Interesting stats on cycle red light jumpers

[HeadNun]

7 minutes ago, Earl Aelfheah said:

You quite often see people being stopped and issued FPN on some of the major commuter routes into London. Ex-Dulwichers point re. the ‘Idaho stop’ is spot on. We need more nuanced rules in relation to those on bicycles, better enforcement of road laws in general, and education putting the safety of others first.

Ah I had no idea - who stops them and how, is it police in cars? I haven't commuted into London for years, and never saw it when I did, so there must have been an increase, which is good. I'll look up the Idaho stop, I must have missed that post. 

 

11 minutes ago, SE22_2020er said:

@HeadNun - the Met Police used to periodically fine people cycling through the Greenwich foot tunnel and hand out FPNs with alacrity.

Similarly, there used to be monthly Police checks by the Old Vic and one would see quite a few FPNs being issued.

 

Unfortunately, what with cost pressures and the all encompassing crime wave that's spreading through Dulwich village since the LTN went in, I guess there just aren't the resources any more.

Our posts crossed. It's a shame this has decreased - as you say, the more people they fine, the more they can fund the resources to stop people. 

[exdulwicher]

8 minutes ago, HeadNun said:

Ah I had no idea - who stops them and how, is it police in cars? 

I've seen police on motorbikes stop cyclists a few times. Often a lot of moto police around the Buckingham Palace area, they're not averse to pulling over traffic (cycle and vehicle). 

[Earl Aelfheah]

An example:

https://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/news/city-of-london/news/2024/august/cycle-team-producing-great-results-a-year-on-from-launch/#:~:text=The seized e-bikes are,with 'hotspot' policing initiatives.

They’re usually targeting illegal e-bikes as well as red light hoppers. I’ve seen crews on Blackfriars road before.

[HeadNun]

I love this! Stupid question, but do they have sirens or some sort of warning sound? How do they actually catch up with people travelling at speed? 

[Dulwichway]

Bitter/jealous/angry cyclists are nightmare on our roads today that are meant for motor vehicles, they really need to be policed properly and reduced asap!!

[malumbu]

I was in Guildford today.  You don't get bikes running red lights in the centre.  That is because it is so bike unfriendly you hardly get any bikes.  Just loads of cars.

Not the solution I want in the capital and shows how far we have come in London.

No doubt there are cycle routes in central Guildford but sobering to see how car centric  it is.  As no doubt many smaller towns 

[Rockets]

I think the ITV article sums it up perfectly when they say so far in 2025 284 cyclists have been fined by the City of London Police for jumping red lights yet they counted 200 doing exactly that in one hour at one set of lights.

I very much suspect councils and police will start to enforce this more rigorously as clearly the message is not getting through - there is a gold mine of PCNs waiting to be issued! 😉

[malumbu]

I'd still rather be in a city which encourages cycling.  @Rockets do you still cycle?

[Rockets]

I do, very much so - it is why it vexes me so much that so few people seem to obey the rules and as someone who does stop being admonished for doing so shows how much of a problem this is. But this is not just a London problem - has anyone been to Amsterdam recently - good grief? I know people hold that up as the cycling nirvana but if the city centre is a peek into the cycling dream everyone better wake-up soon because it is a nightmare!

Edited August 9 by Rockets

[Rockets]

BBC News - City of London to examine tougher cycling fines

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnvrrdpge39o

[teddyboy23]

ON CAMBERWELL NEW ROAD LAST THURSDAY JUCTION VASSELL RD.WELL FUNNY 3 CYCLISTS STOP AT RED LIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.THEN NOTICE IN REAR VIEW MIRROR 4 MOTORBIKE COPPERS STOP BE HIND ME.THEN WHILE THE LIGHTS WERE STILL RED ON OF THE CYCLISTS TOOK OFF.NARROWLY MISSING ANOTHER CYCLIST COMING OUT OF VASSEL RD.THEN SUDDENLY ALL MOTOR BIKE COPS SIRENS OO LIGHTS FLASHING TAKE OFF SURROUND THE RED LIGHTJUMPER MAKING HIM PULL OVER WHERE ONE OF COPS IS POINTING AT THE CYCLISTS GIVING HIM SOME SOUND ADVICE.THE CYCLIST LOOKED SHOCKED AND SCARED .THE POLICE THEN TOOK OFF TOWARDS KENNINGTON. .😂

[ianr]

Maybe prompted by the new TfL poster campaign?

https://newsfromcrystalpalace.wordpress.com/2025/09/17/new-transport-for-london-poster-campaign-tells-cyclists-they-must-always-stop-at-red-traffic-lights/

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2025/september/tfl-launches-new-poster-campaign-to-raise-awareness-of-highway-code-rules

ps No all UC please.  It's not so easy to read. 

