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news
Lower Bridge Street, Peterborough (via StreetView)Enforcement firm rakes in £80,000 in fines for unauthorised cycling in Peterborough
Over a thousand people have been fined for cycling in Peterborough since the introduction of a city centre Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) last year. The enforcement firm patrolling the area, Kingdom, will keep the £80,540 collected as part of its contract with the city council.
The fines were collected from 1,119 cyclists between June 12, 2017, when the Kingdom contract began, and June 30, 2018. We previously reported that almost 915 were fined within the first three months, but that figure is not directly comparable as not all of those were necessarily collected.
The PSPO sees fixed penalty notices issue for a series of offences. As well as unauthorised cycling in certain areas, they are issued for littering, dog fouling, spitting, failure to disperse, cycle dismount, urination and defecation.
A freedom of information request by Peterborough Today revealed that, 5,715 fines were collected worth £419,505.
£284,485 of that came from littering with £1,420 from ‘cycle dismount’. You’ll no doubt be interested to hear that there was a single fine for defecation too. (There is a theory here at road.cc that the person responsible decided against riding to get to the nearest loo on the grounds that the cost of taking immediate action to resolve their situation was exactly the same.)
Council leader John Holdich, who pushed for the PSPOs to be introduced, said: “It’s working, it’s tidying the city up. Now we want to spread it across Peterborough.”
He added: “Now we know that it works and how it works, we can set up our own company to do it, but the money collected will be ploughed into services.”
PSPOs remain controversial. Duncan Dollimore of Cycling UK has equated them to geographically defined ASBOs and expressed incredulity that they are being used to "restrict the use of public space and criminalise behaviour not normally regarded as illegal... [like] the pernicious pastime which undermines the very fabric of our society: cycling."
Two cyclists travelling through Peterborough on their journey from Southend to Bridlington said they considered the fines unfair after being stopped while riding their bikes down Bridge Street.
Writing to Peterborough Today, Mark Booker described the circumstances: “After several diversions, we find the centre of Peterborough, walk over a pedestrian crossing following a marked cycle path. Get back on our bikes, going at walking pace as we are looking for somewhere to park our bikes and bottoms.
“We are approached by two policemen – that’s what they look like anyway – who take down our details and fine us £80 each for cycling where we shouldn't be cycling. No discount for prompt payment.
“Going back to the street furniture by the pedestrian crossing, there was indeed a no-cycling sign. Right above the sign for the cycle path which we had honed in on.”
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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40 comments
I think the ones in Bristol are great. They hang around waiting to pounce on the smokers who think they have a right to just litter the streets.
[quote=john1967]<p>Im confused..What details do i have to give to anyone who isnt a police officer ???</p>[/quote]http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/12/part/4/chapter/2/enacted
Talks about authorised persons, so perhaps if you refuse and are then faced with a larger court fine.
the police are there to keep the peace, if they are acting on their sworn oath they cannot show favour to others by allowing them to transit from one place to another along the highway going about their normal business without stopping them also (if you have not posed harm to another)
Given the number of pedestrians that are at fault for their deaths when involved in pedestrian/person on a bike incidents it would be impossible for a court to prove that you on a bike poses more threat to a pedestrian than they do to themselves. And if you were not actually directly putting anyone at risk of harm then no law has been broken.
An ACT of parliament threatening penalty is not a law, it has no basis to be used and indeed as cycling uk and others have said (in the past) the rules in Peterborough and elsewhere with respect to space protection orders have been broken in any case and have gone beyond the remit.
I wouldn't give my details, it is not an arrestable offence. If they grab you, that is an assault, simply say that you have assaulted me which is aa breach of the peace and that you are feeling fear, alarm and distress and thus wish to extracate yourself from the person so that they do not assault you again. Ride off.
I'm not sure what details you have to give a police officer.
Why can't the same enforcement company be used to deal with motorists using mobiles, speeding, parking inconsiderately etc.?
Too much like real work.
Should have gone to the pepipoo forums for that ambiguous signage.
Actually this might be a good idea...if it is applied properly.
Judgeing by the drop off in fines for cyclists this seems to have been effective.
I wonder that if this was rolled out more widely then it would change the attitude of those bad cyclists who tarnish our reputation and maybe after a little bit of fallout aide the change in public perception that we need.
Although unfair to put a no cycling sign on a cycle path, its not unusual. (See cycling facility of the month) Perhaps victims of such a sting should complain to the local authority to have the confusing signage pulled down.
In discouraging people from cycling?
Is if I needed another reason to stay away from there.
#BrokenBritain
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