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

[ronangel]

Hopefully SW11_Cycle  is fully insured for accidental damage to his camera and bicycle as these things are very difficult to replace,and probably is wise enough to have personal accident insurance while riding.
The thing about insurance is  to fully disclose the risk insured or if something happens the company will rightly not pay out. I presume that he has informed them fully of his vigilante caped crusader role in helping the police to bring drivers to justice as this makes him a far greater risk of damage to his property and himself than if he was just going about his daily business minding his own and not provoking confrontation,short or long term. 
By not telling them and fully disclosing  about this role risks no payout in the event of an incident where his bike and camera were damaged or destroyed.Maybe time to pay extra premium if they will even insure him,which should include taxi fares should he not be able to ride a bike for some time.Best of course to leave law enforcement to the police who are paid for this and do not in general like vigilantes of any sort,and regretfully as undermanned will not be there as in most cases to help protect him if he does not!

[99pctpractice]

I live north of the common down a double parked street where it is a nightmare for cars to pass (we have heard so many altercations between drivers who refuse to reverse because they think they have right of way, people abusing Ocado drivers etc etc). frankly it should be made one way because it’s a mess when there are 3 cars backed up each way. I cycle and drive.

I don’t think the 1.5m rule applies because cars are unlikely to be going at 30mph (or if they are, they are breaking the 20mph speed limit), but as a cyclist, I have never had a car either give way to me if I was there first or slow down so I can pull in / pass safely. The onus is always on me to find a gap between parked cars as the motorist accelerates past me. So I know a lot of you think that cyclists are a menace who don’t know or care how to use the roads safely, but there are also a lot of drivers out there who have very little care for cyclists and/or view cyclists’ safety as the cyclist’s problem. Which I guess is why the Highway Code has been amended in light of “the huge rise” in cyclists’ deaths during and post lockdown. Yes, I’m aware that cyclists can also make pedestrians feel unsafe (and even if not fatal, it is really painful to get hit by a bike), but the government seems to be more concerned by the actual increase in deaths of cyclists, which is why it has made changes to the highway code.

I don’t have a camera, so don’t worry, I won’t be reporting anybody

[dudette]

I think the OP hit the nail on the head when s/he said that the typical cyclist is white, male and middle aged. Because that is the typical politician making the rules - what an amazing coincidence! Actually it shows why we need more diversity in our decision makers so that the views of people who can’t or don’t cycle - older people, disabled people, parents with kids, people who are fearful of cycling - are taken into account too. If you go to bike-friendly European countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark you see that cyclists are dressed in their normal clothes and they stop at red lights because they are using bicycles just as a method of transport. In this country the MAMILs who dominate our cycle lanes are dressed in Lycra and use the streets of London as a gym substitute, which means they cycle far too fast and hate to stop - either for a red light or for a car coming the other way - because it interrupts their exercise. The Dutch and Danes ride slow, heavy upright bikes whereas the vast majority of cyclists in London have lightweight racing handlebar style bikes. If we could reclaim the cycling lanes from the menace of MAMILs and give them to people who just want to get from A to B cheaply and cleanly without breaking sweat, then we’d all be a lot better off.

Oh and all those narrow roads should be one-way but that’s another discussion.

[Talkman]

All tax payers pay for highways and cycle paths. General taxation covers build and maintenance. Cyclists can't use Motorways because the clue’s in the name. Cyclists have equal rights to be on roads. Get used to it and give them the safe space required so their loved ones aren’t identifying them in a mortuary.

[Kirstie’s Mom]

I don’t own a car but I am a pedestrian and am frankly tired of the amount of cyclists I find going through red lights,cycling on pavements and on non cycle paths . Cyclists can’t be identified . Sorry I don’t think it’s right that you can act as a vigilante whilst so many cyclists break the law and go away Scott free.

[Carol2R]

I only wish that everyone using the roads would give more attention to the safety of others and abide by the principal of the less vulnerable giving greater priority to the more vulnerable.

Too many drivers don't realise (or don't care) how dangerous it is for the cyclist when they pass them (coming or going) at speed and with very little gap.  

Too many cyclists (and e-scooter riders) behave like they have a god-given right to the fastest route between point a and point b, including up on busy pavements and through pedestrians trying to cross.

Everybody:  slow down, give way, be courteous.
 

[southlondonposter]

It’s one thing to spread messages of let’s all be safer. Totally agree with this. We are a community. The OP needs to get some more friends, go out more, get some hobbies, go on holiday, do more positive things! Rather than go through all his footage and submit videos EVERY DAY to the police of his neighbours! That is utter madness! Who does something like that? The met police being embroiled in many a scandal (sexual assault, homophobia, racism) and they have the resources to find this vigilantism. Rather than fix their own departments. Disgraceful. I assume the OP who doesn’t have a fulfilling enough life if he’s sitting alone doing something like this EVERY DAY!!
The streets should be one-way and maybe if the residents write to the council then this would happen.