[malumbu]

Campaigns must be aimed at all road users encouraging sharing of the road.

US VS THEM IS NOT HELPFUL 

Used uc not to shout but make a point that UC is wrong in social media.  It's not me being the internet police just polite etiquette 

@Rockets why are you again promoting an anti cycling thread.  As a cyclist wouldn't it be better to share the joys?

[Spartacus]

19 minutes ago, malumbu said:

Campaigns must be aimed at all road users encouraging sharing of the road.

US VS THEM IS NOT HELPFUL 

Used uc not to shout but make a point that UC is wrong in social media.  It's not me being the internet police just polite etiquette 

@Rockets why are you again promoting an anti cycling thread.  As a cyclist wouldn't it be better to share the joys?

For years campaigns have been clearly aimed at cars, lorries and motorbikes. Remember the "think once,  think twice think bike" campaign or the more recent "think child advert" aimed solely at drivers to keep at 20mph? 

So yes, why not have specific campaigns and adverts to remind cyclists of the rules ? 

Or do you feel cyclists are being unfairly targeted by campaigns to make them and pedestrians safer ?

 

[Rockets]

1 hour ago, malumbu said:

@Rockets why are you again promoting an anti cycling thread.  As a cyclist wouldn't it be better to share the joys?

@malumbu you are clearly becoming Brendan Carr and we are Jimmy Kimmel…..I posted an article, left no comment but you interpret that as being an anti-cycling thread…..

You have set up enough threads on cycling to “share the joys” this one is about red light jumping cyclists…so if you have nothing constructive to add on topic then please don’t.

1 hour ago, ianr said:

Maybe prompted by the new TfL poster campaign?

This is long overdue….so glad to see they are doing this.

 

A new Transport for London poster campaign tells cyclists they must always stop for people at red lights.

TfL say the new campaign aims to raise awareness of the Highway Code, with a particular focus on highlighting five key rules “designed to protect people walking, cycling and motorcycling” after a recent survey conducted by TfL shows that there is low awareness and understanding of the rules, which were updated in 2022.

#

The five rules are:

• Cyclists must always stop at red lights
• You must stop for people on zebra crossings
• Always stop for people at zebra crossings on cycle tracks
• Always let people cross before you turn
• Always let cyclists pass before you turn

[Penguin68]

2 hours ago, malumbu said:

Why are you again promoting an anti cycling thread.  As a cyclist wouldn't it be better to share the joys?

I believe if he is 'promoting' anything it is a thread on cyclists who transgress. Unless you are of the opinion that transgressors within a group then represent the whole group, which if applied to people of a particular race would be seen as racist, then I cannot see what your problem is here. Unless you would argue that cyclists as individuals are unable to transgress. One might as well argue that those posting about out of control teenagers harassing people in parks should instead be concentrating on writing about the joys of being teenagers instead. 

[teddyboy23]

3 hours ago, ianr said:

Maybe prompted by the new TfL poster campaign?

https://newsfromcrystalpalace.wordpress.com/2025/09/17/new-transport-for-london-poster-campaign-tells-cyclists-they-must-always-stop-at-red-traffic-lights/

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2025/september/tfl-launches-new-poster-campaign-to-raise-awareness-of-highway-code-rules

ps No all UC please.  It's not so easy to read. 

What does uc mean

[ianr]

20 minutes ago, teddyboy23 said:

What does uc mean

Upper case.  Capitals.    It's also been used on the internet for yonks to represent shouting, though I didn't interpret it as such here.  In this case I couldn't even easily distinguish the full stops, which I think made it even more difficult for me, as a generally fast reader. Thanks for asking. :)

Edited September 21 by ianr

[teddyboy23]

Thankyou ianr.no I wasn't shouting. the uppercase button was stuck. SORRY.😇

[ianr]

LIKED the halo (once I'd copied it to google, to confirm it wasn't a happy goldfish bowl). 

