Have you been "advised" by the police?

[admin]

We've been "advised" that cycling on the footway is illegal, while cycling with young twins on a U-plus-2 trailerbike to primary school some years ago. The PCSO agreed that we should continue to do so, once we'd pointed out that the alternative was to cycle on a busy dual-carriageway trunk road, and, to be properly legal, a big roundabout that's quite scary to use even in a car.

I've been "advised" a couple of times in ten years of riding my Windcheetah tricycle to work along the A27 dual carriageway. The first time it seemed that in fact the police officer was actually quite interested in the trike, he asked so many technical questions about it! Since I wasn't doing anything illegal, there wasn't any sensible alternative cycle route, and I had been cycling along the road for many years without any unpleasant incidents (unlike the times I'd ridden that way on an ordinary bike: very scary!) they just left me alone after a bit of discussion. I just agreed with them that it looked very dangerous, and thanked them for their concern.

[Zigster]

For the last couple of days, the Met have been in force at the traffic lights on the south side of London Bridge - apparently with the primary aim of pulling over cyclists for jumping the red lights.

This morning, as I was waiting on my Brompton at the lights from the road down from London Bridge station, they appeared to pull over a cyclist for filtering on the outside. I was too far away to hear what was said but I am a bit puzzled what offence she had committed. She was on a town bike without high-viz or a helmet so perhaps it was some safety advice.

[drossall]

There have been lots of Police at the lights at Angel each night this week. I assume it's the same campaign. However, I've not seen any cyclists stopped (even though some, not most, have jumped lights and so on). I think there was one motorist stopped, but I didn't see what for. Mostly it just seems to be presence.

[belgiangoth]

About 10 years ago we got pulled over for blocking traffic in town. We explained to the cpso that we are allowed to use the roads even if there are cars there, but that they aren't allowed to regulate traffic - and cycled off.
Hears lots of cops in bike shops say that helmets would be law soon, it seems a regular thing.
I
Here in brum we also get the occasional surge of cops policing the canal towpaths to fine cyclists for riding without a licence. This confuses me because
1 I thought British waterways no longer exists, and they're the ones that issue the lisences.
2 i thought the reason they could insist on the lisences was that it is private land, so why are my taxes paying for public police to regulate traffic on private property?

[gaz]

Here in brum we also get the occasional surge of cops policing the canal towpaths to fine cyclists for riding without a licence. This confuses me because
1 I thought British waterways no longer exists, and they're the ones that issue the lisences.

You're right. British Waterways was replaced with the Canal and River Trust on 2 July 2012, part of the ConDem's "Bonfire of the Quangos". Licences were scrapped at the same time.

Do I need a permit to cycle on your towpaths?

No. You don't need a permit to use your bike on any of our towpaths.

There are some canals that are not in the stewardship of the C&RT, licensing arrangements may exist on those.

[drossall]

There have been lots of Police at the lights at Angel each night this week. I assume it's the same campaign. However, I've not seen any cyclists stopped (even though some, not most, have jumped lights and so on). I think there was one motorist stopped, but I didn't see what for. Mostly it just seems to be presence.

Just down the road from there at Kings Cross, I was advised by PC this week. However, he only wanted to point out that the traffic-light cycle was long, and I was entitled to get off and walk across the road with the pedestrians onto the station concourse (I was on a folder, so it wasn't hard to guess where I was going).

I thanked him and said I was too lazy to get off and walk, and we had a light-hearted conversation while we both waited for the lights to change, partly about oddity of it being legal to push a bicycle, which is a vehicle, on the pavement, and partly about all the road works there and wondering what changes are being made.

[jollytiddlywink]

I'm not sure it counts as being "advised" but I cycled past a (dismounted) policeman with a bike a few days ago, and he exclaimed "excellent!" as I rode past. I presumed he meant my high-viz and my lights (I'd misplaced my helmet at work, so was, very unusually for me, without one). I was tempted to stop and ask if he would do anything about less-than-excellent driving on that road, which would do more for my safety than a bright vest, but thought better of it and carried on.

[Bicycler]

Alternatively he was a helmet sceptic congratulating you on changing your ways

[Cyril Haearn]

I am proud to report that I was once spoken to by the cops because I was driving abnormally slowly

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Been stopped on motor three times but not in the last 35 years.
Four if you count a bobby on foot.
Twice there was little chance the car could catch me
I am not proud, but I think sometimes they are bored and sometimes they are wrong to the point of backing down makes them look stupid.
Fat chance that I will ever be stopped today, I stick within the limit except when riding my bicycle

[Cunobelin]

Fareham has a busy dual carriageway that can be avoided by using cycle paths, except it is actually not possible to cycle into the town. There is a classic "Cyclists Dismount sign"

I ignored it so stopped by PCSO who pints it out and asks "What is that"

I replied .... "It is a TSRGD Diagram 966" which perplexed him a little

His next gambit was "it clearly states that cyclists should dismount"

I replied " No, as a square blue sign it is advisory"

He insisted that it was a composer instruction, and that I should have dismounted.

There was then a conversation that such a sign would require a "cyclists mount" sign to allow cyclists to remount, and where would he suggest that should be.

He was less than happy, and bytes time there was a "proper" PC arriving.

As the PCSO continued to argue that as a blue square sign it was a legal requirement to obey , I pointed out that there was a car park just down the road and that none of the drivers were obeying the identical format sign making it compulsory to park.......



At this point the proper PC intervened and sent me on my way

[BREL]

been advised to get off and walk because I was wobbling all over the road (well I was drunk at the time LOL)

also got stopped and thanked for having lights on the bike, but was advised to wear a helmet and Hi viz (which I do these days because I cycle on main roads to and from work)

[Redvee]

On my way to work one morning I got told to stop by what we now call an ARV. As I was riding along I heard the sirens etc so looked round and saw the convoy escorting a prison van so pulled into a set back bus stop and slowed down which the lead car did and the copper in the passenger seat would his window down and told me to stop riding till the convoy passed by.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Hardly worth the effort to wind the window down.