Why are Police now enforcing laws & advising cyclists?

Why are Police now enforcing laws & advising cyclists?

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Mill Wheel

Original Poster:

6,149 posts

195 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-250804...

BBC News said:
About 2,500 traffic police officers will be on London's streets during rush hours following the deaths of six cyclists over 14 days.

Operation Safeway will see Metropolitan Police officers deployed at 166 key junctions where they will issue fixed penalty notices to people breaking road traffic laws.

About 650 officers will be at 60 sites across London on Monday.

There have been 14 cyclist deaths in London this year, nine involving HGVs.

The officers will also be offering advice to anyone seen putting themselves or other road uses at risk. This includes pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and other motorists.

The number of police and locations will rise as the operation progresses. The force said it would continue until Christmas when it would then be reviewed.

The force said the operation was not costing it extra money.
Why the sudden change in attitude to cyclists? Apparently this operation has resulted in many cyclists being stopped and "advised" over matters such as cutting corners and wearing headphones, while some of the HGVs stopped have been found to be unfit for the road!

Why has it taken the recent spike of deaths to trigger this action? It is not as if the recent deaths are anything above the normal annual figures!

Courtesy of http://fullfact.org/factchecks/londons_cyclists_ro...

Meanwhile is there any legal basis for offering riders "advice"?
Surely that could be done by volunteers from BRAKE rather than using police resources, and leave the police to tackle all those unfit vehicles!

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

232 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
1. I would still rather be advised by an officer of the law than a self appointed bigot.

2. News - it's been made a big thing of on the news so the Police must be seen to be doing something (will they not think of the children!11!!!1!)

KaraK

13,175 posts

208 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
The recent fatalities have been more high-profile, down mainly to the short time frame they have occurred in. Personally I think this is a good idea - Police resources spent educating people and preventing serious accidents/deaths rather than just picking up the pieces afterwards is totally worthwhile IMO.

Monkeylegend

26,187 posts

230 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
They were all over St Pancras this morning, stopping cyclists and motorists. They were checking the tatty looking seat belts on a Transit so beware.

tigger1

8,402 posts

220 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
Mill Wheel said:
Meanwhile is there any legal basis for offering riders "advice"?
Surely that could be done by volunteers from BRAKE rather than using police resources, and leave the police to tackle all those unfit vehicles!
Advising cyclists who are doing something potentially dangerous but not illegal, whilst removing HGV's from the roads that are unfit to be there. I'm fine with both of those things.

It's being doing because of a recent spike (closely linked to the change of season). This is an annual thing - the sudden jump in the number of road accidents, and is part of the reason I avoid road riding for a few weeks around the time the clocks go back, it's the most dangerous time of the year to be on the roads.

Mill Wheel

Original Poster:

6,149 posts

195 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
Monkeylegend said:
They were all over St Pancras this morning, stopping cyclists and motorists. They were checking the tatty looking seat belts on a Transit so beware.
I can't help wondering why this sudden crackdown?
Was this not an important measure to ensure safety and compliance with the law until now?

What happens when the fuss over a few cyclists dies down... will we return to the normal scheme of things where a number of unfit vehicles escape detection?

The report DOES say that this operation has NOT required additional funding...
Met Spokesperson said:
The number of police and locations will rise as the operation progresses. The force said it would continue until Christmas when it would then be reviewed.

The force said the operation was not costing it extra money.

ewenm

28,506 posts

244 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
Media shout about the autumn spike in deaths => Police Chief gets his ear bent by the government => Police operation instigated.

IMO:
Is it a good thing? Yes.
Is it a shame it has to wait until the media focus on it? Yes.
Would it be good all year round? Yes, but...
Would that have negative impacts on other operations? Almost certainly.


Devil2575

13,400 posts

187 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
Mill Wheel said:
I can't help wondering why this sudden crackdown?
Was this not an important measure to ensure safety and compliance with the law until now?
Politics.

A few recent deaths cause it to become high profile and so politics comes to the fore.

SmoothCriminal

5,041 posts

198 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
It's probably not costing the the met anything extra because tfl already pay for I think circa 2,600 officers so rather than them doing duties that they'd normally do like being in stations and on trains and busses they're standing at the side of the road advising cyclists.

