Cycling wrong way up one way street

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What's the law on cycling the wrong way up a one way street? A few
days ago, I was walking home, and saw two people on white Police
cycles, wearing hi vis jackets with POLICE emblazoned on the back,
travelling at a very leisurely pace, the wrong way round a local one
way system, on the pavement. It may or may not have said "Community
Support Officer" in smaller writing underneath.

Unfortunately, I was too far behind the officers to challenge them
about their behaviour. I managed to get a few photos on my phone, but
they're very poor quality and wouldn't allow for identification. What
would be the best route to take to report these officers? As a
cyclist, I despise inconsiderate cycling at the best of times, but
from people who are a) supposed to be enforcing the law, and b) whose
inconsiderate cycling is much more noticable because of their
position, it's unacceptable.

If this was a normal cyclist, what would be the expected penalty if
caught doing this?

On Tue, 13 May 2008 10:09:04 -0700, TimB wrote:
> If this was a normal cyclist, what would be the expected penalty if
> caught doing this?

Probably nothing. A telling off if the PC is over zealous.

"TimB" <stokefolk@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:ee1705fb-4419-4fe8-910e-9ea9f0b3270e@d1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> What's the law on cycling the wrong way up a one way street? A few
> days ago, I was walking home, and saw two people on white Police
> cycles, wearing hi vis jackets with POLICE emblazoned on the back,
> travelling at a very leisurely pace, the wrong way round a local one
> way system, on the pavement. It may or may not have said "Community
> Support Officer" in smaller writing underneath.
>
> Unfortunately, I was too far behind the officers to challenge them
> about their behaviour. I managed to get a few photos on my phone, but
> they're very poor quality and wouldn't allow for identification. What
> would be the best route to take to report these officers? As a
> cyclist, I despise inconsiderate cycling at the best of times, but
> from people who are a) supposed to be enforcing the law, and b) whose
> inconsiderate cycling is much more noticable because of their
> position, it's unacceptable.
>
> If this was a normal cyclist, what would be the expected penalty if
> caught doing this?

Cycling on the pavement is illegal, whether in the direction of the traffic
on the road or not (unless signed otherwise, e.g. shared cycle/pedestrian
path).
If on the roadway itself, then cycling the wrong way down a one-way street
is just as illegal as if done in a car.

On Tue, 13 May 2008 19:00:42 +0100, Graculus wrote:

> Cycling on the pavement is illegal

Royal Mail would be stuffed if that law was enforced.

On Tue, 13 May 2008 10:09:04 -0700, TimB wrote:

> Unfortunately, I was too far behind the officers to challenge them
> about their behaviour. I managed to get a few photos on my phone, but
> they're very poor quality and wouldn't allow for identification. What
> would be the best route to take to report these officers?

Either write a letter to the local police farce making a complaint (print
out and attach the pictures if you can)

or

Send the photos and a report/letter to the local paper.

Hopefully the embarrasmment would be enough to make them change their
behaviour and convince them challenge others doing it in the area.

peter

"TimB" <stokefolk@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:ee1705fb-4419-4fe8-910e-9ea9f0b3270e@d1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> What's the law on cycling the wrong way up a one way street? A few
> days ago, I was walking home, and saw two people on white Police
> cycles, wearing hi vis jackets with POLICE emblazoned on the back,
> travelling at a very leisurely pace, the wrong way round a local one
> way system, on the pavement. It may or may not have said "Community
> Support Officer" in smaller writing underneath.
>
> Unfortunately, I was too far behind the officers to challenge them
> about their behaviour. I managed to get a few photos on my phone, but
> they're very poor quality and wouldn't allow for identification. What
> would be the best route to take to report these officers? As a
> cyclist, I despise inconsiderate cycling at the best of times, but
> from people who are a) supposed to be enforcing the law, and b) whose
> inconsiderate cycling is much more noticable because of their
> position, it's unacceptable.
>
> If this was a normal cyclist, what would be the expected penalty if
> caught doing this?


