20mph limit. Can cyclists get done for this?

Islington and some other London boroughs are introducing new 20mph zones. Can cyclists get done for exceeding this? I've heard (tall) tales of people on bikes being clocked at more than 30 on a speed gun and fined although I'm not sure they are true. It is true though that if you get caught rlj'ing or whatever and you have a driving license, that old bill can give you points on your license or so a traffic copper told me not long ago.

there is an old offence of "cycling furiously" which I believe is still enforceable. Not sure if that would get you points on your license though.

i believe it is still illegal to exceed the speed limit on a bicycle as they count as vehicles.

I can't see you getting points for this as it'd be unfair. If you were a non-licence holding cyclist the punishment would not be equitable.

From Paul Kitson of Solicitors Russell Jones and Walker, quoted from Bikeforall,net:

"In law, cyclists propel vehicles on the highway and so have to adhere to the same rules as motorists. However, the fines and penalties for offences are different. Cyclists DO NOT qualify for three penalty points for failing to comply with a red light. Offending cyclists, when caught, are given a non-endorsable fixed penalty ticket for £30. There are no offences that carry penalty points for cyclists."

I have a friend who was fined for doing 39 mph in a 30 mph zone. Generally, as you don't have to have a speedometer on your bike, you are given leeway but you can be done and fined on the spot.

Cycling furiously sounds like fun. Offence names these days just don't have the same poetry do they?
Cliveo: 39mph!!!! That's impressive in a built up area. They should give you a blue peter badge or something....

My brother used to do the chain-gang Wednesday night training ride back in Sheffield. Local bobbies used to think it was fun to wait in their morris minor panda car at the bottom of the hill into Dronfield and stop the entire lot for exceeding the speed limit. But I never heard of a fine being handed out. It were just a lark with Arctic Monkey accents.

This has been discussed in length on this forum before.

1. you can't get points on your driving licence for a cycling offence
   
2. you can get fined for "wanton or furious cycling" which can cover excess speed
   
3. most people on this forum have no idea of actual speed and think they are traveling much faster than they do, 20mph is a fair crack on the flat in traffic and pretty unlikely over islingtons speedhumps between sets of lights.
   

Cheers RPM. When I got stopped for jumping a red light, I was being a bit shirty to the police in a "haven't you got proper criminals to catch" kind of way. When they asked me for id and I pulled out my drivers license they couldn't have been more smug which is when they informed me about the points on license for a cycling offence thing, at which point I suddenly became appropriately apologetic and respectful. They didn't look like they were making it up but maybe they just wanted to shit me up a bit.

      Couldn't agree more about people thinking they're faster than they are. I got given a speedo gismo last christmas and my ego was shattered. Had to get rid of the thing in the end. Blissful ignorance infinitely preferable.

you are not suggesting that using the fucking search for speed limit might have found this thread

http://www.londonfgss.com/thread25255.html

and saved us this waste of space?

Cycling furiously sounds like fun. Offence names these days just don't have the same poetry do they?
Cliveo: 39mph!!!! That's impressive in a built up area. They should give you a blue peter badge or something....

He was chuffed. He had the certificate framed. He is a proper roadie

Interesting quote from the other thread:

Motor vehicles have to have a speedometer that displays the speed to within 10% accuracy by law.

Not sure about that, most vehicle speedos dramatically over read IME

How have you measured that, IYE?

Various means, over the years.

Maybe they have to be within 10% accuracy when they're made, or something. It sounds like it could just be an extrapolation of that 10% leeway thing that most people talk about with speed limits, or the other way around. It'd be unenforcable anyway surely - MOTs don't check it.

I've done like 50 miles per hour and shit on Oxford St and never been done by the fuzzpigs. Even quicker when there wasn't a bare headwind. And I didn't need some stupid speedo toy thing, cos everyone trying to cross the road and shit was shouting, 'props, guy, that's like 50 miles per hour for real" and then I did a wicked 10001 metres skid right into the door of like Zavvi before they like closed and shit.

i heard it was only 9002.6 metres

I've done like 50 miles per hour and shit on Oxford St and never been done by the fuzzpigs. Even quicker when there wasn't a bare headwind. And I didn't need some stupid speedo toy thing, cos everyone trying to cross the road and shit was shouting, 'props, guy, that's like 50 miles per hour for real" and then I did a wicked 10001 metres skid right into the door of like Zavvi before they like closed and shit.

Uphill, too. Oxford Street is seriously uphill.

Uphill, too. Oxford Street is seriously uphill.

In both directions.

In both directions.

Both towards Oxford and towards Street.

Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air

anyone know about the red lights thing being made legal, recall there was some EVe Std. story about it..

would be nice to know that Pc Plod wouldn't give chase if i happened to breeze through unsuspecting..

EEC regs and construction and use require a vehicle speedo accuracy of plus or minus 10%. Inevitabley they read high. No manufacturer wants to be sued by motorists who have been done for speeding because their speedo lied.
This is why ACPO guidelines for the reporting of speed offences (and GATSO'S) state 10% +2 mph.
So 35 in a 30, 46 in a 40 etc etc.
This is also why you can get stuck behind some numpty on the M way who is apparently doing 65MPH (according to your speedos), his could be reading 75MPH leading him to think you are the numpty as he is already over the limit.

And, as has been stated, you can't be done for speed on a vehicle that is not required to have a speedo.

It's nothing to do with not having a speedo and everything to do with not having an engine.
Speed limits specifically apply to MOTOR vehicles.
The only ones that don't are the 30mph limits in the Royal Parks (20 mph in Richmond park) and you can get busted in these parks, speedo or no speedo. It's all in the other thread linked to above.

As said, there is no requirement for a pedal cycle to have a speedo, the requirement is only for motorvehicle. So you can't be done for speeding when there is no requirement for a speedo.