Oxford bike lights crackdown sees almost 170 cyclists fined

A recent police crackdown has seen 167 Oxford cyclists handed £50 fines for riding without lights in just one night. Each year a fresh drive from Thames Valley Police sees cyclists riding without lights being targeted immediately after the clocks have changed.

The Oxford Mail reports that police carried out the checks on High Street on Monday night between 6pm and 9pm and anyone cycling without lights was issued with a fixed penalty notice.

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As in previous years, the majority were told that they could avoid having to pay the fine if they bought lights and presented them at a police station within a week. However, three people who had been caught a second time were not given the option.

PC Mark Pilling said:

“This campaign is aimed at educating cyclists about how important it is that they are fully visible to all other road users. Just because a cyclist can see where they are going on a well-lit street, does not necessarily mean that they are fully visible to motorists approaching with their headlights on.

“Cyclists should have a light on both the front and back of their bike and they should wear either some fluorescent or high visibility clothing. They are reminded to remove the lights when they lock up their bikes to prevent them from being stolen.”

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Pilling said that police would be carrying out further checks during coming months. Last year, 267 cyclists were stopped and fined in the equivalent exercise with a further 97 receiving the same treatment during a subsequent push in December.