"travelling at a very leisurely pace"

have you thought that they were patrolling, as opposed to travelling


pk

PK wrote:
> "TimB" <stokefolk@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ee1705fb-4419-4fe8-910e-9ea9f0b3270e@d1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>> What's the law on cycling the wrong way up a one way street? A few
>> days ago, I was walking home, and saw two people on white Police
>> cycles, wearing hi vis jackets with POLICE emblazoned on the back,
>> travelling at a very leisurely pace, the wrong way round a local one
>> way system, on the pavement. It may or may not have said "Community
>> Support Officer" in smaller writing underneath.
>>
>> Unfortunately, I was too far behind the officers to challenge them
>> about their behaviour. I managed to get a few photos on my phone, but
>> they're very poor quality and wouldn't allow for identification. What
>> would be the best route to take to report these officers? As a
>> cyclist, I despise inconsiderate cycling at the best of times, but
>> from people who are a) supposed to be enforcing the law, and b) whose
>> inconsiderate cycling is much more noticable because of their
>> position, it's unacceptable.
>>
>> If this was a normal cyclist, what would be the expected penalty if
>> caught doing this?
>
>
> "travelling at a very leisurely pace"
>
> have you thought that they were patrolling, as opposed to travelling
>
Does being on patrol allow them to break the law?

"Brimstone" <brimstone520-ng02@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:FpSdnZ3KMtFVc7TVnZ2dnUVZ8uOdnZ2d@bt.com...
> PK wrote:>>
>> "travelling at a very leisurely pace"
>>
>> have you thought that they were patrolling, as opposed to travelling
>>
> Does being on patrol allow them to break the law?
>

No emergency vehicle can legally go thorough a red light, should they be
prosecuted?

none of the information given by the OP suggests any issue, other than
someone trying to make/score points

pk

On Tue, 13 May 2008 20:41:03 +0100, "Brimstone"
<brimstone520-ng02@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

>> "travelling at a very leisurely pace"
>>
>> have you thought that they were patrolling, as opposed to travelling
>>
>Does being on patrol allow them to break the law?

Perhaps they were afraid to use the road.

Paul Boatang, as Home Office minister said,
"'The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible
cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of
the traffic, and who show consideration to other pavement users when
doing so. Chief police officers, who are responsible for enforcement,
acknowledge that many cyclists, particularly children and young
people, are afraid to cycle in the road... "

On Tue, 13 May 2008 20:41:03 +0100, "Brimstone"
<brimstone520-ng02@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

>Does being on patrol allow them to break the law?

The ones I witnessed today running a red light, then the same two
later cycling on the pavement, obviously thought so. It is a pity
they don't carry obvious identification plates so this action could
have been reported, especially given that the City of London Police
seem to be very hot on cycling offences, particularly the two they
themselves committed.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

On Tue, 13 May 2008 20:51:41 +0100, "PK" <designer3579-news@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>No emergency vehicle can legally go thorough a red light, should they be
>prosecuted?

If they do so when not using blues and twos and when not attending an
emergency, certainly, of course they should.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

"Graculus" <ReplaceWithMyMoniker@hotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
news:68u3a8F2va26fU1@mid.individual.net...
> "TimB" <stokefolk@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ee1705fb-4419-4fe8-910e-9ea9f0b3270e@d1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> > What's the law on cycling the wrong way up a one way street? A few
> > days ago, I was walking home, and saw two people on white Police
> > cycles, wearing hi vis jackets with POLICE emblazoned on the back,
> > travelling at a very leisurely pace, the wrong way round a local one
> > way system, on the pavement. It may or may not have said "Community
> > Support Officer" in smaller writing underneath.
> >
> > Unfortunately, I was too far behind the officers to challenge them
> > about their behaviour. I managed to get a few photos on my phone, but
> > they're very poor quality and wouldn't allow for identification. What
> > would be the best route to take to report these officers? As a
> > cyclist, I despise inconsiderate cycling at the best of times, but
> > from people who are a) supposed to be enforcing the law, and b) whose
> > inconsiderate cycling is much more noticable because of their
> > position, it's unacceptable.
> >
> > If this was a normal cyclist, what would be the expected penalty if
> > caught doing this?
>
> Cycling on the pavement is illegal, whether in the direction of the
traffic
> on the road or not (unless signed otherwise, e.g. shared cycle/pedestrian
> path).
> If on the roadway itself, then cycling the wrong way down a one-way street
> is just as illegal as if done in a car.
> Report them to chief constable, saying they should be setting an example,
I am sick to the back teeth of people riding on the pavement, mostly these
idiots with the little bikes that they stand on, as the seat is too low to
sit on, this seems to be the norm now, and they look at you as if you
arefrom the moon if you say anythingto them, if I was a copper I would book
them

