Big drop in number of London pavement cycling fines

The number of fines issued by the Metropolitan police for pavement cycling has dropped to less than two a day, reports the London Evening Standard. At the current rate, this will translate to a cut of two thirds on the 1,931 handed out in 2014/15 and to around 10 per cent of the 5,003 issued in 2013/14.

Between April and last month, 406 fixed penalty notices were issued with nine boroughs not having registered a single offence. This puts police on course to issue about 600 £50 on-the-spot fines by the end of March.

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Labour London Assembly member John Biggs, who obtained today’s figures from Mayor Boris Johnson, said:

“Despite more cyclists than ever on London’s streets the number of fines issued to pavement-hopping cyclists has nose-dived. It’s a regular complaint I hear that the thoughtless behaviour of a small minority of cyclists endangers pedestrians who have a right to feel safe on the footpaths, in just the same way cyclists should on the roads.

“Whilst it’s only a small minority who break the rules, it can be terrifying for pedestrians when they see a bike hurtling down the path towards them, especially for older people or those with small children. The sad fact is that with fewer police and PCSOs out on the beat to enforce the rules, there are also fewer opportunities to crack down on bad behaviour like this.”

Previous years’ figures have perhaps shown the effects of Operation Safeway, a crackdown on cycling traffic offences which saw riders fined a total of over £1,000,000 in 2013 and 2014.

In addition to this, the Met’s prosecutions unit now decides whether to issue a fine or to allow the cyclist to take part in an “online diversionary course” to educate them on safer and more considerate cycling.

Responding to the figures, City Hall said that officers now focus on riders who put others in danger. This echoes a 2014 email to Donnachadh McCarthy of the pressure group Stop Killing Cyclists, in which Minister for Cycling, Robert Goodwill, said that the official line from the Department for Transport (DfT) is that cyclists may ride on the footway, provided they do so considerately. Goodwill said that police should be using discretion in enforcing this law.

A spokesman for Boris Johnson said: “The Mayor believes the best way of preventing people from cycling on the pavement is to provide them with safer roads to cycle on and that is why he is investing nearly £1 billion on new cycle infrastructure.”