Do some introspection and do something positive mate rather than “telling on” all your neighbours.

[southlondonposter]

PS: what about all those heroes (just normal people like us) driving their own cars to Ukraine to deliver supplies and help to those poor refugees there. You’re living in a dreamland mate if you think the world would be better without cars.

What about all the lorries who deliver our food, medicine. What about when you wanna visit your family outside of london and have young children or elderly family members and need your car. What about those people who work night shifts and need their cars for safety. What about those parents with disabled children who need to their car every day.

You need to seriously get out of your own little bubble and think about your community and do something positive.

[makeithappen]

I too have reported x2 cars for close passes and x1 for mobile phone use, and all been prosecuted.

I’m not a middle aged man, I don’t wear Lycra, and I ride an upright bike.

I see far more cars jumping reds (Tooting Bec road a hotspot, as is Ritherdon Road). They like to accelerate as they approach too. As for stopping at zebra crossings …

Not many cars stick to 20 mph, and let’s not even mention the ones accelerating and braking between speed humps, and if you’re cycling, like to be right up behind you …

Cars still remain the biggest thing that kills children.

When push comes to shove, if I have to get knocked over on a road (god forbid!) I think my survival chances are better if it’s a bike or escooter hitting me rather than a 2 tonne car. An SUV has a high chance of killing someone in a collision even when driven at 20 mph.

Cars have priorities on most Wandsworth roads, yet only 50% of us own cars (maybe less), there really is very little sharing of roads.

[dimelda]

To:  South London Poster:  Driving cars to Ukraine!  What a ridiculous analogy.   The world would most certainly be a better place with far fewer cars in it.   Visiting family '... outside of London' - the well-worn selfish excuse to own a car.  I've lived in London over 40 years & on endless occasions have travelled - with family members - to see people outside of London, for which I have never needed to use a car.  There's a train.   Living in London, the only people who need to own a car are those who are disabled, or driving someone disabled, and those who need their car for their employment.  To the OP:  well done!!  More videos please.  I applaud you.

[southlondonposter]

One of my colleagues from work drove to the Polish border with Ukraine and delivered thousands of pounds of essentials to the refugees there with another colleague 2 weeks ago. He certainly wouldn’t have done it if he was from South London it sounds like!

[SW11_Cycle]

If I can bring this back to the original point of my post.

Many of the roads in London are too narrow for cars and cycles to pass safely at the same time, the law now recognises that and there are processes in place to punish drivers who don't stick to the law.

I simply wanted to make road users aware that they're now, due to the rule change, much much more likely to be prosecuted and fined.

I hope that makes the roads safer for us all.

I think that's a good thing.

If you don't, then these new laws and the resulting points and fines will drive you off the road or force you to change your behaviour.

If you don't like the law, lobby your MP and get it changed back.

As far as the Ukraine is concerned I'm a little surprised that a humanitarian disaster that has killed thousands and displaced millions is being used as an excuse for poor driver behaviour in London. To be honest once that user went down that route I simply stopped reading the rest of their post.

One other thing, it's really interesting how personal attacks are one weapon in the drivers armoury. "Getting out more", "getting hobbies" and that I should "have a life" are all accusations that have been thrown at me on this thread to persuade me to stop submitting footage.

If you need me to take up gardening so that you don't have to become a better driver then I suspect you're priorities are a little skewed.

[dimelda]

 To South London Poster:  This post is about wayward & selfish London drivers, in particular those who are dangerous to cyclists!  Please stop bragging about your friend who drove across Europe to take essentials to Ukraine which incidentally he didn’t need to do.  He could have left the goods at a number of reception centres in London & elsewhere collecting items for Ukraine.  Which is what most people did.

[Simon Says]

This post really is just a reminder that car drivers should understand the Highway Code because if they do not follow it they will be fined/prosecuted. It’s nothing more than that. The OP did not write the Highway Code but rightfully expects that those using the road should follow the Highway Code in order for her safety on the road to be respected. Drivers getting upset because they will be liable to prosecution should they breach the Highway Code is the issue. FOLLOW THE HIGHWAY CODE & UNDERSTAND THE ROAD USER HIERARCHY - it’s there to protect all road users and allows our small London road network to be safely shared by all road users.

[chorister]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned joggers in lycra, cocooned by their headphones and clearly believing that they have a greater entitlement to right of way than any other road / pavement user.