From Newsgroup: uk.rec.cycling


Speed gun deployed to fine cyclists riding faster than 12mph in London park

Wandsworth Council says rCLtoo many park users have told us they feel unsaferCY around rCLdangerous or inconsiderate cyclistsrCY in green spaces, but insists fines will only be issued as rCLa last resortrCY

by CALLUM DEVEREUX WED, DEC 17, 2025 12:28

Cyclists moving faster than 12mph could be fined in Wandsworth after the council's Parks Police began using a speed gun normally used for vehicles.

London Centric first reported (link is external) that cyclists breaking the speed limit in Tooting Bec Common were being issued -u50 fines following "complaints from dog walkers that people had been going too quickly".

However, a council spokesperson has told road.cc that Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were only being issued "as a last resort for dangerous speeding and unauthorised cycling."

As, cycling's popularity has grown, scrutiny has risen over the conduct of cyclists in the capital. As a non-motorised mode of transport, cyclists are
not ordinarily subject to most speed limits. However, Royal Parks advise
all cyclists to observe the vehicular speed limit on its grounds, varying between 5 and 20mph. The Square Mile of the City of London has also imposed
a 20mph speed limit.

[Linked article] Cycling group and Royal Parks disagree over cyclist speed limit advice in Richmond Park

The 12mph speed limit in Tooting Bec Common, which can also to apply to
other areas such as Finsbury Park and Wandsworth Common, has come under particular attention for it's relatively low limit by comparison. The limit reportedly owes its existence to bylaws created by the Greater London
Council that governed London until 1986. The limit means that e-bikes,
which legally have a motor that goes up to 15.5mph, could also be fined.

A separate but related issue concerns electric motorbikes that are often misidentified as e-bikes. E-bikes are also subject to illegal modification
that increases the motor's speed beyond legal limits.

[Linked article] "They're technically motorcycles": Police continue
crackdown on illegal 'e-bikes' causing "persistent" issues in city centres

The topic of speeding cyclists has also been the subject of misinformation. Last year, the Daily Telegraph were found to have breached the Editors'
Code of the the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) after
running a headline titled "52mph in a 20mph zone - Lycra lout cyclists are creating death traps all over Britain"

[Linked article] Telegraph front page
Telegraph front page (credit: road.cc)
"Mums, dads, sons and daughters being labelled as killers. ItrCOs just got to stop": Chris Boardman comments on Telegraph '52mph in a 20mph zone' article
as it emerges co-author is former BBC fact-checker

The action of Wandsworth's Parks Police follows what they say were "Too
many park users [that] told us they feel unsafe around speeding delivery riders, illegally modified e-bikes and dangerous or inconsiderate cyclists" adding that "this is about responding to residentsrCO concerns and keeping
our parks, commons and open spaces safe for everyone."

The council spokesperson added that "our Parks Police are taking action to protect many people, including considerate cyclists, who use our parks responsibly. Officers follow an educational-first approach, offering information and advice about the importance of slowing down and using designated cycling routes, and only as a last resort will they issue Fixed Penalty Notices for dangerous speeding and unauthorised cycling."

<https://road.cc/content/news/speed-gun-deployed-wandsworth-parks-317353>

[No Comments posted at the time of writing this, but they are going to be hilarious when they do come]
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