Cyclist numbers prosecuted for ignoring road signs doubles in four years

I'm calling shenanigans on his run-in with the pavement cyclist. The scofflaw's response suits his purposes too well.

Only useful response to Lord Wills would be:

"Cool story, bro"

Some of these Lords really do know how to pick the wrong battles. Could they please acknowledge the elephant and then deal with it, rather than attack the "public menace" that is the cyclist?

Another non story trying to win sympathy votes for cyclists. 152 in total is not even worth discussing.

well Lord WILLS (note not Willis) doesnt seem to like cyclists much, curious though why he thinks he still has constituents 5 years after he stopped being an MP, but has also asked Lord Ahmad more recently as well about cyclist licensing schemes, and even deployed this whopper of a stat in a debate back in 2012  "In the last five years for which figures are available, the number of pedestrians who have been killed or injured by cyclists has increased by two-thirds"  as a "clear" reason for increasing fines for cycling on pavements and also to introduce mandatory training schemes for all road users.

A snapshot of what we're facing.

He's the sort to moan about a market trader sneaking a cheeky kiss from a woman whilst turning a blind eye to the gang rape round the corner.

Perhaps Karma will intervene when one of our splendid and honourable motorists jumps a red light at speed and hits someone in his family, before other marvellous motorists block the progress of emergency vehicles trying to get from the last RTA to the current one?

It's people like this that are actively preventing changes in attitudes of society and change to legislation and frankly it's irresponsible at best.

Quote:

"Just a few weeks ago I was on Marylebone Road and I watched a cyclist jump a red light and weave off down the pavement between pedestrians, talking on his mobile phone as he went. When I said that perhaps he should not be doing that, he got off his bike and asked me to fight him.

“When I declined the invitation and pointed out that he was breaking the law, he said, ‘I know I’m breaking the law and you can’t do anything about it.’

How is a cyclist able to jump a red light if they are on the pavement?

Both against the law, but the actions are mutually exclusive are they not?

And given the cyclist had ridden off, how did Willis then have a conversation with them?

I'm calling BS on this whole anecdote

"convictions had risen from 52 in 2010 to 125 in 2014"

The amount of cycling commuters has risen substantially in that period so statistically it is probably a drop per capita but hey never let the truth get in the way of a story.

Lord Willis' description strikes me as odd.

Obviously this must be a completely factual record of events and I'm simply struggling to find a reasonable way to interpret it. However. Suppose it were a work of fiction. It's not very good is it? It's really quite unclear what's really happened here. I'd suggest starting by clarifying whether the rider was heading toward or away from me particularly as the act of weaving between pedestrians suggests some speed and distance.

If the rider were approaching I'd want to explain why I noted them in the distance and how I was able to see that they jumped the light. After all, wouldn't the view be obscured with all those pedestrians?

If the cyclist were heading away, with my character starting at the lights I'd be able to see clearly that the cyclist jumped them, however I'd then need to explain how they were able to hear my speaking voice on a busy street, and why they stopped and waited to pick a fight with me rather than ignoring me and carrying on.

With regards to Lord Taverne.

This must be some sort of a mis-quote here, otherwise I would have to believe that a member of the house of lords is still in touch with reality!

Drivers never kill or hurt anyone with their behaviour, do they?

The Public are muppets.

However, well said Lord Taverne!

I may have a new favourite Lord:

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Taverne wrote:

“The serious injuries caused by cyclists must pale into insignificance when compared to those caused by motorists. Does he not agree that everything possible must be done by the Government to encourage and support cycling, as was splendidly shown recently with the opening of the cycling superhighway route in London?

“After all, bicycles are the most efficient machine yet invented for turning energy into motion. Indeed, the bicycle has been accurately described as a kind of green car, which can run on tap water and tea cakes and, moreover, has a built-in gym.”

Approx 800,000 driving offences committed in 2014 with more expected for 2015. Metal boxes on wheels hurtling around breaking the law but the cyclist is the wrong un. 

How were cyclists prosecuted for "reckless and dangerous driving"?

Hmmm!  Did he also challenge mobile phone using car drivers, nope I didn't think so.

It's a tiny number, and a non-story. British Cycling says that two million people cycle regularly in Britain, so 125 is just one out of each sixteen thousand regular cyclists. I expect the number issued with fixed penalty notices will be much higher.

In the unlikeley event of Lord Ahmad reading this:

Wikipedia wrote:

 Where only one or a few anecdotes are presented, there is a larger chance that they may be unreliable due to cherry-picked or otherwise non-representative samples of typical cases