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news
York Minster (CC licensed image by ospalh:Flickr)York police to launch bike light campaign
A new crackdown in York will see officers posted around the city to stop and speak with cyclists who are cycling without lights and also those riding on footpaths. Operation Shimmer is being run by North Yorkshire Police with City of York Council, who say the aim is to improve safety for cyclists with the operation timed to coincide with the nights getting darker.
Similar initiatives are run annually in a number of cities, including Cambridge and Oxford where a number of students return to cycling not having ridden for years.
York council has funded a number of high visibility rucksack covers and small sets of emergency lights and these will be handed out to young or vulnerable people who are stopped for cycling without lights who would otherwise have to walk home in the dark.
Inspector Andy Godfrey told York Press that Operation Shimmer was about educating cyclists, but added that “if people are failing to act or caught twice, they will be getting a ticket.”
PCSO Chris Turner said:
“The nights are getting much darker now, and it is really important that cyclists take their safety on the roads seriously. Having lights on your bike which are in good working order is essential to ensure that other road users can see you and drive accordingly.
“This operation has in the past been well-received by cyclists, pedestrians and motorists. Thanks to our joint work with City of York Council, cyclists who put themselves and others at risk can be educated and sent on their way, not just with a ticket or fine, but also with the means to get home safely if they are vulnerable.”
In a similar operation run in October last year, the vast majority of cyclists seen by officers were using lights, but 36 traffic offence reports were issued to those without.
City of York Council Executive Member for Transport and Planning, Cllr Ian Gillies, said:
“It’s always important for cyclists to be aware of dark mornings and evenings, especially with the clocks going back at the end of the month. This joint initiative is now in its third year and is a real positive move to educate cyclists about the importance of being clearly visible on the road. I urge all those who do cycle to forward plan and ensure they have working lights that they check regularly and bright clothing.”
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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20 comments
I do love the fact that in one thread we managed to have "And yet you still saw them - amazing!" about cyclist without lights, suggesting that is the driver's fault if they fail to see a cyclist without lights, and two comments about almost hitting cars because their lights weren't on...
Often do a count on my commute home from Brighton - Tonights score a 12-10 win by the no lights brigade.
Looking on the bright side, this means that fewer cyclists in York can be accused of riding without lights; the police can tick the box to say they're doing something (and counter the "hundreds of cyclists without lights" claims).
I also think it's good that they're doing this now, and a 'strikes' policy, instead of what we've seen before, where they wait until the clocks go back then POUNCE on all the criminal types that suddenly find themselves light-less on their way home.
One concern would be that the free lights may be as sh*t as the ones I've seen as competition prizes which are barely bright enough to read a book by under the duvet, let alone alert other road users to your presence.
I see what you did there.
Ha ha! Unintentional but thanks.
|I agree. In a streetlit area a driver with reasonable eyesight can usually see enough without using headlights (including peds, unlit cyclists etc) if they can be bothered.
I am convinced that DRLs and the widespread use of headlights in daylight is a real danger. I have noticed this week that, when the light level is low but still too bright for street lighting to come on, they do a great job of obscuring everything else.
To be fair it doesn't say that the police are doing this instead of tackling speeding drivers. While I would agree that there are more pressing issues, IMHO a couple of weeks of CSOs (?) buttonholing cyclists isn't a complete waste of resources.
It's not like getting dark earlier with the approach of the Winter is new to the UK. Every single year the Police in certain areas do stuff like this. The bottom line is the issue of tickets and fines.
In an ideal world everyone cycling in darkness would use lights, or the police given sufficient numbers would use guidance over prosecution, save for the angry and argumentative yob.
The reality is the Police are stretched across the UK so their time would be better spent away from vulnerable road users targeting dangerous drivers instead like mobile phone users, close passers, left and right hookers, speeders.....
Instead what do we see? Some daft police inspector or sergeant coming up with an initiative to tick boxes for their own personal career driven agendas.
Being seen and being safe is important, but with finite resources the Police are better off targeting those that kill vulnerable road users and we all know who those are.
I visit York on a regular basis and sometimes even ride into town but it's a in the pain arse. The place is full of clueless students who'll never ride again once they finish studying and most can't decide whether they want to ride on the pavement or the road. You have to be on sensory overload to watch errant pedestrians, cars and people cycling in a random manner.
In my experience most of the unlit brigade are just the local scallies/drug addicts so giving them free lights is a waste of time.
Its amazing how these invisible cyclists get spotted.
Surely they dont need high-viz if they have been spotted?
I'm not excusing fools that dont have lights etc. but it surely the main purpose of car headlights is to see dark unlit objects so you dont hit them? Otherwise trees and bollards etc. would be lit up and painted luminous colours?
Having had a few near misses whilst wearing high-viz and with a 1000+ lumen fornt light, I do sometimes wonder why I spend so much money on "safety" equiment that is pointless.
Perfectly acceptable.
Cycling on the walkway is my most unfavourite thing I see cyclist do unless they are small children.
I cycle on the road so why can't everyone else above the age of about 12 ?
They should do the same around Manchester, I counted at least 6 riders with out lights and no hi vis this morning between Stockport and Trafford............madness
Whilst I agree with you regarding the lights, we must disagree about hi-viz.
And yet you still saw them - amazing!
I could do with some new lights, I might go and ride round York for a bit until a nice police officer gives me some freebies.
Pray tell, what time in the Ante meridiem did you espy this sextet? I am often highly visible, but never hi-viz.
This seems semi-sensible.
However, I think Operation Close-Pass, Operation Left Turn, and Operation iPhone Whilst Driving would help more
I'd like to add Operation Single-Headlight-Cars to that list.
Almost hit an SUV the other day on a dark narrow road because I thought it was a motorbike!
Amazing how often it's teh driver's side that's out isn't it . . . trust me it's worse in Norway, here it get's REALLY dark, and in another few weeks it'll be doing it well before going home from work O'clock. - New cars with front daylight lamps on are also a problem, as driver's can see THOSE are on, so never bother turning on proper headlamps, and thus run around in a (generally dark coloured car) with no rear lights at all. Damn near rear ended one on the motorway here a few days back. Luckily he touched his brakes and he was visible for a second.
1 don't cycle on the motorway
2 what speed were you going? Impressive stuff.
Conceivably he was driving rather than cycling at the time!
Well, then, really we ought to have Operation No Headlights, too.
How many cars did you see this morning in the dark/nearly light without their headlights on?
Quite a few; but the real knob was the 16 plate BMW Series 4 coupe with no rear lights at all even though his headlights were on.
I only saw him properly for the first time when he braked for a junction. I managed to get along side him at some traffic lights and get his attention but he couldn't have cared less because he could see where he was going.