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The Express
Quote:
The curse of the cycling maniacs
25/07/06
For many pedestrians, there is a war on our streets and their enemy is a two-wheeled menace who has decided the rules of the road do not apply.
Jumping red lights, cycling on the pavement and barging through streams of people on pedestrian crossings are all acceptable to this new kind of rider.
The growing fashion for cycling is undoubtedly good news for the environment. In theory, it is a sign of a more civilised society which noncyclists can welcome, too.
But the reality is a long way from the tranquil image of “old maids cycling to Holy Communion” which John Major invoked to back his vision of a nation at peace with itself.
As visitors to the Weekly Gripe website make clear, the new breed of cyclist – helped by wheelchairfriendly ramps that have been added to every pavement – is making life miserable for everyone else.
“I have recently started walking to work and it has turned into the most stressful 20 minutes of the day. I am constantly worried about cyclists colliding with me as they’re where they shouldn't be on the pavement,” writes “Pat the Pedestrian”.
Another contributor said she was hit by a bike on a pavement and broke her elbow, while Daily Express reader Allan Mooney e-mailed: “Most cyclists are a law unto themselves, using the pavement at unrecorded speeds with disregard for pedestrians, traffic lights and anything requiring them to stop.”
Is he exaggerating when he talks of “most cyclists”? Ken Livingstone’s Transport for London has been running an advertising campaign to get people on their bikes that makes no mention of the rules of the road. A spokesman agreed that jumping red lights and riding on the pavement are “not only illegal but completely selfish and often dangerous” – but he insisted that rule-flouting was a minority activity.
Yesterday, the Daily Express monitored three major road junctions for an hour. We observed 26 cyclists stop at red lights, 33 go through them and eight avoid the dilemma by using the pavement. In other
words, 39 per cent obeyed the law while 61 per cent flouted it.
The independent Labour peer Lord Stoddart of Swindon feels so strongly about the breakdown of a once-accepted social code that he has raised the issue of cycling on pavements in Parliament.
“I asked a question about it because I had been approached by people who have been knocked down on the pavement,” he says. “I live in Reading and it’s certainly not just a problem confined to the big cities. I really am so sad that the pedestrians are given such short shrift.
Some cyclists are very good and considerate and obey traffic laws but all too many want all of the privileges but none of the costs.”
As Home Office Minister Baroness Scotland made clear in her reply to Lord Stoddart, cycling on the pavement is an offence under Section 72 of the Highways Act 1835. “To help the police with enforcement we introduced the option of a £30 fixed penalty notice for cycling inconsiderately on the pavement,” she said. But she also stressed that enforcing the law is an operational matter for the police – and the lack of such enforcement is what frustrates many pedestrians.
Not long ago, City of London police caught 150 riders in four days committing various offences but it is one of the few forces to take such rule-breaking seriously.
“Whether we like it or not, rank-and-file coppers have abdicated all interest in traffic management and are rapidly losing interest in traffic enforcement,” says Kevin Delaney, head of traffic and road safety at the RAC Foundation. “They are not short of things to do with their day, and they make their own priorities, which is as it should be.” He suggests giving enforcement responsibility to local authorities, who would have a financial interest in handing out fines.
It could be achieved with a simple amendment to the Road Safety Bill currently going through Parliament. He also argues for registration of bicycles, which would benefit cyclists when machines are stolen as well as holding renegade riders to account and he laments the lack of cycling training.
He suggests lessons could be included in the price of a new bike – in much the same way that new motorcyclists must complete Compulsory Basic Training.
As Britain sizzles and tempers flare on the baking roads and pavements, the message is at last getting through to the authorities that they cannot sit back for ever.
In the capital, Transport for London seems to have recognised that promoting cycling without any mention of the law is storing up problems for the future. “We are currently planning a campaign, with both education and enforcement activity, to reinforce the message that cyclists must follow the Highway Code and to ensure a minority of road users do not impact negatively on fellow motorists, pedestrians and cyclists,” says the spokesman.
The Daily Express has also learned that police forces up and down the country are gearing up to take action. “There is some concern that cyclists are committing serious offences which are not being dealt with properly by the police service,” says a spokeswoman for the Association of Chief Police Officers. “We do take the flouting of the law seriously and are in the process of urging forces to enforce the law around going through red lights and riding on pavements.”
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