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Operation Grimaldi (picture Greater Manchester Police)Police fine 125 Manchester cyclists in 'share the road' operation
Greater Manchester Police has said that it issued 147 fixed penalty notices – the vast majority to cyclists – in an operation designed to encourage bike riders and motorists to share the road safely.
The initiative falls under the force’s Operation Grimaldi campaign and took place from Monday 18 to Wednesday 20 November, with activity centred on Deansgate, Trafford Street/Great Bridewater Street, Wilmslow Road/Platt Lane and Oxford Road.
It coincided with Road Safety Week, which saw police in other cities including London, Bristol and Edinburgh run similar operations, mostly taking an educational approach by providing advice rather than handing out fines.
In Manchester 125 cyclists were issued fixed penalty notices for offences including riding on the pavement or without lights and ignoring red traffic lights, although they can avoid having to pay a fine by attending a cycling awareness event.
Police also issued 22 fixed penalty notices to drivers for offences including driving while using a handheld mobile phone, failure to comply with traffic signs and not using a seatbelt.
One motorist had a car seized for antisocial driving under section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002.
Inspector Paul Rowe of Greater Manchester Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit commented: “Operation Grimaldi isn’t about trying to catch people out, it’s about highlighting the dangers and encouraging cyclists and motorists to share the road and put road safety first.
“While it might seem to some that we’re pulling people over for minor offences, we know only too well the devastating consequences that something as simple as cycling without lights or driving while using a mobile phone can have.
“No officer wants to be knocking on a door this Christmas to tell somebody their loved one has been killed and through Operation Grimaldi we remain absolutely committed to making the roads safer for cyclists, motorists and pedestrians alike.”
Jim Battle, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester, added: “Like most people, I and the police want the roads to be safe for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
“That’s what this operation is about – educating the handful of cyclists who flout the basic rules of the road and also targeting irresponsible drivers for offences, such as using a mobile phone.
“We have a way to go before cyclists and drivers can share the roads in harmony. The reality is we all have a responsibility to make our roads safer, whether on two wheels or four, and we all have to work together to achieve that.”
In June, Greater Manchester Police confirmed that a total of 415 cyclists had been fined since February this year on ten separate “days of action” held as part of Operation Grimaldi.
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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62 comments
But is this an even handed application of the law, by all means punish cyclists breaking the law.
(I should add the Home Office guidance on riding on the pavement is it is ok if you are not an idiot, so are those caught riding on the pavement been correctly processed by GMP?)
Not hypocracy to expect motorists who are only allowed to use the road under licence to be held to a higher level of accountability than cyclists and pedestrians. Likewise i would expect professional drivers, HGV/PSV/Cab, to be held to an even higher standard.
I think some of the problem lies with the assumption that motorists have MORE of an obligation than we cyclists do about sticking to the rules of the road. It surely can not be the case. We can't go on thinking that people who cycle like idiots (and most people on here who AREN'T idiots will know who I mean) are within their right to ignore street signs and laws but then complain that DRIVERS are acting in the same reckless manner and need to be prosecuted.
Cyclists may be easier targets for the police than drivers and the results of the police stops may be skewed unfairly. But pointing at the BMW driver who stopped a foot too far over the stop line will not excuse you from breaking different rules yourself.
Wow.
That is truly a ridiculous statement.
What??? Of course motorists have MORE of an obligation than cyclists about sticking to the rules of the road. They are driving 1+ tonnes of metal, often at much higher speeds. Motorists are in charge of a potentially lethal weapon whilst cyclists riding stupidly are mostly likely to damage themselves.
The law DEMANDS higher standards (and imposes appropriately higher penalties for failures) on HGV drivers ... coach drivers ... train drivers ... airline pilots, etc because the CONSEQUENCES of their failures are potentially so much worse for the public.
How do you suggest that this is enforced then? Fine car drivers EVERY time they run a red light or drive on the pavement but only fine cyclists one in every three times they do it? The law DEMANDS that everyone abide by it.
