“They have all the resources in the world to pick on cyclists”: Council
slammed for stopping and fining cyclists on pedestrianised city centre
street

South Wales Police has issued over a dozen Fixed Penalty Notices to
cyclists riding on the “popular” city centre route in the last two months
by ADWITIYA PAL FRI, JAN 12, 2024 15:57

Cyclists have slammed Cardiff City Council's latest social media post about
the crackdown on cyclists on the only pedestrianised street in the city
centre, raising concerns about the rising trend of picking on cyclists,
including commuters and delivery riders who are allegedly seen as easy
targets by the police.

In the social media post, the council states that city centre wardens,
joined forces with South Wales Police to enforce the no-cycling rule along
Queen Street. It said: "Between October-December, OpCastor has seen: 504
cyclists stopped, 98 stolen OvoBikes seized, 14 fixed penalty notices
issued, [and] two Section 59s issued to electric scooter riders."

Queen Street is one of the three major streets curtailed off to vehicles in
Cardiff's city centre. However, it is the only one where cycling is
officially banned. In fact, it has been illegal ever since the street was
pedestrianised in 1974, yet it is far from an uncommon sight to see riders,
partially because it is a busy shopping area with a number of cafes and
retail stores, as well as because it runs along the horizontal length of
almost the entirety of the city centre, starting from Newport Road on one
end and opening up at Duke Street on the other.

The cyclists stopped and fined in the past couple of months were part of
Operation Castor, a SWP initiative aimed at "tackling bike crime through
education and enforcement", with people signing up with the force as police
community support officers (PSCO) and taking on the responsibility of
dealing with cyclists illegally riding on Queen Street.

The reaction to the council revealing the figures on social media has been
sort of mixed, with some people agreeing that cycling shouldn't be allowed
and even asking for further bans in the rest of the city centre. However,
cyclists seemed to be in unison in criticising the council's decision to
police cyclists strictly while ignoring other behaviours which could
potentially endanger pedestrians and wheelers, such as pavement parking and
speeding.

Michael Young said: "Cycling should be allowed on Queen Street. It's wide
enough for a designated section to be put aside. This is anti-cycling
nonsense. Shame on you all.", while another Twitter account named Scowling
Monkey wrote: "Please can we see instead a focus on the awful driving
standards around the city. They put far more citizens at risk of severe
injury or death than a few folk cycling down Queen Street. I am far more
interested in seeing you crack down on irresponsible and dangerous
drivers."

Another account on Twitter called @closepassescdf, which documents near
misses by motorists on cyclists in Cardiff, asked the council if Operation
Castor still potentially breaking the law by targeting disabled cyclists
with adapted bikes, as was allegedly confirmed by the council's official
social media account last year.

> Council “escalates war on cycling menaces” with new town centre ban,
> saying: “We will not stop until we eradicate this behaviour”

Meanwhile, Penny Dinh on Twitter said: "The council can’t afford to pay bin
collectors liveable wages (link is external). The council has no resources
to crack down on landlords guilty of illegal evictions. Yet they have all
the resources in the world to pick on cyclists, many of whom are precarious
gig-economy workers. Make it make sense!"

On Facebook, Paul Rock argued that if Queen Street was pedestrianised
today, it would have been designed to allow cycling as other streets have
been. He added: "The police always has the power to deal with people who
cycle dangerously. The status and design of Queen Street needs to be
reviewed in the light of why it has become such a popular route for
cyclists.

road.cc has contacted Cardiff City Council for comment.

Despite cycling being banned on Queen Street, it is not however, a breach
of the infamous Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which has been used
by many councils in the last couple of years to charge hefty fines from
cyclists.

Just last month, North Lincolnshire Council said that it has "escalated"
and “intensified” its "war on cycling menaces" by implementing a complete
ban on riding a bike in pedestrianised zones, as part of a wider crackdown
on anti-social behaviour.

Following a public consultation earlier this year, the council announced
the PSPO will be in place in Scunthorpe and Brigg, while also introducing
stronger powers and increasing fines for what the local authority described
as the "scourge" of "irresponsible behaviour".

In March, the North Lincolnshire Council leader Rob Waltham came under fire
from cyclists for his rhetoric. He said: “Residents are fed up and we are
fed up with that small minority of people who think the rules do not apply
to them.

"We have taken a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour, and we
have spent a great deal of time - and taxpayers' money - to crack down on
these people already. Despite this, they just will not listen nor learn.

In the past, PSPOs have also been used to target the elderly as well. In
2022, an 82-year-old cyclist was fined £100 for riding in the Grimsby town
centre. However, he defied them by saying he would rather go to jail than a
pay a fine.

I've been riding my bike around here for 40 years and have never once been
fined," he said. "When he gave it to me I told him, 'stick it up your
arse'."

