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PAVEMENTS ARE FOR PEDESTRIANS - 15

HERE IS A CHANCE FOR EALING’S PEDESTRIANS TO HAVE THEIR SAY ABOUT PAVEMENT CYCLING WHERE IT REALLY MATTERS!The LONDON ASSEMBLY’s Transport Committee has just issued a report entitled “Feet First – Improving pedestrian safety in London” http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/london-assembly/publications/feet-first-improving-pedestrian-safety-in-london , together with: a CONSULTANCY DOCUMENT in the shape of draft “Pedestrian Action Safety Plan” https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/streets/pedestrian-safety-plan/user_uploads/pedestrian-safety-action-plan.pdfBoth the report and the action plan are aimed at reducing pedestrian deaths/injuries on London’s roads.ONE GLARING OMISSION in both documents is the total absence of any reference to PAVEMENT CYCLING.Of course, IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING that PAVEMENT CYCLING IS ILLEGAL under the Section 72 of the 1835 Highways Act subject to financial penalties under the 1999 the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 (SI 1999/1851).THE TROUBLE IS that, as demonstrated by many of the 200-plus responses my thirteen "PAVEMENTS ARE FOR PEDESTRIANS” posts on EalingToday, unless NO PAVEMENT CYCLING is said clearly, signs displayed for all to understand and the law enforced by the Met Police, pavement cycling will continue to be seen by the growing number of cyclists as a ‘safe option’ (for themselves) response to the new cycling wave.I shall be submitting the draft GLA paper I published in earlier posts (reproduced below) in my comments on the TfL SAFETY ACTION PLAN in the hope of having the enforcement of the law against PAVEMENT CYCLING added into the plan.COMMENTS on the “Pedestrian Safety Action Plan” may be submitted on-line before 9th May at:https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/streets/pedestrian-safety-plan/consultation/intro/view before 9th May.DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE ERADICATION PAVEMENT CYCLING PUT ON THE AGENDA TOO.                                                ===============================A DRAFT PAPER TO THE LONDON ASSEMBLYPROPOSINGA PUBLIC AWARENESS POSTER CAMPAIGN BY LONDON’S LOCAL AUTHORITIES ‘PAVEMENT CYCLING IS ILLEGAL’TO HELP THE MET POLICE ENFORCE SECTION 72 OF THE 1835 HIGHWAYS ACT BY THE EXERCISE OF THEIR POWERS UNDER  THE  ROAD TRAFFIC OFFENDERS ACT 1988  GRANTED BY STATUTORY INSTRUMENT (SI 1999/1851) THE PROPOSALTo increase public awareness of the illegal (criminal) nature of pavement cycling by widely displaying small (75MM/3INCH) universally understandable stickers on street lamp posts based on the ISO 3864-1 prohibition sign [a red circle with a red diagonal line through it running from top left to bottom right, surrounding a pictogram of a cycle; similar to the common NO SMOKING sign.] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_symbol ].Hopefully with such a measure pavement cycling would in time attract the same social stigma as smoking in public places (Health Act 2006  http://www.health-safety-signs.uk.com/smoking-legislation-help.shtml) and become as self-policing as the anti-smoking laws. POSSIBLE INFORMATIVE SIGN WORDINGRiding on the footpath is illegalSection 72 Highways Act 1835 – Highway Code Rule 64 Riding on the footpath is illegalFixed penalty £50 – Fine £500Fixed penalty £50 – Fine £500Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 – SI1999/1851You MUST NOT cycle on the pavementHighway Code Rule 64POLICE FOLLOW-UPOnce the police are able to take for granted that anyone cycling on the pavement is doing so deliberately (willingly) in defiance of the law, they can deploy the full range of sanctions at their disposal to deal with serial offenders:1. A ‘verbal’ warning with advice that the offender should take a ‘Bikeability’ course2. A ‘formal’ (written/recorded?) warning with advice that the offender should take a ‘Bikeability’ course 3. A £50 fixed penalty notice, waived if the offender presents proof of having taken a ‘Bikeability’ course within the 28 day appeal period4. Prosecution and £500 fine with a court order that the offender MUST take a ‘Bikeability’ course before cycling on the road again5. Apply the Fixed Penalty system to children below the age of 16 but above the age of criminal responsibility (10 years of age at present)PUBLIC ENCOURAGEMENT – Pedestrians should be encouraged to remonstrate with pavement cyclists and report incidents of pavement cycling to their local community police team – with photographic evidence if possible.FUNDING – In London, the Mayor’s Policing and Crime Office could allocate just 1% of the promised £100M funding to local authorities for road cycling safety measures, to be devoted to such a publicity campaign. Further funds could be made available from the surplus income on the ‘Parking Fund’ of many London boroughs which is ring-fenced to be spent only on transport-related projects including funding London’s ‘Freedom Passes’.VALUE FOR MONEY – If pavement cycling is popularly discouraged as an anti-social activity and becomes self-policing, the cost and effort of policing the offence would be greatly reduced.PAVEMENT CYCLING IS A SEPARATE ISSUE FROM ROAD CYCLING SAFETY – Pavement cycling is illegal and should not be allowed under any circumstances. Safety for cyclists on the roads is a separate objective in its own right. As Home Office minister Paul Boateng said in the last paragraph of his guidelines letter of 9 July 1999 “I note your particular concerns about other offences which pose a threat to cyclists and I am very willing to discuss and consider those problems with you. But I do not see that issue as affecting the case for having a fixed penalty offence for cycling on the pavement”                                         =======================

Tony Purton ● 4550d123 Comments ● 4505d