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Daily Mail 18 January 2014
More than 11,000 cyclists caught running through red lights and riding on pavements in just one year
More than 7,000 cyclists were fined for cycling on pavements 4,000 were
caught jumping red lights and ignoring other road signs
Road safety and motoring groups welcomed the prosecutions
Most offences were in London with 3,508 fixed penalty notices issued
Last year, 14 cyclists died in London -! six in just two weeks
By RAY MASSEY and VIKKI THOMAS PUBLISHED:13:24, 18 January 2014
UPDATED:13:24, 18 January 2014
More than 11,000 law-breaking cyclists were fined for riding on pavements
and running red lights last year, damning new figures reveal today.
Statistics show more than 7,000 cyclists were fined for cycling on
pavements while over 4,000 were caught jumping red lights and ignoring
other road signs and markings. Road safety and motoring groups welcomed the prosecutions over reckless and illegal behaviour.
They say cyclists are putting lives at risk rCo including their own -! and should face the consequences stressing: rCyCyclists are not above the law.rCO Polling research and film evidence from taxi drivers suggests red-! light running is too often the norm rather than the exception.
The evidence of reckless and illegal cycling is in sharp contrast to the
loud calls of cycling campaign groups who demand crackdowns on motorists
and the creation of safer road junctions. And it adds concerns among
motorist that too many cyclists believe the laws of the land should be rigorously enforced against drivers rCo but should not apply to them.
A hard-!core of the most militant cyclists, criticised for their confrontational attitudes including verbal abuse and hitting or kicking
cars, have been dubbed rCylycra-! loutsrCO because of their tendency to be clad in the stretchy sports material.
Alarmingly, some road safety experts admitted privately to Mail online that they fear to speak out because of intimidation and protests from hard-! line cycling militants and rCyfundamentalists.rCO
The frequency with which cyclists are breaking the law emerged after a
series of Information Act requests by the Mail online to police forces
across England and Wales. It found that most of the offences were committed
in London with 3,508 fixed penalty notices issued after cyclists were
caught jumping red lights. A further 6,173 tickets were issued after
flouting the cyclists flouted the law by riding on pavements.
Avon and Somerset police recorded a total of 525 cyclists who were fined
for cycling on pavements while 177 were issued a ticket for jumping lights
and contravening other road signs.
Officers in Cambridgeshire caught 48 cyclists cycling on pavements and 337 cyclists were caught ignoring red lights and other signs and markings.
These include no entry signs, roundabout signs and box junctions. Each
fixed penalty ticket carries a fine of -u50.
And in total, 4,275 tickets were issued across the country for jumping red lights and ignoring other road signs. Some 7,194 were issued to cyclists
for riding on pavements. But the actual number may be far higher as not all
the forces answered the request for information.
The trend of red light-! jumping comes despite a rise in the number of
cyclists being killed on British roads this year. Last year, 14 cyclists
died in London -! six in just two weeks. In 2012, 122 cyclists died across
the UK.
Research by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) shows that nearly six
out of ten (57 per cent) cyclists admit to running red lights with14 per
cent doing so regularly or sometimes. A quarter (24.9per cent) say they do
so rCyrarelyrCO and one in five (19.1 per cent) doing so rCyonce or twice.rCO
Nearly three quarters (73 per cent) of cyclists admit to riding on the pavement. A YouGov poll revealed that almost a quarter (24 per cent) of cyclists think it is acceptable to go through a red light if they can see
the way ahead is clear. Nearly one in five (18 per cent) said they-had
jumped a traffic light in the past six months. More than 60 per cent of
people polled rCo including non-cyclists rCo said they thought it was common for cyclists to run a red light. Some 78 per cent said they should be prosecuted for such an offence.
Scores of cyclists were filmed jumping red lights by hidden cameras set up
by London black cabdrivers. Their footage showed that just over half of
riders -! 194 out of 364 -! went through stop signals during the rush hour.
