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news
Avon and Somerset Constabulary Cycle Code excerpt (posted to Twitter by Boneshaker Magazine)Avon & Somerset police critcised over Cycle Code leaflet
Avon & Somerset Constabulary have produced a ‘Cycle Code’ leaflet telling cyclists how to behave on the road – and warning them of the legal consequences they could face if they don’t. The leaflet has attracted criticism on Twitter from cyclists.
Illustrated with a prominent ‘No Cycling’ sign, the leaflet says: “Police want cyclists to be safe on the road and not put themselves or anyone else at risk.
“However we are getting more and more complaints from pedestrians and drivers about cyclists riding irresponsibly.
“As well as putting themselves and others at risk of injury, cyclists could be committing offences.”
Those are listed on the leaflet, a picture of which was posted to Twitter by Bristol-based Boneshaker Magazine.
£2.5k fine! Hope @ASPolice will be handing a motoring equivalent of this to every mobile-using driver, too #cycling pic.twitter.com/n2SJnwYb0C
— Boneshaker Magazine (@boneshakermag) May 13, 2015
It lists four offences for which cyclists risk a £50 fine – riding on the footpath, ignoring red traffic lights, not displaying lights at night, and carrying more than one person on a standard bicycle – as well as outlining circumstances where the courts can impose tougher penalties.
It points out that cycling carelessly or dangerously can lead to a fine of up to £2,500, while causing injury through wanton or furious cycling can lead to a prison sentence of up to two years.
The leaflet came under criticism from several cyclists on Twitter, with tweets including:
@boneshakermag wonder if @ASPolice would be willing to put a number to the "increased complaints" line.
— Alex Oates (@Velocentric) May 13, 2015
@boneshakermag @ASPolice Nice of them to illustrate it with a massive "no cycles" sign. Really sets the tone.
— Bez (@beztweets) May 13, 2015
Good point @boneshakermag, I wonder if @ASPolice will start cracking down on car drivers red light jumping & using phones whilst driving?
— Louie Strychnine (@louiestrychnine) May 13, 2015
In late 2013, the first two weeks of a major road safety campaign run by the police force saw 365 drivers and 324 cyclists stopped for a variety of offences.
In the case of drivers, the most likely reason to be stopped was for encroaching on Advanced Stop Lines, while for cyclists it was riding through red lights.
At the time, Sergeant Sean Underwood, who led the operation said: “The campaign has been going really well.
“The more people we speak to, the more we realise that there is a genuine lack of knowledge of the law in this area.
“The fact that we have stopped and spoken to so many motorists for stopping in the cycle box just goes to show that people don’t realise this is an offence.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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38 comments
I suppose the police are just reacting to the slightly skewed priorities and distorted world-view of some local busy-bodies.
I've yet to see any leaflets about pavement-parking, speeding, or amber-gambling by motorists. But that's because when policing priorities are set by local politics, they reflect the usual imbalances of power.
The bit that most bugs me about this leaflet is the implication in the opening part that cyclist rule-breaking is what puts cyclists at risk and means they aren't "kept safe" - it seems to suggest whoever wrote it hasn't thought about the issue very much.
Almost run down by an impatient motorist recently I reported the details to my Local police force.
Nothing they can do, my word against his, the other motorist, a witness did not want to get involved.
Easy out for the bobbies.
£2.5k fine for naughty cycling.
For the 6 out of ten drivers who text or use a handheld mobile While driving, £100.
Impartial and even handed policing.
I've no problem them cracking down on bad cyclists. They're a danger to all of us.
Time to use this near miss reporting website more if you're in Avon & Somerset's area.
https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/advice/vehicles-roads/cycling/repo...
@Mungecrundle
Hmm, so you see no issue on exacerbating the unfounded prejudices some people hold towards cyclists. And where those actions are not based on evidence, but on some liaison group (as is likely) which is effectively a talking shop for busybodies?