Your view that cyclists can pretty much do whatever they wish as long as there are heavier vehicles on the road is ridiculous, dangerous and very immature.
Absolute nonsense! I am amazed that any grown adult could think such a thing. The law isn't an a la carte menu where you can feel free to pick and choose which rules you choose to obey. Shame on you!
And what of the poor emergency services personnel who have the lovely job of scraping you off the road, into an ambulance paid for by tax payers, to carry you to a hospital paid for by tax payers, to be tended to by doctors and nurses paid for by taxpayers .... etc etc because you in your arrogant, infinite wisdom believe that you are somehow above the law that applies to ALL ROAD USERS EQUALLY!!
Grow up.
+1 - I get fed up with stupid vigilante posts on her that deny that cyclists have a part to play in road safety, that it is always the car/HGV, and that the police need to sort out the motorists. It's that sort of attitude which causes the friction and upsets other road users (and I include cyclists in that term). Enough of this sh!t.
I play my part in road safety already, thanks. By obeying the law when I cycle. However, I still am threatened by bad driving, and I'd like to see the authorities actually making a serious effort to do something about it.
I am not threatened by bad cycling, for the most part, so I give that a much lower priority, sorry.
But if the cops actually started doing something about appalling parking, speeding, entering ASLs, jumping red lights as I'm about to cross and all the other bad motorist behaviour, I'd be very happy to see them doing something about cyclists without lights or pavement racers as well.
Though the latter are, in a way, something I can deal with myself - one day I'm going to thump one of them as they whizz ludicrously close and fast past me. The trouble is I can't, as a ped or cyclist, do much about awful driving, I need the cops to do something about that.
RLJing by cyclists is not one single issue, incidentally, its several issues.
Over the years I have seen precisely ONE incident of a cyclist zooming over a zebra crossing while pedestrians were crossing. That sort of thing does indeed infuriate me, its just plain morally wrong and should merit a legal intervention.
I've also seen a couple of cases of a cyclist (right in front of me) nearly getting hit due to RLJing at a junction - in one of those the motorist involved was ALSO jumping the red, in the other the guy nearly got clobbered by a lorry that was doing nothing wrong. Those are also morally wrong things to do, though for different reasons.
But the vast majority of cyclist RLJing I've seen has involved no real threat or nuisance to anyone and is a problem only insofar as I know it annoys watching motorists (that's why I don't do it, that and an OCD attitude about obeying all rules or none).
There's just no comparison between that and the far more common and more dangerous rule-breaking by motorists. And I, again, just reject the idea that cyclists are some collective group that are somehow obliged to police each other.
I am very concerned about all the media interest around cycling generally. Mark my words..... this is heading inevitably towards ill thought out legislation which will be a complete pain for us all. Please be safe, don't jump red lights, wear suitable clothing, fit some lights & let's try & dampen this down !
I fear you might be right. What really annoys me is the vast majority of us do not live/ride to work in London, but this endless negative press will tar us all.
I don't know anyone that rides through red lights or on a pavement, and on my weekend ride I'd be lucky to see a dozen cars in 3 hours. Evidence seems to suggest that hi-viz makes little difference to driver behaviour, but you can see where this is all heading…….ludicrous and ineffectual legislation that will only shift the focus to the cyclist and potentially put people off cycling.
125 cyclists / 25 motorists ! There are a lot of lawless cyclists out there l see loads in Barrow in Furness jumping red lights, on pavements and with no lights etc . It doesn't surprise me one bit !
I try a stick to the rules of the road as much as possible it's a shame a lot don't
Well, if you're breaking the law there's not much argument to be had.
Would be nice if the law was clear, appropriate, and applied equally as well though.
They ought to stand near a busy traffic light junction.....they'd capture 125 cars an hour jumping the lights.
Seriously why are cyclist jumping lights in front of coppers, they really must be stupid.
