SW11 car fines from a local cyclist's camera Post Reply

[readysteadycook]

Maybe you should tell this 1.5m rule to your cycling chums who overtake me when I am cycling at c.30cm distance sometimes.

You cant have it both ways - many cyclists are a menace, disobeying red lights and breaking a host of rules.

[wasateacher]

I wonder if this cyclist is as respectful of pedestrians as he expects motorists to be of him.  A footpath opposite my house has 'no cycling' signs which are regularly ignored by cyclists.  As I have posted before, I was also hit on the head by a cyclist when going through a pedestrian entrance to St George's hospital.

Almost anywhere I walk in Wandsworth I see cyclists breaking the law and showing absolutely no concern for pedestrians.  Yesterday, crossing York Road on pedestrian lights a cyclist raced through on red.

[SW11_Cycle]

"I wonder if this cyclist is as respectful of pedestrians as he expects motorists to be of him." it's a good point. I try to be. I've had to remind myself that they have priority in the new hierarchy so yesterday I was tempted to shout at a pedestrian who stepped into the road almost causing me to hit her but I (just) held back as they have right of way.

"Almost anywhere I walk in Wandsworth I see cyclists breaking the law and showing absolutely no concern for pedestrians. Yesterday, crossing York Road on pedestrian lights a cyclist raced through on red."

Yes I agree the standard of road users is pretty poor. Bolingbroke Grove is a 20 mph for cars and motorbikes and I reckon that only 10% or so actually stick to that.

Btw it's not him/he.

[AnotherCyclist]

Thank you. Sincerely.
I cycle daily in Wandsworth.
While it has improved over the past years - far too many cars still drive aggressively, speed, pass dangerously close and (falsely) think the roads are exclusively for them.
The vast majority of these comments highlight this perception and underscore the need to report dangerous driving behaviour.
It’s hardly curtain twitching. I take exception with that phrase - it’s as if people here believe they can break the law without consequences and how dare others call them out.
The counter comments and generalisations about all bad cyclists are just distractions and irrelevant.
Slow it down.
Share the road.
Simple.

[uptheoctave]

SW11 Cycle, I can only applaud your patience and politeness at some of the horrible replies you've received on here. You came on as a spokesperson (no pun intended!) for other cyclists and have been a wonderful example of a tolerant and thoughtful road user. Unfortunately, the aggressive nature of some of the replies suggests that if people are half as angry on the roads as they are online, this new law has been long overdue. 

[Starr]

This person may be polite but they are essentially gloating about catching unsuspecting drivers out and giving them fines to make a point.
There are horrible drivers and horrible cyclists but as someone who does both I would say most drivers are thankfully courteous.
When on my bike the biggest danger for me is HGVs but I've learned to protect myself by dismounting at certain danger spots and walk across with pedestrians at crossings.
As for catastrophizing, I don't see the point. I highly encourage people to cycle and you can get training free from the council if you are new to it or unconfident. Our cycle infrastructure is not perfect but we are adapting to it and although we will never be Holland or Denmark we have good routes and storage and hire bikes everywhere.
Another rule that has come into effect is the cyclists right to ride in the middle of the lane with no obligation to stay to the left corner. I see this as a positive step to protect and encourage cycling.
I still think many people who cycle in London have a dreadful attitude, those who insist on speed, jumping lights and being aggressive towards drivers needlessly. I would like to see these people called out too.

[SW11_Cycle]

"essentially gloating about catching unsuspecting drivers out "

They're not, or shouldn't be, unsuspecting.

With respect, if you break the law and you're "unsuspecting" that you might be caught then you don't deserve your licence or a place on the road.

A trick I use to help me frame these sorts of statements outside of our pro-car culture is to replace the offence against the cyclist with drink driving. Similarly, most people in the 1960s believed drink/driving was acceptable even though it caused many deaths and horrible injuries, in fact the parallels with excessive speed and poor road sharing today are uncanny.

So if I said "I was three times over limit but some snitch told the police" then I would hope you'd have little sympathy with me.

"I would say most drivers are thankfully courteous."

I totally agree with you. But the problem with being a cyclist is that it only takes one discourteous motor user to kill you. And as we don't know which one will kill someone this month, and I guarantee that they will, then we have to have rules that affect them all.

" and although we will never be Holland or Denmark"

We could be! Holland was awful for cycling post-war but a journalist's son was killed. He worked the media to get the whole country to be pro-cycling. We can be as good as them we just don't want to be.

" I would like to see these people called out too."

Yes agreed. I'm focusing on motorists as they cause the most deaths, and that is an unarguable fact, but if others choose cyclists then good luck to them.

[juliantenniscoach]

As per usual in this situation, if everyone followed the Road Traffic Act, Highways Act and Highway Code, then there wouldn't be a problem.  I write this as a pedestrian who cycles and drives...........horribly conflicted 

[ronangel]

------
Know the difference between Red and Green! (sound on)
https://www.ssrichardmontgomery.com/dow ... stsred.mp4

 

[Cyclist123]

Hello
I'm the partner of a regular poster on here. 

I was told about this thread and I wanted to add an example of poor driving that I've seen in our area. I cycle from Balham to London Bridge every day. 

The video below is one example from this week by Clapham South where the motorist is actively changing lanes into my bike. If I hadn't used my bell then she would have hit me. 

This is a very well known pinch point.

Cars come down the side of Clapham Common and they're often in the wrong lane to go straight on and so they just pull into the left hand lane.

The problem is that this almost always has cyclists in it because cyclists are first off the line due to the cyclists only box at the lights.

In fact if you wanted to design a junction which is perfect for causing issues this would be it.

1. push the motorists into the wrong lane
2. lets the cycles go first
3. those cars wanting to go straight on now have to pull into the left hand lane or they face a hard stop from cars turning right. 

The video is here: Clapham South cyclist pinch point 

Unlike the OP I haven't sent any footage to the police but my understanding is that if I did this would be three points and a fine.  

[readysteadycook]

I can tell you that if you get a fine from this cyclist, to contest in in the magistrates courts - they will look at it in a very fair way and throw it out if it doesn't make sense.

I think most people know that what is being posted here is totally outrageous.

[SW11_Cycle]

That video is one of the clearest examples of 3 points and a fine I've seen for a while.

The car literally pulls into the cyclist.

I guess we could wait for actual impact before we judge but thankfully the UK courts are more pro-active.

[ronangel]

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/604266?
 

[angrygranny]

Why keep doing us and them? Its not about modes of transport, its about law breaking and safety. If travelling at 23 mph on a car along Wimbledon parkside incurs points how about the 50 mph down my side street off Bolingbroke or the racers doing even more along it.
Speeding cars, cycling on pavements at more than 4mph children on scooters and bikes all need to take on safety considerations and Wandsworth Council should fine and fine again inconsiderate pavement and road users, including parents who take up all the pavement at collection times. Waiting for a bus on Bolingbroke Grove is hazardous at times

[Clapham]

It seems to me that there should be a law change such that cyclists have to stop and give their name and address if involved in an accident ie it should be the same for drivers as for cyclists. This seems a relatively easy change to be made.

From what I can see, if someone alleges a cyclist is cycling dangerously (which includes jumping a red light or using their phone while cycling etc) then the cyclist is legally obliged to provide their name and address but I think it should be law in the case of all accidents too, the key point being that it is without being asked, so that no-one ever leaves the scene of an accident without passing on their details. This could apply to pedestrians too.

I agree with registration plates for cycles too although appreciate that may be hard to enforce.

The rules have to be equal for both sides and then hopefully the cases of bad driving and bad cycling can both be reduced.