"Graculus" <ReplaceWithMyMoniker@hotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
news:68u3a8F2va26fU1@mid.individual.net...
> "TimB" <stokefolk@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ee1705fb-4419-4fe8-910e-9ea9f0b3270e@d1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> > What's the law on cycling the wrong way up a one way street? A few
> > days ago, I was walking home, and saw two people on white Police
> > cycles, wearing hi vis jackets with POLICE emblazoned on the back,
> > travelling at a very leisurely pace, the wrong way round a local one
> > way system, on the pavement. It may or may not have said "Community
> > Support Officer" in smaller writing underneath.
> >
> > Unfortunately, I was too far behind the officers to challenge them
> > about their behaviour. I managed to get a few photos on my phone, but
> > they're very poor quality and wouldn't allow for identification. What
> > would be the best route to take to report these officers? As a
> > cyclist, I despise inconsiderate cycling at the best of times, but
> > from people who are a) supposed to be enforcing the law, and b) whose
> > inconsiderate cycling is much more noticable because of their
> > position, it's unacceptable.
> >
> > If this was a normal cyclist, what would be the expected penalty if
> > caught doing this?
>
> Cycling on the pavement is illegal, whether in the direction of the
traffic
> on the road or not (unless signed otherwise, e.g. shared cycle/pedestrian
> path).
> If on the roadway itself, then cycling the wrong way down a one-way street
> is just as illegal as if done in a car.
> I would say something to them about it, and not politely, or take a
picture and sendit to the paper, asking is this the way to enforce the law

TimB wrote:
> What's the law on cycling the wrong way up a one way street? A few
> days ago, I was walking home, and saw two people on white Police
> cycles, wearing hi vis jackets with POLICE emblazoned on the back,
> travelling at a very leisurely pace, the wrong way round a local one
> way system, on the pavement.

I expect you know it's illegal. It's not especially dangerous, if you
do it on the road. But to many cyclists it seems less illegal, or at
least safer, to use the pavement. It isn't, despite some drivers
intimidating illegal on-road contraflow cyclists.

But before condemning too much, consider
- the one-way was introduced without any consideration of its effects
on cyclists, and very possibly despite objections by local cyclists
- the alternative route is almost certain to be longer and contain
more junctions, which make it more dangerous
- the alternative route may be a fast gyratory or dual carriageway,
which many cyclists will not cycle on, because they're frightening and
may be dangerous.

One-way streets are anti-cycling measures, and as such, should be
returned to 2-way operation, possibly with plugs or mode filters to
restrict undesirable motor vehicle use.

Colin McKenzie

--
No-one has ever proved that cycle helmets make cycling any safer at
the population level, and anyway cycling is about as safe per mile as
walking.
Make an informed choice - visit www.cyclehelmets.org.

TimB wrote:
> What's the law on cycling the wrong way up a one way street? A few

Whatever the traffic order says.

> days ago, I was walking home, and saw two people on white Police
> cycles, wearing hi vis jackets with POLICE emblazoned on the back,

Quite possible to have an exemption for emergency vehicles.

OG wrote:
> "TimB" <stokefolk@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ee1705fb-4419-4fe8-910e-9ea9f0b3270e@d1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>> What's the law on cycling the wrong way up a one way street? A few
>> days ago, I was walking home, and saw two people on white Police
>> cycles, wearing hi vis jackets with POLICE emblazoned on the back,
>> travelling at a very leisurely pace, the wrong way round a local one
>> way system, on the pavement. It may or may not have said "Community
>> Support Officer" in smaller writing underneath.
>>
>> Unfortunately, I was too far behind the officers to challenge them
>> about their behaviour. I managed to get a few photos on my phone, but
>> they're very poor quality and wouldn't allow for identification. What
>> would be the best route to take to report these officers? As a
>> cyclist, I despise inconsiderate cycling at the best of times, but
>> from people who are a) supposed to be enforcing the law, and b) whose
>> inconsiderate cycling is much more noticable because of their
>> position, it's unacceptable.
>
> Was it particuarly inconsiderate to anyone?

Does that particularly matter? If you drive a car past a speed camera at
times a few mph over the speed limit when it won't particularly be
inconsiderate to anyone - e.g. at 2 in the morning, you will still get a
ticket.

