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Cyclists at traffic lights (©Toby Jacobs)Police in London step up enforcement of Advanced Stop Lines - fines & points for drivers ignoring them
Transport for London (TfL) has announced that from this week the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police will be stepping up their enforcement of Advanced Stop Lines (ASLs), often referred to as ‘bike boxes.’ Drivers encroaching on ASLs while traffic signals are red will face a fine of £60, as well as having 3 points put on their driving licence.
Plans to get tougher on motorists who illegally cross the line marking out the ASL, using CCTV cameras, were first revealed by London’s Cycling Commissioner, Andrew Gilligan, in May. He says that police will also be targeting cyclists who ride through red lights, who will be given a £30 fixed penalty notice if they are caught.
First introduced in Oxford in 1986, ASLs are the subject of Rule 178 of the Highway Code, which states:
Advanced stop lines. Some signal-controlled junctions have advanced stop lines to allow cycles to be positioned ahead of other traffic. Motorists, including motorcyclists, MUST stop at the first white line reached if the lights are amber or red and should avoid blocking the way or encroaching on the marked area at other times, e.g. if the junction ahead is blocked. If your vehicle has proceeded over the first white line at the time that the signal goes red, you MUST stop at the second white line, even if your vehicle is in the marked area. Allow cyclists time and space to move off when the green signal shows.
In a presss release issued by TfL today, Mr Gilligan explained: "It may be that some drivers don’t realise they aren’t allowed over the Advanced Stop Lines, and when the lights are red, those areas quite often have cars and lorries all over them, completely defeating their purpose.
“Bike boxes are a really important way to keep cyclists and vehicles at a safe distance.
“They have already saved hundreds of drivers, particularly truck drivers who have blind spots in their cabs, from the anguish of unintentionally harming a cyclist, and of course saved hundreds of cyclists from serious accidents."
TfL says that the only exception to drivers being given a £60 fine and having three points put on their licence – which can lead to higher insurance premiums – is if the lights change from green to amber and they are unable to stop safely before the first line.
Turning to the issue of cyclists jumping red lights, Mr Gilligan said: “Whilst usually only endangering the rider themselves, bad cycling does annoy and frighten people, and we are going to tackle it.
“We are increasing the number of officers in our dedicated Met Police Cycle Task Force by more than a quarter.
“Riding bikes themselves, they will target particular cyclist misbehaviour hotspots.”
During the past seven weeks, both the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police have conducted an educational campaign that includes talking to motorists and cyclists at junctions and giving out leaflets that outline the law regarding ASLs.
On its website, the Metropolitan Police also seeks to debunk some of the ‘myths’ surrounding them.
Siwan Hayward, Acting Director of Community, Safety, Enforcement and Policing, TfL commented: “Cycle safety is an important issue for us at TfL.
“Our aim is not to penalise road users but to help educate them into complying with the rules which is why we have been engaging and educating all road users at key London locations in a run up to this enforcement launch. Our message is clear; motorists leave room for cyclists in Advance Stop Line boxes and cyclists do not cross the Advance Stop Line box during a red traffic signal.”
Chief Superintendent Sultan Taylor, from the Metropolitan Police’s Safer Transport Command, added: “With a record number of Londoners taking up cycling, cycle safety and security is more important than ever.
“The Safer Transport Command is working with Transport for London and its policing partners to improve road user behaviour across London by ensuring Advance Stop Line rules are adhered to so that cyclists and drivers enjoy harmonious journeys.”
Transport for London ASL safety tips:
Motorists
Do not enter the Advanced Stop Line (ASL) box when the light is red – this space is reserved for the safety of cyclists
Crossing the first or second ASL lines when the light is red makes you liable for a £60 fixed penalty, three points on your licence, and endangers vulnerable road users
If the traffic signal changes from green to amber and you cannot safely stop before the first stop line, you may cross the line but must stop before the second stop line (Highway Code rule 178).
Cyclists
Do not cross the second stop line while the traffic signal is red. Contravening a traffic signal is against the law, and could result in a £30 fine
More information can be found on the TfL website.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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46 comments
i cant wait to see police target cars and motorbikes for encroaching into the ASL and I really hope they do stop cyclists who RLJ!!!
It would be my dream come true!
I wont hold my breath though, only yesterday I saw a police car cruise into the ASL, so I could not get in it, bloody idiots
I'll second that! ASL at all main junctions that have lights to control them!
proper clamp down on RLJ
proper clamp down on motorists encroaching bike box....
i hope it isnt just a one week phase, to give out a few tickets then forget about it and let everyone go back to their ways again!
correct - "motorists would not see cyclists trying to undertake them"
For this reason the filter box should never be on the left for the ASL. sadly it is on most of them, and technically, if you enter the ASL between lanes or from the right you have broken the law! crazy!
secondly, cyclists should take responsibility for their own safety and be aware of how long the lights have been red. if the traffic has been stopped for a long time just stay where you are!!!
