Police tickets

'In the case of Crank v Brooks 1980 a motorist was prosecuted for injuring a cyclist pushing a cycle across a zebra crossing. In his judgement Lord Waller said ‘... the fact that the injured party had a bicycle in her hand did not mean that she was no longer a pedestrian”. This judgement was reinforced by the Department of Transport in a letter written in 1994 in which they confirm “....that a cyclist pushing a bicycle on a pedestrian facility is regarded as a pedestrian”. A footpath is a pedestrian facility in the same way as a zebra crossing or footway, so the law can reasonably be assumed not to differentiate between rural and urban use. The latest highway code also illustrates a NO ENTRY sign with the words “no vehicles except cycles being pushed”. The bicycle is defined in law as a vehicle, but here, the DTLR is clearly stating that a bicycle while being pushed loses its vehicular status.'
The law, as is frequently the case, is ambiguous on this point (and the ambiguity of the law would often seem to be intentional, so allowing judges to exercise their discretion). As far as I am aware the 'natural accompaniment' clause has not actually being tested by case law with reference to a cyclists carrying or pushing a cycle on a country path. However, this issue is probably little more than an aside given that cyclists, after all, want to ride when they can...

http://www.propertypedlars.org.uk/advice-frame.htm

I had a warning given to me in front of Angel tube station, 7pm rush hour.
As I'm approaching the pavement, instead of dismounting, I rode along the very edge for about 3/5 meters, just to avoid messing with the cyclists behind me.
3 coppers came to me like fucking wolves hunting... it was obvious I wasn't cycling on the pavement, I tried to explain I hadn't even pedaled after leaving the tarmac... still I got a warning. They were all smiles as in I don't give a shit, we're talking to you so we need your details and you'll a little souvenir.
At the end I never stopped insisting they were over-doing their job, not being really accurate, they just smiled.

I see kids and grown-ups doing it everyday, like proper speeding, and the poopoos do nothing. So yes, as said before, there has to be common sense for what should be considered offensive and perfectly responsible bike handling (according to circumstances).

Wasn't there always some awesome loophole in the law where a child bike is considered a 20 inch wheel or under and there for all BMX's are technically children bikes and you can ride on the pavement regardless of age?

anyway!!!

i was surprised i wasn't pulled over today i rode form the station n my bike with a massive backpack with tiers strapped to it. while one hand was on my handlebars and brake the other i held onto the stem of a bike i was bringing home and wheeling along buy my side. i passed a whole meat wagon of cops and nothing.

I think that you do not have to give any details to the police if they have arrested you. Whether or not this means you are not committing an offence by giving false details when the haven't arrested you, I don't know, but if they think you have, you are far more likely to be arrested. I had quite an arguement with the Transport Police about this when I was a nipper, which was never really resolved. They screwed the process for the whole thing, and in the end my caution for fraudulent use of a young persons railcard was never filed. Oh, what a wild and lawless youth I was!

Oodles of police pulling loads of cyclists lately on the new CS7 cycling super-highway, between three and seven motorcycle and scooter police at almost every set of lights through stockwell-oval-kennington last week. They must be having a big purge to go with opening the route. Having witnessed the number of clueless nodders and aggressive fixie skidder RLJs lately I can't say it's a bad thing.

I've even started obeying every light and sign myself, someone has to set a good example to the morons who can't tell the difference between carefully going through a junction on a red light when there are no cars/peds using it, or about to use it, and wizzing through a pedestrian crossing full of people trying to exercise a right of way they've patiently waited several minutes for. Goddam tossers.

Wasn't there always some awesome loophole in the law where a child bike is considered a 20 inch wheel or under and there for all BMX's are technically children bikes and you can ride on the pavement regardless of age?

No.

...

No.

but once i read somewhere that a fixed penalty cannot be issued to under 16s
not much help really, you can always say you're 15 and how they will prove you wrong?
i look 25 but am much younger so wouldnt work for me, unless i shaved

Ok, gonna take a slight tangent here and ask for people's opinions (I don't consider this worthy of a whole thread)

What would bug you more. Seeing a a guy ride through a red light checking all around for cars OR seeing a guy hop up on the pavement to avoid going through a red light?

just be considerate to others and do at yr own discretion, and take the consequences of course, i was fined last night for cycling into cycle surgery...?

Once Evans got their own police force that was bound to happen sooner or later.

Find me the link.

Here's one about Pavement tickets:

http://www.lfgss.com/thread42587.html

Footway cycling threads:

http://www.lfgss.com/thread2578.html
http://www.lfgss.com/thread19957.html
http://www.lfgss.com/thread31883.html

One about footway ticketing:
http://www.lfgss.com/thread37413.html

Actually this is more of a "ooh i got a ticket, poor me" thread, so find me all those.

Hm, it's a difficult call in the case of some threads: There are loads of 'watch out for police' threads, but few specifically with whinging about it. James' thread here is made into it more by the other posters than by his OP (something in his OP is picked up on and expanded):

http://www.lfgss.com/thread34821.html

There are several discussions about the police like these:

http://www.lfgss.com/thread2918.html
http://www.lfgss.com/thread11617.html

Also, lots of threads about enforcement at specific locations, e.g. Brick Lane, Dalston Lane, Essex Road ...

Having witnessed the number of clueless nodders and aggressive fixie skidder RLJs lately I can't say it's a bad thing.