The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) which has 10,000 members,
recently set up hidden cameras at two rCyaveragerCO crossroads to gather evidence between 7.30am and 8.30am after a series of rCynear misses and confrontationsrCO between its members and cyclists. The unedited film is available on YouTube.
LTDA general secretary Steve McNamara said: rCyWe are constantly hearing from the cycling lobbying groups that cyclists who ride on the pavement, weave
in and out of traffic and fail to stop at red lights are a small minority
or a small rogue element. This was in stark contrast to what we and most Londoners witness every day.rCO
The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) said cyclistsrCO illegal antics
were reckless and putting lives at risk rCo including their own. It welcomed the prosecutions and urged police to do more. IAM policy and research
director Neil Greig said:rCyIt is putting lives at risk. Cyclists are not
above the law. If cyclists want to be taken seriously on the road they must also obey the law and the rules of the road.rCyWe welcome the fact that the police are taking action against cyclists who break the law by running
thorough red lights or cycling on the pavement in substantial numbers. They have got to expect the police to enforce the law if they break it.rCO
Against a background of cycling groups demanding millions of pounds of new investment to make roads and junctions safer for bicycle users, Mr Greig said:rCO Cyclists must play their part by behaving responsibly on the road
and obeying the law. If they want to be taken seriously they must also
behave responsibly towards pedestrians and other road users.rCO
AA spokesman Luke Bosdet said: rCyRoad safety is a two-way street and the law applies equally to cyclists and motorists. That is the case whether it is a negligent and reckless driver or a negligent and reckless cyclist.rCO
CYCLIST JAILED FOR JUMPING RED LIGHT -! KILLING SCHOOLGIRL
A cyclist who knocked down a schoolgirl and left her for dead after jumping
a red light at 30mph was jailed for a year last month. Philip Benwell, 38, smashed into nine--!year-!-old Leila Crofts as she stepped on to a pedestrian crossing. As she lay unconscious with a fractured skull, he climbed back on
his bike and left the scene. The cyclist had been speeding downhill with
his rCyhead down and bottom raised off the seatrCO just as Leila and her au pair reached the crossing.
Although the traffic lights were showing red, Benwell failed to stop and he
was forced to try and swerve at the last moment when he realised he was
about to hit Leila. But he failed, and crashed into the schoolgirl, who
lives in Sandbanks, Dorset. She was thrown into the air and suffered a fractured skull when she landed in the road, spending14 days in intensive
care.
Benwell was initially charged with causing grievous bodily harm by rCywanton and furious cyclingrCO under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. The charge, which he admitted, was later changed to causing GBH.
Judge Peter Johnson said Benwell had been rCycallous and selfishrCO when he failed to stop. He told the cyclist that he was totally to blame: rCyYou were cycling at high speed. ItrCOs clear that the light must have been red for a
few seconds before you went through that crossing. rCyYou went through that crossing so you did not have to brake and stop so you could use your
momentum to get up the hill on the other side. rCyYou are the only one who is to blame.rCyThis was an incredibly selfish criminal act.rCO
Leila, whose father Darren Crofts is a company director, was being taken to
the beach for the afternoon in July when she crossed the road at Branksome Chine.
Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC foundation, said: rCyThe
rules of the road, and pavement, apply to those on two wheels as much as
those on four. Given the relationship between drivers and cyclists is
already often strained both groups have a duty to respect the law and hence each other.rCO
Worryingly a number of road safety chiefs admitted privately to the Daily
Mail that they are frightened of being too critical of cyclists and the
cycling lobby for fear of being bullied, intimidated or rCytrolledrCO rCo a form
of internet cybe--!bullying on social network sites like twitter and
Facebook rCo by more militant cycling activists and hard-!line rCylycra louts'. rCyItrCOs a real concernrCO, said one.rCO There is a real fear of a backlash from
the cycling fundamentalists. They donrCOt like anything that smacks of criticism. You will get trolled. The cycling lobby will be on your back and
it can be quite intimidating. rCOAnother noted: rCOIf you say something which the cycling lobby find even mildly critical you will face a barrage of criticism on Twitter. rCO
--
Spike
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