A cyclist who was twice spotted by a police officers pulling wheelies in a pedestrianised part of Norwich city centre has been fined a total of £100 for dangerous cycling.
Aiden Orton, aged 24, pleaded guilty at Norwich Magistrates’ Court yesterday to the offences, committed on 5 October and 1 November this year, reports the Eastern Daily Press.
Stacie Cossey, prosecuting, said of the October incident, when Orton was riding along White Lion Street and Gentlemen’s Walk: “He was doing wheelies, with his front wheel reaching the same height as the heads of passing pedestrians.
“He was cautioned by the officer who explained that it was an offence to cycle dangerously, and that he might injure someone else as well as himself.
“To that he replied: ‘I enjoy it’.”
The following month, the same police officer saw him doing “protracted wheelies” as he rode from Gentleman’s Walk along Exchange Street, and “cycling at speed closely to pedestrians.”
Asked in court whether he had anything to say, Orton insisted: “It's really not that dangerous you know. I ride then slow down, I ride and slow down.”
Dangerous cycling is an offence under section 28 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which provides:
(1) A person who rides a cycle on a road dangerously is guilty of an offence.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1) above a person is to be regarded as riding dangerously if (and only if)—
(a) the way he rides falls far below what would be expected of a competent and careful cyclist, and
(b) it would be obvious to a competent and careful cyclist that riding in that way would be dangerous.
(3) In subsection (2) above “dangerous” refers to danger either of injury to any person or of serious damage to property; and in determining for the purposes of that subsection what would be obvious to a competent and careful cyclist in a particular case, regard shall be had not only to the circumstances of which he could be expected to be aware but also to any circumstances shown to have been within the knowledge of the accused.
Sentencing Orton, chair of the bench Cathryn Dobson said: “We are going to fine you for dangerous cycling on two occasions.
“It is reckless, and you were in a busy area of the city which is pedestrianised so the risk to others was higher than usual.”
Besides being fined £50 for each offence, Orton will also have to pay costs of £25 and a £34 victim surcharge.
The court was also told that Orton had been given a conditional discharge in December last year relating to two counts of shoplifting.
He admitted breaching the terms of the conditional discharge, but the magistrates decided to take no further action on that issue.
Is it a target or is it a no sign..? There's only one way to find out...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-65132205 Self driving car fancied a pint
As it's a touring bike, I'd think of putting it on Cycling UK's whole bikes forum page. Cycling UK is what used to be the Cyclists Touring Club ...
1980s Carerra tribute!
I feel for you, having the same thing happening in the company I'm at. It's pretty horrible when people just blatantly copy.
All the more shocking as we learn that Richie Sunak has just spent £500,000 of tax payers money on private jet flights in a fortnight
A cyclist collided with a motorcylist that was exceeding the speed limit, but the cyclist was found guilty of a traffic offence because in the...
However, it may well be patent infringement, though that would have to be confirmed by a court.
but we don't
There are places, though, where a bell is required equipment and lacking one can be a pretext for harassment by the police. NYC comes to mind....