Can I just push my typographical luck once more, this time about folk pasting in 'rich text' copied from other sites, usually of grossly inflated font sizes.   The forum software does provide conversion to forum standard fonts -- just click the "Paste as plain text instead" at the bottom of the edit pane, as in the screenshot below, after you've pasted it in.

The edit pane also always gives you a choice of inserting a link to an external page, rather than the page itself.

 

Edited Monday at 14:43 by ianr

[malumbu]

Yes very tactfully put.  It irritated me and as with upper case comes across as shouting.  I'll be a bit more direct in future 😄 

[Dulwich dweller]

On 08/08/2025 at 16:26, SE22_2020er said:

Erm - you stop them in the road, take their ID details and give them a Fixed Penalty Notice as you would for any offence covered by FPNs,  e.g. letting your dog foul , general littering etc.  I don't think that there is a problem with the process.

 

 

 

 

 

The old bill haven't got the man power to police such a thing. Perhaps local councils can give that power to their teams of parking wardens?

[ianr]

7 hours ago, Dulwich dweller said:

The old bill haven't got the man power to police such a thing. Perhaps local councils can give that power to their teams of parking wardens?

[My response removed for being  overhasty, garbled and product of inadequate reflection]

Edited Tuesday at 23:56 by ianr

[exdulwicher]

16 hours ago, Dulwich dweller said:

The old bill haven't got the man power to police such a thing. Perhaps local councils can give that power to their teams of parking wardens?

Not easily. 
Firstly, they're called Civil Enforcement Officers and, in England, they simply don't have the legal powers to be stopping people. There is an option, which I've mentioned before, where a council can create a Public Spaces Protection Order - this is a measure used to control anti-social behaviour so you have to state the issue being addressed (eg drinking in a public place) and the area that it is applied to, so it can't just be "everywhere", you'd have to state (eg) "Lordship Lane between Goose Green and North Cross Road" and that can be enforced by police & PCSO's and delegated council officials (who must carry ID). They're a bit of a blunt instrument and they can't just be put in any old how; there has to be a reason and a consultation on if it's the right approach in the right place.

The more serious traffic offences (RLJ, mobile phone use, speeding etc) are prosecuted by the police (or by cameras) and (usually) a fine issued unless it really is serious (like causing injury or death) in which case it'll go to court. This also picks up on a point made a few weeks back:

On 08/08/2025 at 16:54, HeadNun said:

the more people they fine, the more they can fund the resources to stop people. 

This is just not true. Fines, as issued by the police or automatically by camera for the offences I mentioned, go to central government. They're not ringfenced, they don't affect future police funding (or lack thereof). The only exception is when a driver gets offered something like a speed awareness course where the fine is used to pay for the venue, the trainers and the training material.

The council can only enforce existing traffic regulations in their area so stuff like parking (which was specifically given to councils to free up police time for more serious crimes), and infringement of local restrictions like driving in a bus lane or through an LTN. The funds from that do go to the council but are ringfenced for Highways use, usually road safety stuff.

As usual, pretty much all the legislation for dealing with this is already in place. Police can (and do) stop cyclists for RLJ and there's been a noticeable crackdown on use of illegal e-bikes and e-scooters, especially up around City of London. But ultimately, there has to be a sense of proportion around it. Same as you can't catch every speeding driver, you focus on the areas where that speeding is definitely dangerous like outside a school at 3.30pm. 

[malumbu]

Cheers Ex, as said we've discussed much of this before.   Local authorities would like to partially decriminalise speeding and other offences, so that they gather the revenue and as such could invest more on road safety etc.  Whilst not restricted to motor vehicles, rightly far more drivers would get done which would help to get the behaviour change we need,

There's some useful reading on this here: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-07/Changing the narrative_Caroline Russell.pdf

 This would help reduce the numbers of those killed or seriously injured on our roads each year (in London 100 plus and 3000 plus respectively).  Which we will all agree is a good thing (sorry for the font change not sure why).

Edited Wednesday at 18:51 by malumbu