The Met beefs up its Cycle Task Force

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mindthegap/

The Met beefs up its Cycle Task Force
Post categories: Cycling
Tom Edwards | 11:09 UK time, Wednesday, 29 September 2010 Comments (3)

While the "cycling revolution" in the capital rolls on - more news today on what I've noted before - signs of a continuing crackdown on those who disobey the highway code.

The cycle task force (cops on bikes paid for by Transport for London) created to tackle bike theft is being expanded by 10 more officers.

These are traffic cops who have taken to two wheels and will focus on traffic enforcement. So it's not extra resources, more a reorganisation of existing resources.

Transport for London claim:

"Cyclists and their bikes will be safer than ever with 10 more officers joining the MPS's Cycle Task Force just three months since the team was introduced."

There will be those who dispute that claim and say this is just moving the furniture in the Met and more a re-branding exercise. They will argue it actually won't make anyone safer if traffic cops are on two wheels or in a car.

Many cyclists though will welcome more police.

Today's press release also says:

"The unit ran a six week long operation this summer to target road users who disobeyed traffic signals, encroached on advance stop lines, cycled carelessly or on pavements, or used their mobile phones on the two pilot Barclays Cycle Superhighways.

The operation resulted in:

More than 900 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) of up to £60 issued to drivers and motorcyclists;
Over 400 FPNs of up to £60 issued to cyclists;
Around 300 people attended an Exchanging Places safety education course to encourage considerate and safe behaviour from all road users and to promote sharing the road safely;
106 cyclists who were given FPNs for less serious offences were given the option to have their ticket cancelled if they attended an Exchanging Places safety education course. Fifty per cent of those offered the opportunity attended and had their ticket revoked;
More than 20 arrests made for a variety of offences, including for bike theft and driving while disqualified to do so.
It certainly seems the team have been busy.

Cyclists will note there have been 400 £60 fines - I'll bet many of them are for shooting red lights.

It's also worth noting that this isn't ALL the tickets given out to cyclists. The Met in total issued around 730 Fixed Penalty Notices to cyclists in just June and July.

And an interesting point about the "Exchanging Places" education course. Half of cyclists would rather take a 60 quid hit than attend the safety course. Defiance?

You can contact the cycle task force at: CycleTaskForce@met.police.uk

Hire bikes being taken for repairs

Also I've been given some more stats on the bike hire scheme from questions asked by Caroline Pidgeon, of the Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly.

It does show that many of the bikes have been repaired and there is a chance Barclays have had some of their outlay returned due to glitches.

Question: Has any money been returned to Barclays since the start of the scheme for any reason?

Answer from the Mayor:

The Barclays Cycle Hire sponsor agreement does incorporate measures to reflect the success of the scheme. The precise details however are commercially sensitive.

(That's not a no...)

Question: How many complaints has TfL received about the scheme and what general areas have been raised as concerns since it went live?

Answer from the Mayor

As of 7 September 2010, TfL have received a total of 1,431 complaints regarding the scheme.

Key areas of concern include confusion over the billing for access periods - particularly when a member has multiple keys, the location and availability of docking stations, and enquiries over how to successfully return a cycle to the docking point.

Question: How many reports of faulty cycles have there been since the start of the scheme, broken down by fault?

Answer from the Mayor

At present, Serco's reporting system does not report exact information regarding the nature of faults but are expecting to be able to provide this information in the future.

As of 7 September 2010, a total of 2,774 repairs have been carried out by Serco with the majority of these being minor repairs and adjustment on-site without the need to take the cycle out of service.

Let me know your thoughts.

Follow me on Twitter: @TomSEdwards

Superb news. Thanks for posting.

Oh, and here's the direct link to the news before it disappears off the front page:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mindthegap/2010/09/the_met_beefs_up_its_cycle_tas.html

I should also mention, in case anyone reads this as mainly targeting cyclists, that the new officers will have a brief to enforce motor traffic offences.

they look well hard

This morning, motorbike and black cab in ASL. Two bike coppers next to cab in ASL. Fail.

they look well hard

Pinch flat?

isnt cycling on the pavement without due reason (steps at duke of York statue anyway) illegal?

£120 fine please.

I should also mention, in case anyone reads this as mainly targeting cyclists, that the new officers will have a brief to enforce motor traffic offences.

You have, I did, I still do

You have, I did, I still do

Yes, I just thought it had to be made clearer.

They should go undercover on plain clothes bikes to catch drivers on mobiles.

They should go undercover on plain clothes bikes to catch drivers on mobiles.

That would be a full time job!

They should go undercover on plain clothes bikes to catch drivers on mobiles.

They do go undercover on their own bikes - I was speaking to one on one of the bike etching stands for a while, nice bloke. Don't know if their priority is bike RLJing or driver behaviour or a bit of both

Don't know if their priority is bike RLJing or driver behaviour or a bit of both

Let me guess.....

isnt cycling on the pavement without due reason (steps at duke of York statue anyway) illegal?

£120 fine please.

I saw a CSO dolling out fines there just 2 weeks ago.

This morning, motorbike and black cab in ASL. Two bike coppers next to cab in ASL. Fail.

Its not illegal or an offense in anyway for a cab to be in ASL, what are the 50 supposed to do?

^for real?

That would be a full time job!

I'd be more than happy to help them out via 'hammer / window tax'

I've seen lots of cyclists on the Bluepaintclays Superdeathtraps getting booked for jumping reds. I've yet to see any drivers getting booked for the same, or for deciding to use the advanced stop area.

Its not illegal or an offense in anyway for a cab to be in ASL, what are the 50 supposed to do?

Can someone finally shed some light on this? Actual real world legal frickin' evidence?

Are ASLs just guildelines like those dotted cycle lanes or are they considered legally bindnig stop lines? There have been a million and one mentions about this on here and still no one has provided anything that indicates wtf ASLs are.

Its not illegal or an offense in anyway for a cab to be in ASL, what are the 50 supposed to do?

http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/CityPolice/Advice/TrafficTravel/ontheroad.htm#stoplines

"In this photograph, the taxi has driven beyond the first stop line and into the advanced stop box reserved for use by cyclists, and is breaking the law (unless the vehicle was so close to the first stop line when the lights changed that it would have been unsafe to stop)."

Please explain.

Can someone finally shed some light on this? Actual real world legal frickin' evidence?

Are ASLs just guildelines like those dotted cycle lanes or are they considered legally bindnig stop lines? There have been a million and one mentions about this on here and still no one has provided anything that indicates wtf ASLs are.

It's a solid white line, so it's not advisory for the intended road users

asl legislation is to all intents and porpoises unenforcable - can you imagine how clogged up the legal system would get with hundreds of cabbies toting the 'i had to stop there to avoid running a light' argument. and any evidence to the contrary would be anecdotal at best.

I usually don't care about ASLs and bike lanes, they mean fuck all to me but it was funny seeing the plod in the ASL with two other vehicles (perhaps they were even having a word with the cabbie about it?) and I still don't even know the law regarding them, though the page above seems to indicate it's NOT just a guide but a legal requirement to stop. So tommy or the City Police are talking bollocks.

.