I've even started obeying every light and sign myself, someone has to set a good example to the morons who can't tell the difference between carefully going through a junction on a red light when there are no cars/peds using it, or about to use it, and wizzing through a pedestrian crossing full of people trying to exercise a right of way they've patiently waited several minutes for. Goddam tossers.

The clock is ticking on the time that I am crossing a road with my little ones and someone aggressively RLJing in front of us. Because my son in particular is prone to darting across to the far pavement, I consider that kind of RLJ a genuine danger to my children's safety. And as such, I will have no hesitation in taking out someone putting my children's lives at risk, by clothes-lining them at neck height with my rucksack.

OK, so Crank vs Brooks (I was suspicious about a case between a pedal arm and a well known old fashioned make of saddle) was about someone using a pedestrian crossing whilst pushing a bike. Specifically, the judge cited the issue of starting on one pavement on foot and finishing on the other in the same way.

However, a cyclist who CYCLES up to a junction on the roadway, walks a couple of yards IN THE SAME DIRECTION, still on the roadway, and then starts cycling again is not "on a pedestrian facility", nor is it the case that they are unarguably a foot passenger if the cyclist never leaves the roadway, rather than travelling directly across it from one pavement to another, as a foot passenger would. That seems to me to be arguably the same as driving a car up to a junction, pushing it through a red light and then climbing back in.

At least if you got off the bike, pushed on the pavement to the far side of the junction and then got back on, you'd have a case for suggesting you'd genuinely switched transport modes. Just pushing a couple of yards over a line? I'm not reckoning you'll pull that off against a decent prosecutor.

I avidly await the outcome of the Crown v DJ test case and the inevitable massive bleating afterwards.

sounds like they were being over zealous, but I'm not sure you'd see kids and grown ups proper speeding down the pavement by angel tube - it's a very high density pedestrian area and it would generally be quite difficult to cycle down the pavement there in rush hour

however, having worked there for six years I saw plenty of idiots try. you also get some absolutely idiotic RLJing at that junction (given how busy the crossing is). so generally it's at least the kind of area they should be policing.

I had a warning given to me in front of Angel tube station, 7pm rush hour.
As I'm approaching the pavement, instead of dismounting, I rode along the very edge for about 3/5 meters, just to avoid messing with the cyclists behind me.
3 coppers came to me like fucking wolves hunting... it was obvious I wasn't cycling on the pavement, I tried to explain I hadn't even pedaled after leaving the tarmac... still I got a warning. They were all smiles as in I don't give a shit, we're talking to you so we need your details and you'll a little souvenir.
At the end I never stopped insisting they were over-doing their job, not being really accurate, they just smiled.

I see kids and grown-ups doing it everyday, like proper speeding, and the poopoos do nothing. So yes, as said before, there has to be common sense for what should be considered offensive and perfectly responsible bike handling (according to circumstances).

Just back from my holiday & the first full day, i cycled 10 meters on the pavement because the road curb was blocked by parked cars & i was stopped and got a £30 fine!
Was so pissed at the pettyness of the police, cant they get real criminals!?

Is there any right of appeal? or should i just pay up and just get over it?

and i got puncher! bad day.

remember this line for future

*".....stick it on the tab pig!" *

Most police accept this and you can pop down to your local constabulary at a more convenient time to pay.

^ just pay.

should i just pay up and just get over it?

+1

Should have punchered the rozzer, then bunny hopped the cars.

"I ran a red light, straight past them, albeit slowly and safely. I simply didn't see them, as my mind was elsewhere,"

Safe as houses.

Haha, Hippy's comments always ammuse me.

On the contrary, I (in Southampton) regularly jump lights and ride on the pavement as I try to reach lectures on time and often notice coppers sitting at junctions or overtaking me seconds after dropping off the curb back onto the road and I have never been bothered. I often find myself trying to insight some sort of reaction from them and they don't even look, seems very strange, the contrasting police behaviours...

OK, so Crank vs Brooks (I was suspicious about a case between a pedal arm and a well known old fashioned make of saddle) was about someone using a pedestrian crossing whilst pushing a bike. Specifically, the judge cited the issue of starting on one pavement on foot and finishing on the other in the same way.

However, a cyclist who CYCLES up to a junction on the roadway, walks a couple of yards IN THE SAME DIRECTION, still on the roadway, and then starts cycling again is not "on a pedestrian facility", nor is it the case that they are unarguably a foot passenger if the cyclist never leaves the roadway, rather than travelling directly across it from one pavement to another, as a foot passenger would. That seems to me to be arguably the same as driving a car up to a junction, pushing it through a red light and then climbing back in.

At least if you got off the bike, pushed on the pavement to the far side of the junction and then got back on, you'd have a case for suggesting you'd genuinely switched transport modes. Just pushing a couple of yards over a line? I'm not reckoning you'll pull that off against a decent prosecutor.

I avidly await the outcome of the Crown v DJ test case and the inevitable massive bleating afterwards.

Is this your opinion (the bit about "not on a pedestrian facility") or the law? I can't wait for this court case :)

what if, right, you just stop, take your feet off the pedals, and walk across the junction on tip toes with the bike still bewteen your legs..? is that cycling, or walking, or what?

You're probably considered still 'in charge of the bicycle' so they'd probably do ya. Just my assumption.

Yes, "scooting" is still not "walking your bike".