Done by an agency we all pay for, and whose mission is to uphold the law?
OK then.
I'd prefer to see some evidence led policing / activities, aimed at dealing with demonstrable reduction in harm. And this isn't it.
Basically, unless you ride like a complete twonk the leaflet doesn't apply to you. So why get upset about a public awareness campaign targeting anti social behaviour on the grounds that because the offenders happen to perform their stupidity on a bicycle and you quite like bicycles and other people do stupid stuff all the time and don't get caught then it must be some form of discrimination? Give the police a break, maybe even some support. It simply isn't true that they spend 100% of their time persecuting cyclists for minor infractions. I could point you to any number of; drink drive, seatbelt, speeding near schools, road tax (OMG did I call it road tax?), motorcycle awareness campaigns etc targeting drivers.
If you want the Police to spend more of their time tackling mobile phone use whilst driving or whatever bee gets in your bonnet then make the effort to get a voice heard on your local Police / Community forum. You would have my support for trying to make a constructive difference, but not for whinging about a leaflet that really isn't at all offensive.
Blatant straw man there - who says the police "spend 100% of their time persecuting cyclists for minor infractions"? Nobody.
The point is the leaflet exists in the context of a situation where the police don't spend nearly enough effort on doing anything about the common misbehaviour by motorists, that's what makes it rankle. Though its probably not the fault of the police so much as the general skewed balance-of-power that decides their priorities.
But pretending this leaflet is unproblematic, and ignoring the fact that its a mis-directed effort because its colluding with people who refuse to see the real issue, is itself part of that problem.
The stupid thing is, I doubt any single 'bad cyclist' will pay any attention to this leaflet at all. Without enforcement none of this does anything, other than reinforcing the attitudes of those who are prejudiced against all cyclists.
- Merely pointing out that the Police produce lots of leaflets addressing lots of issues as some posters seemed unaware that Police do actually tackle other road safety issues.
- No, They don't spend enough on priorities that would appear to important to you (and me actually). You have the solution at hand, go get involved in your local Police / Community committee or don't be surprised when others sent an agenda to their liking.
- Misdirected in your opinion. I suspect that the Avon & Somerset Police have far readier access to incident reports, rta statistics and complaints about antisocial behaviour than you do and unless you live in a total fantasy world of paranoia you are going to have to accept that they probably make some effort to spend their road safety budget on campaigns that have a measure of success.
- So by that ridiculous logic, there wouldn't be any point in tackling poor driving standards because bad drivers won't take any notice. Enforcement itself is a contentious issue, speed cameras, ANPR, CCTV catching motorists entering junctions when they are not clear etc, etc. Believe it or not cyclists are probably under less surveillance than motorists, rightly so given the risk they represent, but never the less I resent your mindset of oppressed cyclists as victims. As for enforcement, well speaking for myself, if I was caught doing something I shouldn't I'd rather a quiet word of advice and being handed this 'problematic' leaflet by Plod, than a mandatory £50 fine.
There isn't a lot of point, no, not without enforcement. Even _with_ enforcement its probably of limited benefit. Physically changing the environment is the only real solution.
You seem quite naive.
@Mungecrungle, I think your point has just been proved!
Obviously this campaign is a bit ridiculous (a doctored 'no cycling' roadsign - WTF?!), but you can't greet every campaign aimed at cyclists with 'what about the nasty drivers?' Otherwise you're wilfully missing the point of a targeted message from the police.
I don't think anybody is suggesting drivers shouldn't get the same if not stronger safety messaging and targeted enforcement campaigns. The two aren't mutually exclusive.
OK, then, let's play a little game and hold our breath until the police release a comparable leaflet for drivers.
May prove more productive to report some near misses to them and they might produce an equally helpful leaflet for drivers.
https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/advice/vehicles-roads/cycling/repo...
