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Deliveroo rider in York fined by ‘confrontational’ police officer who grabbed his bike (+ video)

Union says council had said ban on bikes would be raised during lockdown - something the council denies

A Deliveroo ​rider who has been delivering food and medicine to people in York during the lockdown has spoken of how he was fined for riding through the city centre by a “confrontational” police officer who also grabbed his bicycle.

The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which represents people working in the gig economy, says that Ethan Bradley is one of several couriers handed £50 fixed penalty notices in the city on 18 April, reports Yorkshire Live.

He said: “I was absolutely shocked by the confrontational behaviour of the officer who stopped me.

“He not only grabbed my handlebars and threatened me with arrest if I did not give my details, but by not using protective equipment put both myself and my customers at risk.”

Footage of the incident was posted  to Twitter by the York branch of the IWGB.

The union, which says that the fine effectively cost Mr Bradley a day’s wages, said that York City Council had given “confusing guidance” that appeared to indicate that restrictions on cycling in pedestrianised parts of the city centre had been suspended – something the council denies.

> Union accuses Deliveroo of “PR spin” over “unworkable” coronavirus hardship fund for riders

A council spokesman said: “Whilst food delivery couriers may be classed as essential services and key workers during the pandemic, this does not extend to a relaxation of traffic regulations for these services.

“Discussions were held early on in the pandemic about the practicality of relaxing the traffic restrictions in the central area.

“However for the reasons that became apparent when the bollards were not put in place for a period (increased traffic and higher than desirable speeds) it was decided that the restrictions should remain for the safety of those who still use the city centre on foot and could reasonably expect the area to be vehicle free.”

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: “Although the city centre streets are currently very quiet due to the lockdown, this does not mean that pedestrianised areas can be used by cyclists and other vehicles.

“North Yorkshire Police is not responsible for lifting or imposing these restrictions, this is a council matter, but if cyclists and drivers are breaching the restrictions police can enforce them.”

In its letter, the IWGB also underlined the key role that couriers are playing during the ongoing crisis.

“Day in, day out, couriers are delivering food and groceries to those people self-isolating and the many thousands in York adhering to the stay at home instruction directive of the UK government,” it said.

“At a time when the strength of community bonds is relied upon, York’s couriers are volunteering to deliver groceries and hot meals for the NHS workers and prescriptions to those at highest risk from COVID-19.”

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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48 comments

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Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
2 likes

Once real crime starts again the police in York won't be quite as industrious. 

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Spangly Shiny | 4 years ago
3 likes

He is not a real policeman, rather he is one of those PCSO types. Draw your own conclusions from that.

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Hirsute | 4 years ago
9 likes

Was the deliveroo rider going the wrong way up a one way street?

I think a warning was appropriate not the heavy handed way it was dealt with (unless the rider made some daft comment that exacerbated it).

Officer needs a bit of training about distancing too.

 

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Sriracha replied to Hirsute | 4 years ago
0 likes

Previous advice in threads on the same topic has been for the cyclist to just ride off - nothing the PCSO can do about it. So it is hardly surprising the PCSO was holding on to the bike. The still image taken from the video is selected to make it look like the PCSO is "grabbing" the bike, reinforced by the misleading headline. But in fact the video reveals he had simply been holding on to the handlebars and the cyclist later tried to pull the bike away.
All in I see this as a very poor piece of reporting.

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brooksby replied to Sriracha | 4 years ago
2 likes
Sriracha wrote:

... But in fact the video reveals he had simply been holding on to the handlebars and the cyclist later tried to pull the bike away. All in I see this as a very poor piece of reporting.

But if he was anticipating getting so up close and personal with people, he ought to have had gloves and a face-covering, surely?

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Sriracha replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes

What difference do gloves make?

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brooksby replied to Sriracha | 4 years ago
1 like

Touching other people or their property? (I notice the other police officer is wearing them).

But whatever you think about gloves, surely the police ought to have had face coverings?  

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Sriracha replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes
brooksby wrote:

Touching other people or their property? (I notice the other police officer is wearing them).

But whatever you think about gloves, surely the police ought to have had face coverings?  

Still don't see what difference gloves make, unless you think the virus is excreted through the skin. But no matter - I'll accept that whatever PPE might be necessary would have been better if worn. But I sense that people are saying that regardless of any PPE, the copper ought to have been "looking the other way" since it was only a cyclist and not a car driver flouting the no cycling zone.

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TempleOrion replied to Sriracha | 4 years ago
2 likes

OMG Seriously? Jeez...

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brooksby | 4 years ago
7 likes

OK, so I bounced this one around with my (slightly velophobic) wife last night, and I'd like to change my answer.

The area is pedestrianised and all vehicles - motorised or not - are banned, and so unless the rider started being a Deliveroo rider that very day they would have known that.  The council didn't waive those laws (admittedly, a grey area as the IWGB branch claims the council (or, one single council staffer, at least) said otherwise).

So, ultimately, the rider got caught, was breaking the law, and could legitimately be fined; they and the IWGB should take it up with the council because it is stupid that the area remains closed 'for the safety of pedestrians' when there aren't any pedestrians.

However... WTF was going on with that policeman?

