Currently reading: Westminster plans cyclist powers
London authority wants to issue fines to cyclists who break the Highway Code

Westminster Council wants to become the first local authority in the UK to deploy special enforcers with the power to issue penalty notices to cyclists flaunting the Highway Code.

More than 30,000 cyclists use the roads in the London borough every day, with the council claiming one in five of them regularly break the Highway Code by running red lights, riding on pavements and ignoring one way signs.

At present, the police are the only authority with the power to enforce penalties and, according to Angela Harvey, chairman of the Westminster’s scrutiny committee “they aren’t taking the matter seriously”.

The council hopes the police are willing to delegate their power to issue penalty notices in oder to crack down on the problem.

Department of Transport figures show that 820 cyclists were injured in the three months leading up to June 2009 - a 19 per cent increase from the previous year.

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superstevie 9 December 2009

Re: Westminster plans cyclist powers

its about time someone did something about cyclists! I know that a lot of cyclist do bide by the laws, but having driven in London many times, many do not. Its pedestrians that they are the biggest risk to. I have no problem with cyclists moving away from lights before so that they are away from traffic, but when the run red lights at pedestrain crossing when people are crossing, that annoys me!

Old Toad 9 December 2009

Re: Westminster plans cyclist powers

Could not agree more with the above post. I cycle regularly and agree that some cyclists are a real nuisance and a menace to them selves and others. However if some Tw@t from the council were to apprenhend me for summat my name would suddenly be Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse just like the TV licencing guy who wants to look around my house as he has no record of me having a TV . The fact that I havent had a TV for 30 years seems irrelevant.

My point ? Keep apprehending traffic offenders in the Police's balliwick or we will be overcome by dummies in dayglo jackets checking our bins for waste our bikes for speed etc etc as some privacy is actually quite desirable.

Talksteer 9 December 2009

Re: Westminster plans cyclist powers

Since they most definately won't have the power of arrest these people would have no authority to detain anyone and force them to tell them their name.

It will take about 15 mintues for this to become widely known, this will be an expensive waste of time.