--
John Wright

I feel like an insane person with the ability to mimic sanity

On Tue, 13 May 2008 22:06:31 +0100, Colin McKenzie
<news@proof-read.co.uk> wrote:

>One-way streets are anti-cycling measures, and as such, should be
>returned to 2-way operation, possibly with plugs or mode filters to
>restrict undesirable motor vehicle use.

There are, in London, quite a lot of one-way streets that are two-way
for cycles only. Seems a good idea.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

"John Wright" <john@pegasus.f2s.com> wrote in message
news:ptCdna999awym7fV4p2dnAA@pipex.net...
> OG wrote:
>> "TimB" <stokefolk@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:ee1705fb-4419-4fe8-910e-9ea9f0b3270e@d1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>>> What's the law on cycling the wrong way up a one way street? A few
>>> days ago, I was walking home, and saw two people on white Police
>>> cycles, wearing hi vis jackets with POLICE emblazoned on the back,
>>> travelling at a very leisurely pace, the wrong way round a local one
>>> way system, on the pavement. It may or may not have said "Community
>>> Support Officer" in smaller writing underneath.
>>>
>>> Unfortunately, I was too far behind the officers to challenge them
>>> about their behaviour. I managed to get a few photos on my phone, but
>>> they're very poor quality and wouldn't allow for identification. What
>>> would be the best route to take to report these officers? As a
>>> cyclist, I despise inconsiderate cycling at the best of times, but
>>> from people who are a) supposed to be enforcing the law, and b) whose
>>> inconsiderate cycling is much more noticable because of their
>>> position, it's unacceptable.
>>
>> Was it particuarly inconsiderate to anyone?
>
> Does that particularly matter? If you drive a car past a speed camera at
> times a few mph over the speed limit when it won't particularly be
> inconsiderate to anyone - e.g. at 2 in the morning, you will still get a
> ticket.

But would you shop someone who you spotted doing it if there wasn't a
camera?

In law, no it doesn't make a difference, but whether the full power of the
law should be applied in every case is an interesting civil liberties
question.

"Dervin" <Dervin@Dervin.Dervin> wrote in message
news:kGkWj.40470$JE4.14683@newsfe11.ams2...
> On Tue, 13 May 2008 10:09:04 -0700, TimB wrote:
>> If this was a normal cyclist, what would be the expected penalty if
>> caught doing this?
>
> Probably nothing. A telling off if the PC is over zealous.

Or they might shoot you.

OG wrote:
> "John Wright" <john@pegasus.f2s.com> wrote in message
> news:ptCdna999awym7fV4p2dnAA@pipex.net...
>> OG wrote:
>>> "TimB" <stokefolk@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:ee1705fb-4419-4fe8-910e-9ea9f0b3270e@d1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>>>> What's the law on cycling the wrong way up a one way street? A few
>>>> days ago, I was walking home, and saw two people on white Police
>>>> cycles, wearing hi vis jackets with POLICE emblazoned on the back,
>>>> travelling at a very leisurely pace, the wrong way round a local one
>>>> way system, on the pavement. It may or may not have said "Community
>>>> Support Officer" in smaller writing underneath.
>>>>
>>>> Unfortunately, I was too far behind the officers to challenge them
>>>> about their behaviour. I managed to get a few photos on my phone, but
>>>> they're very poor quality and wouldn't allow for identification. What
>>>> would be the best route to take to report these officers? As a
>>>> cyclist, I despise inconsiderate cycling at the best of times, but
>>>> from people who are a) supposed to be enforcing the law, and b) whose
>>>> inconsiderate cycling is much more noticable because of their
>>>> position, it's unacceptable.
>>> Was it particuarly inconsiderate to anyone?
>> Does that particularly matter? If you drive a car past a speed camera at
>> times a few mph over the speed limit when it won't particularly be
>> inconsiderate to anyone - e.g. at 2 in the morning, you will still get a
>> ticket.
>
> But would you shop someone who you spotted doing it if there wasn't a
> camera?

I wouldn't. I think the only time I might was if someone was way over
the speed limit in a sensitive place, like outside a school at chucking
out time.

> In law, no it doesn't make a difference, but whether the full power of the
> law should be applied in every case is an interesting civil liberties
> question.

It is indeed. I suspect that's why a lot of people don't like speed
cameras - they show no discretion.


--
John Wright

I feel like an insane person with the ability to mimic sanity