Police spotting (junction watch)

I don't know if this is worthy of it's own thread but I just wanted to warn anyone who frequently rides up Theobalds Road into central London that the transport police have been stopping every single cyclist who uses the bus lane that goes past Central Saint Martins college to cut through towards Covent garden. Apparently that bus lane is special and you're not allowed to use it.

I stood outside for 20 minutes today and watched at least 15 cyclists, Boris bikers and couriers alike, unwittingly ride straight into the jaws of 6 transport police officers and each get a £30 on-the-spot fine.

I thought it might be useful to post a warning on here as it seems like they're going to be there all week.

They were there yesterday, last week and plenty of times before. The amount of people that just sit there looking at the cops then still use the bus lane is amazing. But when they aren't there i see so many people ride through red lights swerving all over the place to avoid taxi's and buses, it's just a matter of time before someone get's hurt there.

That guy with the camera seems like a massive twat.

Yep total tool. Seems like a cocky little prick asking for trouble. I couldn't even be bothered to finish watching the video.

Probably one of these, 'My Daddies a lawyer' trustafarians who go and smash up shops in the West End in their spare time

I don't know if this is worthy of it's own thread but I just wanted to warn anyone who frequently rides up Theobalds Road into central London that the transport police have been stopping every single cyclist who uses the bus lane that goes past Central Saint Martins college to cut through towards Covent garden. Apparently that bus lane is special and you're not allowed to use it.

I stood outside for 20 minutes today and watched at least 15 cyclists, Boris bikers and couriers alike, unwittingly ride straight into the jaws of 6 transport police officers and each get a £30 on-the-spot fine.

I thought it might be useful to post a warning on here as it seems like they're going to be there all week.

"KEN" bikers FFFFS

kencycles.

He doesn't

The amount of people that just sit there looking at the cops then still use the bus lane is amazing.

So true, you could see the sea of fluorescence from miles away and yet I still had to tell two guys at the lights not to carry on or they'd get fined. Blind fools. But it was nice to see their faces fill with gratitude when they realised I'd just saved them from a fine.

And yeah I agree it's a really dangerous junction but as with all tricky junctions as long as people use their common sense and follow the lights there's no reason that cyclists should be banned from the bus lane.

That bloke makes excellent videos that challenge the brainless morons/victim/those living in fear of lifeyou klnow the kind that tell you to get off your bike down More London even though there are no pedesetrians or if you're going at walking pace But I didn;t like the fact that he has used RLJing to make his latest point.

toosh monsyeur!

So true, you could see the sea of fluorescence from miles away and yet I still had to tell two guys at the lights not to carry on or they'd get fined. Blind fools. But it was nice to see their faces fill with gratitude when they realised I'd just saved them from a fine.

And yeah I agree it's a really dangerous junction but as with all tricky junctions as long as people use their common sense and follow the lights there's no reason that cyclists should be banned from the bus lane.

I'd argue that. If the lanes are wide enough for a bus do you really think the nodders/hipsters are going to wait behind the bus for it to move on from the stop or swing straight out into oncoming traffic?

Boris bikes though.

someone link to the place Scoot is talking about. I used to cycle through there a lot and I'm not sure where you mean.

I think the street view is out of date.

oh, cheers, my bad.

That stretch of bus lane has been discussed several times before here.

http://www.lfgss.com/thread8406-7.html#post1581134 etc.

That circular sign with the bicycle symbol means "cycling prohibited".

And yeah I agree it's a really dangerous junction but as with all tricky junctions as long as people use their common sense and follow the lights there's no reason that cyclists should be banned from the bus lane.

The potential problem is where cyclists have to cross Southampton Row and face right turning traffic off Vernon Place.

That stretch of bus lane has been discussed several times before here.

Ah, my mistake, I was looking at the one going south towards Holborn station/junction.

Sorry sumo I can't find a picture, Googlemaps is well out of date, basically a few months ago they did some work and have put all sorts of confusing nonsense there. On the side closest to CSM there is now a bus lane with fences on either side, and the lane is very narrow so you can't punt along the side of it.

I use that bus lane every time I go from college to central without incident, it's so much quicker/less stressful than going the Holborn station way. Why do road rules have to be drawn up to save idiot cyclists from themselves, and ruin it for everyone else? Pfffffffft I say.

That whole area is shit to be honest, going south down southampton when there is a green at that junction going across theobald's road there seems to be red at the ped crossing just around the corner to the right, so drivers gun it seeing the green only then seeing the red light around the corner.

As for the bus lane it doesn't help that cyclists creep over the ped crossing and wait on the end of the bus lane well in advance of the lights and just guess if they have changed, my office over looks it and i've lost count of the time's i've been amazed at a rider not getting wiped out by traffic coming the other way.

oh, cheers, my bad.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Red+Lion+Square,+Camden+Town&aq=0&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=7.50299,28.256836&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Red+Lion+Square,+Camden+Town,+Greater+London,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.519527,-0.119857&spn=0.000482,0.001725&t=h&z=19

It shows up on the satelitte image on googlemaps not sure if i've got the link above correct.

It's there on the satellite view, but Google streetview hasn't caught up yet - a bus lane now surges straight through the 'triangle' here towards Southampton Row, cutting through where the one way sign is.

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=51.519715,-0.119723&spn=0.000385,0.00111&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=51.519639,-0.119861&panoid=CTKzDnYSmxNf9kKFNrL5rQ&cbp=12,256.61,,0,0

I came down yesterday morning to find a flourescent helmeted plod stood in the entrance to the bus lane, pointing cyclists off to the left as they approached (and everyone did).. if anyone was blind enough to miss him then they probably need to be off the road! Judging by what has been said here it looks like they've moved on from 'fair warning' to just jumping people, but I haven't seen any again there yet this week.

That whole area is shit to be honest, going south down southampton when there is a green at that junction going across theobald's road there seems to be red at the ped crossing just around the corner to the right, so drivers gun it seeing the green only then seeing the red light around the corner.

As for the bus lane it doesn't help that cyclists creep over the ped crossing and wait on the end of the bus lane well in advance of the lights and just guess if they have changed, my office over looks it and i've lost count of the time's i've been amazed at a rider not getting wiped out by traffic coming the other way.

All of this is true. It's all fucking stupid. That second set of lights is especially ridiculous. RAZE IT TO THE GROUND AND START AGAIN.

you mean before you reach Drake St?

Sigh....I'll take a photo tomorrow of the whole shebang, I'm sure the po po will be out in force again, making a mint off the unsuspecting public instead of catching criminals like they ought to be.

There is a major sting operation currently underway at the junction of Hackney Rd and Old St... a friendly geezer at the lights shouted to stop me jumping the left filter onto Shoreditch High Street (which I reckon is normally fine so long as no-one is crossing)..

^ just saw three people pulled over, lots of police cyclists at the junction and just under the bridge by the 5-a-side on old st.