(I'd consider that behaviour iffy at the best of times - right in-yer-face and grabbing the bike - but at the present time, doing all that and with no mask or even gloves??  C'mon, even the rider is wearing a mask).

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes

I agree with his tactics in these specific times (I seem to remember a story that the Police were taking a relaxed view of minor offences at the moment.) and alos surprised on the lack of PPE as well being as he will need to be close to people. 

However I suspect if he doesn't do the specific grab, the cyclist would be off as we don't have registrations blah blah.

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check12 | 4 years ago
12 likes

Fantastic use of police time and so professional too. They are not exactly covering themselves in glory during this pandemic, in my opinion.

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bigbiker101 | 4 years ago
7 likes

This concept of "there was nobody there so it was OK" is utter nonsense and flawed beyond belief, the facts are it is illegal to cycle through the centre of York and a professional rider knows the rules, and cyclists commenting on this forum saying it was OK…. seriously ? this is the exact same argument car drivers are using as to why they can speed around our roads, because they are quiet

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Slartibartfast replied to bigbiker101 | 4 years ago
8 likes

This issue is that the council lifted the bollards at the end and there was confusion about whether it was now ok to cycle down there. There were mixed messages coming from police and the council, so it's not hard to see how this cyclist was caught out. Point is, it's quiet down there (I was in town last week and the street was empty), so there's no reason to not allow cyclists to use it, as many of the streets in York are only pedestrianised on certain days at certain times (e.g. busy ones). I often use it on a Sunday morning on the way out of town.

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mr_pickles2 replied to bigbiker101 | 4 years ago
15 likes

I want to agree, but I think it's a case of relative harm. 

Someone speeding around at 60mph in a 1.5+ ton of metal will cause significantly more harm to others if something goes wrong than a delivery cyclist riding at 15mph through a very quiet city centre. The two examples are not equivalent.

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Slartibartfast replied to mr_pickles2 | 4 years ago
11 likes

Quite - the driver who came round a blind bend on the wrong side of the road at way over the speed limit straight at me yesterday is not the same as a family using an empty pedestrian area to avoid a main road (as the street in the article does).

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Captain Badger replied to bigbiker101 | 4 years ago
16 likes

A case of false equivalence. Many folk are KSI by car drivers daily, very few by cyclists.

The rozzers make a deal of being professional enough to use their discretion.... when it suits them. And "I don't make the rules".... when it suits them.....

Strangely it often suits them to come down hard on cyclists, and use their discretion with motorists.

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Sriracha replied to Captain Badger | 4 years ago
2 likes

How has any of this got to do with cars and drivers?

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Captain Badger replied to Sriracha | 4 years ago
0 likes

Replying to bigbiker101....

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Spokesperson replied to bigbiker101 | 4 years ago
4 likes

Oh give over

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Sriracha | 4 years ago
5 likes

"...fined for riding through the city centre ..."
Not exactly the whole truth there. I suspect he was fined for cycling in a no-cycling zone. As long as it was legally established and clearly signposted, the rest of the story is just misdirection and waffle.

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NZ Vegan Rider replied to Sriracha | 4 years ago
1 like

Correct.

If it's a no cycling zone don't ride there. It doesn't matter if there are pedestrians there or not c.f. the cyclists on the motorway - legally they shouldn't be there even if there are next to no motorised (legal) traffic.

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brooksby | 4 years ago
3 likes

So how many pedestrians were using that pedestrian area (any pedestrian area) at present, that the rider was putting anyone in danger?  The police.  Anyone else?

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Nemesis replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
1 like

We could use that argument for anything couldn't we?!

"As long as ther is no one using the roads I can drive at 90 in a 30 limit"

I have a friend who has ver very poor sight. Cyclists are the road users that frighten her the most....

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Slartibartfast replied to Nemesis | 4 years ago
5 likes

Nice straw man.

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Nemesis replied to Slartibartfast | 4 years ago
0 likes

Read the comments on this article.  Lots of straw men. OK to have a straw man if you're a cyclist otherwise not?

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check12 replied to Nemesis | 4 years ago
4 likes

If she's not safe on the road..... maybe she shouldn't be on it? I pitty the poor bugger she hits before calling it a day. 

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Nemesis replied to check12 | 4 years ago
0 likes

So she should lock herself in her house because she feels vulnerable?

if we use your argument then cyclists should not cycle on the road as they feel unsafe?

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Captain Badger replied to Nemesis | 4 years ago
7 likes

In which case she's worrying about the wrong thing. About 400 peds a year are killed by motorists in the UK. Around 50 of these are on the pavement. Conversely it's been a bad year if 1 ped is killed in collision with a cyclist. The misplaced worry that your friend feels is not uncommon, and really underlines how cyclists are demonised by the press, and how that skewed narrative insidiously feeds into the public sub-conscious. Note that the numbers above do not take into account secondary mortality from pollution, which we all contribute to when we get into our cars.

Really, cyclists are not the villains here.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Captain Badger | 4 years ago
2 likes

She shoud transfer her worry to electric cars. The worst of both worlds with the momentum of a car but the silence of a bike. 

Although in all seriousness, I suspect anyone who does use hearing to get around and to try to be safe would be more scared of the silent travel people rather then others. Running creates vibraions, walking, well small bump not serious, motor vehicles are noisy so we would be faster and silent so alot more scary in those situations.

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