If a car has parked part on / part off the pavement then surely they have driven on the pavement, illegal or what?
Prove it. The car could have been lowered off a low loader by crane.
I know it is unlikely, but you have to prove the car was driven onto the pavement, not just say it is on the pavement therefore it PROBABLY drove on the pavement.
Common fallacy. Evidence to proof standard s required on for criminal trials. For this a "balance of probabilities" is all that is required. The car might have been lifted there by crane, helicopter or a couple of power-lifting grannies, but the balance of probabilities says it was driven there.
In the City of London last night: the equivalent operation took place, and I witnessed a PC deliberately standing with his back to the ASL so as not to see the black cab that entirely occupied it. Meanwhile a cyclist had stopped by the side of the road to check his phone, and another PC was getting ready to pounce and looked disappointed when the cyclist put the phone back in his pocket and rode off. I was on foot, so had a good view of it all. It's a farce. But do be careful: the police have the power to stop any vehicle, including bikes, for any reason or none. Section 163 Road Traffic Act. Idiotic as the policy may be, it is a criminal offence if you fail to stop.
Excellent. More of this!
The Police should confiscate mobile phones if used whilst driving!
Wasn't Grimaldi a clown?
The basics : respect all road users, Concentrate, use care & consideration - dont go through red lights - leave pavements for pedestrians - be seen so use lights at night - Simple non selfish actions that do require a working brain - The Police should confiscate mobile phones if used whilst driving!
Good!
BUT
I'm a little unsure however that they saw so few motoring offences.
Last night riding home I could not keep count of the number of cars driving through red lights (there were too many). I did count the one cyclist who did so.
I saw three young girls cycling on a pavement but cannot keep count the number of cars parked on the pavements in the same area (there are too many).
I did count the five cars and vans (an average on one every 3 miles) who's occupants were smoking canabis.
I did notice (as I do every night) the row of cars that queue in the right turn filter lane and then go straight on at a junction in order to save a bit of time in the longer queue in the correct lane.
I did notice the number of vehicles entering the advance stop boxes whilst the lights were red (last night this was every advanced stop box I approached)
This is not an unusual commute, and it is in GM. That's why I wonder why the police don't see any of this (in fairness they may well see the ASL infringements but they've told me they can't do anything about them).
GMP have not impressed me overall but I'm still actually pleased to see cyclists pulled for the offences that cause me grief as I cycle myself.
Ironic
Personally I think its about time. I used to work on Deansgate until about 4 weeks ago and the number of cyclists that run the red lights on the Deansgate/Quay St junction is unbelievable! especially given the number of people that cross when those lights are on red.
Im a keen cyclist, in fact I cycle more than i drive but running the red light is unacceptable.
I suspect though that the proportion of drivers fine is small because there is another junction nearby thats been closed for 18 months, meaning the volume of traffic that area has increase by an order of magnitude. the result of this is it moves at a snails pace now.
GMP really need to target MOTORISTS in North Manchester - the whole area seems to be forgotten about when it comes to cycling infrastructure and safety. It's a nightmare.
Absolutely agree with this, I know the city centre and Oxford Rd corridor is the cycling hotbed but the rest of us exist too. I have no confidence in GMP's view or treatment of different grades of road user.
It was probably the bottom end of oxford road where most of the traffic is busses and bikes. Maybe they should move further up the road to rusholme where apparently there are no parking rules, red lights dont exist and you dont need insurance.
Right - but they would only do that if their actual goal was to catch dodgy drivers - and we all know GMP have a tad of an agenda
Have GMP published details of overall number stopped and how many were cars, vans, HGVs and bikes?
let me get this straight, 125 cyclists, v 22 drivers.
What proportion of the traffic is car and what bike?
Is it me or does this seem like easy pickings and headline grabbing?
Last night i went through 3 sets of traffic lights and saw 1 cyclist jump red and 6 cars! This is typical. Yes i saw more cars so i would expect more cars to be doing illegal things.
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