same policeman I saw this morning hiding behind the tree had been following me since the Farringdon intersection breathlessly wheezing "STOP".

About 20 seconds into the lights he pulled up, exhausted, shaken, sweaty and told me in no uncertain terms that I had broken the law.
I asked him what he thought he'd seen and went through the situation with him.
Something clicked in his brain that he was obviously wrong and he gave me a "Next time.." and tootled away on a side street hunched over his handlebars.

I was glad to see him this morning.
I thought he was going to die.

Best of all I was wearing this:

Not read this thread in a while, jeez I have been cycling though there all the way to New Oxford St. Is the same true of the new layout on Shaftsbury Avenue into Piccadilly Circus as well?

No, that will permit cycling.

FWIW, I think the UK has generally very well designed road signage, barring the odd aberration created by local council numpties. The not-crossing-out thing makes sense once you know the rationale - which should take about 30 seconds of reading the highway code - but it does catch a lot of people out.

[doctornick] Inflammable means flammable? What a crazy language! [/doctornick]

Is that because a sign with a line through it means 'end of (thing on sign)'? or because putting a line through a picture makes it harder to work out what it actually is?

Couple of bike police at junction of Eccleston and Ebury Streets, just north of Victoria, this morning about 9.15. Not noticed much in the way of rljing going on there but I guess it must be on their list...

I got busted yesterday, for no fault of my own, coming out of the tunnel on Beech St nr the Barbican heading towards Smithfields.

It's tight skipping past cars at the best of times down there but one taxi cab edged me out (on purpose to cut me up) as I was passing the waiting traffic towards the lights. This caused me to hop, momentarily, on the pavement about 3 metres to avoid crashing into him. I then got back on the road and started to slam my foot on the pedals. Just as the lights went green (I never jump lights, always timed to perfection) when this cop came out of nowhere and practically dived on me!

Usual self-righteous scripted babble ensued. Pay £30 or go to court. Was going to charge me twice - the other for trying to escape! They hear you but don't listen. No point taking it to court because the CCTV will not do the taxi's mindless manoevre any justice. Taxi driver beeped and smirked as he drove off as well.

Boris must be raking in the dosh from all the fines and penalities since the cycle boom.

Did you endanger anyone? Am sure someone posted the legalese explaining that the police have discretion wrt to pavement cycling.

Not at all. When I ended up back on the road there was plenty of space next to front car, no cyclists behind me and no pedestrians other than the two cops tucked around the corner. If anything, she nearly endangered me by grabbing my bike mid-push causing me to front break in reaction to this illuminous coloured blur in front of me, tipping my rear wheel up and balls becoming dangerously close to the ol' handlebars!

Whilst I was getting booked, some guy on a Boris bikewent up on the kerb on just his front wheel and she pulled him up for it. Shocking.

It appears unclear

Found this

"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. However the Home Office 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)"

on here

http://www.bikeforall.net/content/cycling_and_the_law.php

But earlier in the piece it says that footpath cycling is illegal, so am not certain, but would you trust anything you read on the interwebz?

True but seems like a common sense rule. Maybe I'll take them to court instead of the fine...

are you an LCC member? If so ask them for legal advice.

True, a good precedent case really is needed.

Lamb's Conduit/Theobolds today. Saw them get three RLJs on one set of light changes. Completely ignored the Black Cab in the ASL though....

South side of Blackfriars bridge - the lights outside Doggetts pub. Think it was combined with a security tagging for bikes, but I very nearly RLJ'd the junction there right in front of them before the combined glare of several neon yellow jackets made me stop

last night Coventry Street / Leicester Square pedestrianised area - peelers were issuing on-the-spot £30 fines for cyclists passing through. i got away with it because the guy who stopped me had run out of tickets (he claims).

not sure of the situation now but be careful if you're nearby. it's so bloody hard to tell where the pedestrian area begins (especially with drunken punters spilling out onto the non-pedestrianised roads at night).

On Brixton road at the crossing just before Camberwell New road and also on the junction after on the way to Kennington.

On Brixton road at the crossing just before Camberwell New road and also on the junction after on the way to Kennington.

They were doing spot safety checks on motorbikes. Atleast 9 or 10 cops all stood around on the street corner, seemed as bit excessive to me.

They were doing spot safety checks on motorbikes. Atleast 9 or 10 cops all stood around on the street corner, seemed as bit excessive to me.

I did see them pull over a cyclist too. I guess he shouldn't have RLJed especially as the police were so blatantly obvious.

Knightsbridge this morning

I did the get off and walk trick. Left the policeman muttering to himself and a couple of peds pointed and laughed at the policemans frustration.

Police now at junction of Theobalds Rd and Lambs Conduit Street, two sets of lights being watched, beware!...

They'll rake it in.
Absolutely nobody stops here.
AND it's right by the cop shop.