Funk

26,252 posts

208 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
ewenm said:
Media shout about the autumn spike in deaths => Police Chief gets his ear bent by the government => Police operation instigated.
Yep - the ol' "..seen to be doing something..." knee-jerk.

GadgeS3C

4,516 posts

163 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
Perhaps they should be out catching real criminals?
wink

Engineer1

10,486 posts

208 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
ewenm said:
Media shout about the autumn spike in deaths => Police Chief gets his ear bent by the government => Police operation instigated.

IMO:
Is it a good thing? Yes.
Is it a shame it has to wait until the media focus on it? Yes.
Would it be good all year round? Yes, but...
Would that have negative impacts on other operations? Almost certainly.

Or existing planned road safety operation gets rolled out earlier we are a week or two away from the Christmas Party season, The Media focus on it is required you can do it without the focus but each officer can only influence the people they stop have the media focus and the police can speak to the general population via TV interviews News pieces etc.

As to Negative impacts on other operations it depedns on what the other operations are.

Mill Wheel

Original Poster:

6,149 posts

195 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
Funk said:
ewenm said:
Media shout about the autumn spike in deaths => Police Chief gets his ear bent by the government => Police operation instigated.
Yep - the ol' "..seen to be doing something..." knee-jerk.
In this instance the knee jerk appears to have netted a number of dangerous vehicles!

Long overdue might be a phrase that springs to mind - the Met run the risk that the success of this, brings calls as to why they didn't address this earlier!

Hol

8,328 posts

199 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
Mill Wheel,

I cannot help but notice that your concern is that 'unfit' vehicles will not be identified 'when this all dies down'. (ignoring the annual MOT for now).



Are we to assume that you believe that there are no 'unfit' cyclists also? (I do not see this balance of opnion in your comments?)



Devil2575

13,400 posts

187 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
Hol said:
Mill Wheel,

Are we to assume that you believe that there are no 'unfit' cyclists also? (I do not see this balance of opnion in your comments?)
I'd imagine that most people who cycle have a decent level of fitness biggrin

mrmr96

13,736 posts

203 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
Mill Wheel said:
Funk said:
ewenm said:
Media shout about the autumn spike in deaths => Police Chief gets his ear bent by the government => Police operation instigated.
Yep - the ol' "..seen to be doing something..." knee-jerk.
In this instance the knee jerk appears to have netted a number of dangerous vehicles!

Long overdue might be a phrase that springs to mind - the Met run the risk that the success of this, brings calls as to why they didn't address this earlier!
Does a "knee jerk reaction" always have to be considered to be a poor choice of action, simply because it's a knee jerk?

Hol

8,328 posts

199 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
Devil2575 said:
Hol said:
Mill Wheel,

Are we to assume that you believe that there are no 'unfit' cyclists also? (I do not see this balance of opnion in your comments?)
I'd imagine that most people who cycle have a decent level of fitness biggrin
Their hearing is obviously excellent don't you think?, if (as described) they can attain a high level of spacial awareness whilst wearing headphones.


Devil2575

13,400 posts

187 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
Hol said:
Devil2575 said:
Hol said:
Mill Wheel,

Are we to assume that you believe that there are no 'unfit' cyclists also? (I do not see this balance of opnion in your comments?)
I'd imagine that most people who cycle have a decent level of fitness biggrin
Their hearing is obviously excellent don't you think?, if (as described) they can attain a high level of spacial awareness whilst wearing headphones.
I actually find that wearing headphones while cycling makes me safer...

laugh

In all seriousness, I have worn headphones in the past, but only when listening to non music based podcasts. The ability to hear a car comming up behind you is invaluable.

Podie

46,630 posts

274 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
I saw this at Euston Circus on Monday.

Some cyclist had been accosted by the scooter Police and was most unhappy about being told off for riding on the pavement hehe

To be fair to him, prior to the works there were cycle paths there...

matrignano

4,325 posts

209 months

Tuesday 26th November 2013
quotequote all
Lots of police on foot this morning around Trafalgar Sq.
Didn't see them stopping anyone though.