"allow cyclists to occupy yellow box" are you kidding? where does the line end?! come on now, having TWO stop lines is pretty simple.
oh, and in repsonse to you saying "you cant see the white line", i dont think you should be driving, if you dont know where the front of your car is then you are clearly not safe to be on the road, jeeeez
'Stepping up' enforcement should be pretty easy from a zero base...
Police have been, erm, policing the right turn from Putney Bridge into New Kings Road all week. I can't comment on whether fines/points were actually applied or whether miscreants simply got a talking to. But they were pulling over both drivers and motorcyclists who stopped in the ASB, and cyclists who went through the red light. So it does appear at least in this case that the Met is applying some consistency which has long been a gripe of many on here (me included). Long may it continue.
The cash cow culture continues - no sign of cycle paths which would destroy the need for this.
only commuting 2.9km each way to work by bicycle at the moment, NW1 to WC2 in London
see a lot of bad practise by all city users: many road vehicles parked in ASL boxes or racing at / jumping red lights, many pedestrians walking off the pavement (smart phone / newspaper / sandwich / brain dead)into the road without checking for oncoming traffic
and way too many cyclists ignoring the highway code; whether riding through red lights (often cutting across the red light junction up onto the pavement, and then back onto the road), riding wrong way up one-way streets, riding on pavement, riding through pedestrians using green pedestrian crossing at traffic lights
it always shocks me that when I stop at every red light on my commute, 3/4 of cyclist will jump the red light, or ride onto the pavement around the red light, or even ride through crowds of pedestrians using the pavement or green pedestrian crossing
I was run over twice last year; by a cyclist riding on the pavement in Camden by the canal, and then also by a young lad who jumped a red light next to Camden tube station as I was crossing on green pedestrian light. the second incident actually was witnessed by Police who did nothing to help me and laughed it off, despite me getting knocked to the ground with a bruised arm and jaw from the impact.
if a cyclist gets an earful of abuse from me, I make no apologies. If you try to run me over on the pavement or at a crossing do no expect to stay on your bicycle!
I always follow the rules of the road when riding or walking, and stop at every red light.
I never ride up one-way roads, I always give way at pedestrian crossings.
I am no saint, but just follow the rules because otherwise it will all go to sh*t and London's roads are too quickly heading in that direction..where the hell are the Police in this respect?
its all well and good encouraging more people to take up cycling, but when there is no training / licensing / education of safe cycling on the highway then its a bad joke for existing road users who try to maintain a standard!
so, today is the first day (in ten years) that police will enfore the ASL / bike box law is it?
Sad to see that within 5 minutes of my regular road a car was stopped in the box, with a police car diagonally behind it in the other lane (when i approached). It COULD have got there legally, but its a tight corner and VERY doubtful (Ive been riding the route for a year and it really isnt realistic), anyway, not beyond reasonable doubt. So then a scooter pulls up in front of the police car along side me in the bike box, no action from the police - shame on you, didnt you get the memo!?
during my 6 mile ride in central london i saw around 7 motorbikes all enter ASL illegally. I also saw about 6 cyclists jump red lights.
i didnt see ANY police at cycling hotspots or anywhere near an ASL (except the aforementioned police car that took no action). maybe the rain put them off, i will hold my breath and hope for ACTION on monday. and that includes action from idiot red light jumpers - please, stop it!! (the worst are those who wait at th red like for 55 seconds,,,, only to get impatient and then jump the light. 20 seconds later it turns green.....
I would like to add that the police could have easily pulled the scooter to one side without causing an obstruction to the flow of traffic, its a quite, wide ride, with ample space to have a word, remind the rider its illegal and let him on his way!
VERY WELL SAID!
Why have I "technically...broken the law"?
Surely, I am allowed to use the road space available. I need to ensure that it is safe to do so, that I am not endangering anyone else.
BTW, I'm happy to be pointed to the relevant section(s) of the Highway Code.
Ta
Because nowhere else counts
so when does this ten year old law get enforced? still not seen any copper on the streets.... and a black cab cruised up along side, past the asl today, even ignored me when i said "hey, your in the bike box". i give up, dunno y i got my hopes up about change
you have to enter the box where the broken line is, 99% of the time its on the left side of the left lane (strand - waterloo bridge, has it in the centre, between lane 1 and 2 which is good)
Is that quite how it works at Bow though? (I've only ever been through it once, before the current setup, and I vaguely think that that time I got off and crossed as a pedestrian, so I don't know!).
But from other people's descriptions, I'm not sure what they have at Bow is strictly an 'early start'. Seems more as if cyclists get an extra delay!
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