This looks like a pretty sensible poster to me and a good summary of the rules as listed in the Highway code.
https://www.gov.uk/rules-for-cyclists-59-to-82/overview-59-to-71
Just a shame there isn't another one pointing out thr dangers posed by idiot teenagers and half-blind dementing halfwits chucking tonnes of metal around at ridiculous speeds. Clearly not nearly as dangerous as some evil monster cycling on a deserted pavement.
Yes, it is a good summary of the rules. But the complaint here is that A&S police have not done an equivalent official poster/flyer doing the same thing for the motorists. And when the motorists see that the police are just going after cyclists (which is how it looks) then they think that their own rule-breaking doesn't count, and when the elderly PACT members see that the police are going after cyclists (which is how it looks) then they think that their own entirely anecdotal opinions are completely justified.
I've done it for them Brooksby... Save them a job! Now lets get it out there and let them see it...
Very negative campaign but fully support any cyclist riding through red lights to be punished, though wish the police would do the same for drivers, tends to have more severe consequences what with weighing 900+ kg
I can't say for certain, but like Westcountrytim I suspect this is the result of feedback from local PACT (Police and Communities Together) meetings, which are held to let the local community set some of the police's priorities.
These are generally held at a community centre somewhere, not publicised (unless you scour the depths of the A&SP website), and, I suspect, attended by a mainly older, retired demographic. Thus the police's priorities always seem to be "Dangerous cyclists" and/or "antisocial behaviour".
I've tried suggesting that local cyclists attend some of these meetings and put their tuppence-worth in, but to be honest, I suspect most people have better things to do with their time.
I don't use the twitter, but I'm sure some of you do...
Driving Code-01.jpg
Cheers for that. Has just been used in a tweet by Angelfishsolo
I imagine that the complaints Avon and Somerset Police are talking about are from the local Police Liaison Group
Police priorities are set at the local Police Liaison Group meetings, and these tend to be attended by the type of people who moan about cyclists. Hence why if cyclists are raised at the meeting the Police have to be seen to do something like these leaflets.
If you wanted to change this then you should attend.
Here is an example of who someone in my local area stated doing this:
http://www.richmondlcc.co.uk/2015/03/13/making-a-difference-one-person-o...
I need to get myself along to my local one.
It seems funny how the police are unable to monitor and take action against the drivers who do "punishment passes" on cyclists; yet they are keen to stamp on cyclists who are riding in a furious manner (probably because they have just been placed in mortal danger by a driver) and fine them £2500 or even imprison them.
This is an exercise in futility, as we all know police forces are stretched to (and beyond) the limit - they do not have the manpower to even try to enforce this!
OR, could this be another new "revenue earner", from an "easy target" by yet another police force???
they will be taxing us on the CO2 we breathe out soon!!!
Firstly, I wonder how many more complaints they've been getting.
Given my own experience of reporting speeding motorcycles on the cycle path over the Avonmouth Bridge (result: 'well, if you can give us numberplates then we can look into it and maybe have a word'), they must be getting a LOT.
Secondly, I wonder if they would have prepared a flyer if the report had said
Are they?
Absolute bastards! This sort of thing needs to be stamped out!
It's feeding the CLASSIC Straw man argument that's brought up every time cycling hits the media. "Please act safer to kill less cyclists". "BUT CYCLISTS ARE BREAKING THE LAW EVERYWHERE".
Counter one argument with a **completely** different one to distract from the point at hand. Obviously worked this time and sucked Plod in!
Can anyone explain "furious cycling"?
Sure, I've been angered more than a few times whilst riding but never realised I could be facing a hefty fine.
@Leeroy_Silk - I know you were being facetious, but here goes:
Taken from http://www.bikehub.co.uk/featured-articles/cycling-and-the-law/
The police really are f*****s aren't they!
According to Home Office advice and guidelines you can ride on a pavement if you feel in mortal threat of your life. Buy you'd find it difficult with the number of cars illegally parked on them.
Motorists don't want to relinquish their monopoly on the roads, and that includes their rights to break the traffic laws.
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