<https://road.cc/content/news/council-slammed-fining-cyclists-city-centre-street-306165>

--
Spike

Spike <aero.spike@mail.com> wrote:
>
> “They have all the resources in the world to pick on cyclists”: Council
> slammed for stopping and fining cyclists on pedestrianised city centre
> street
>
> South Wales Police has issued over a dozen Fixed Penalty Notices to
> cyclists riding on the “popular” city centre route in the last two months
> by ADWITIYA PAL FRI, JAN 12, 2024 15:57
>
> Cyclists have slammed Cardiff City Council's latest social media post about
> the crackdown on cyclists on the only pedestrianised street in the city
> centre, raising concerns about the rising trend of picking on cyclists,
> including commuters and delivery riders who are allegedly seen as easy
> targets by the police.
>
> In the social media post, the council states that city centre wardens,
> joined forces with South Wales Police to enforce the no-cycling rule along
> Queen Street. It said: "Between October-December, OpCastor has seen: 504
> cyclists stopped, 98 stolen OvoBikes seized, 14 fixed penalty notices
> issued, [and] two Section 59s issued to electric scooter riders."
>
> Queen Street is one of the three major streets curtailed off to vehicles in
> Cardiff's city centre. However, it is the only one where cycling is
> officially banned. In fact, it has been illegal ever since the street was
> pedestrianised in 1974, yet it is far from an uncommon sight to see riders,
> partially because it is a busy shopping area with a number of cafes and
> retail stores, as well as because it runs along the horizontal length of
> almost the entirety of the city centre, starting from Newport Road on one
> end and opening up at Duke Street on the other.
>
> The cyclists stopped and fined in the past couple of months were part of
> Operation Castor, a SWP initiative aimed at "tackling bike crime through
> education and enforcement", with people signing up with the force as police
> community support officers (PSCO) and taking on the responsibility of
> dealing with cyclists illegally riding on Queen Street.
>
> The reaction to the council revealing the figures on social media has been
> sort of mixed, with some people agreeing that cycling shouldn't be allowed
> and even asking for further bans in the rest of the city centre. However,
> cyclists seemed to be in unison in criticising the council's decision to
> police cyclists strictly while ignoring other behaviours which could
> potentially endanger pedestrians and wheelers, such as pavement parking and
> speeding.
>
> Michael Young said: "Cycling should be allowed on Queen Street. It's wide
> enough for a designated section to be put aside. This is anti-cycling
> nonsense. Shame on you all.", while another Twitter account named Scowling
> Monkey wrote: "Please can we see instead a focus on the awful driving
> standards around the city. They put far more citizens at risk of severe
> injury or death than a few folk cycling down Queen Street. I am far more
> interested in seeing you crack down on irresponsible and dangerous
> drivers."
>
> Another account on Twitter called @closepassescdf, which documents near
> misses by motorists on cyclists in Cardiff, asked the council if Operation
> Castor still potentially breaking the law by targeting disabled cyclists
> with adapted bikes, as was allegedly confirmed by the council's official
> social media account last year.
>
>> Council “escalates war on cycling menaces” with new town centre ban,
>> saying: “We will not stop until we eradicate this behaviour”
>
> Meanwhile, Penny Dinh on Twitter said: "The council can’t afford to pay bin
> collectors liveable wages (link is external). The council has no resources
> to crack down on landlords guilty of illegal evictions. Yet they have all
> the resources in the world to pick on cyclists, many of whom are precarious
> gig-economy workers. Make it make sense!"
>
> On Facebook, Paul Rock argued that if Queen Street was pedestrianised
> today, it would have been designed to allow cycling as other streets have
> been. He added: "The police always has the power to deal with people who
> cycle dangerously. The status and design of Queen Street needs to be
> reviewed in the light of why it has become such a popular route for
> cyclists.
>
> road.cc has contacted Cardiff City Council for comment.
>
> Despite cycling being banned on Queen Street, it is not however, a breach
> of the infamous Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which has been used
> by many councils in the last couple of years to charge hefty fines from
> cyclists.
>
> Just last month, North Lincolnshire Council said that it has "escalated"
> and “intensified” its "war on cycling menaces" by implementing a complete
> ban on riding a bike in pedestrianised zones, as part of a wider crackdown
> on anti-social behaviour.
>
> Following a public consultation earlier this year, the council announced
> the PSPO will be in place in Scunthorpe and Brigg, while also introducing
> stronger powers and increasing fines for what the local authority described
> as the "scourge" of "irresponsible behaviour".
>
> In March, the North Lincolnshire Council leader Rob Waltham came under fire
> from cyclists for his rhetoric. He said: “Residents are fed up and we are
> fed up with that small minority of people who think the rules do not apply
> to them.
>
> "We have taken a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour, and we
> have spent a great deal of time - and taxpayers' money - to crack down on
> these people already. Despite this, they just will not listen nor learn.
>
> In the past, PSPOs have also been used to target the elderly as well. In
> 2022, an 82-year-old cyclist was fined £100 for riding in the Grimsby town
> centre. However, he defied them by saying he would rather go to jail than a
> pay a fine.
>
> I've been riding my bike around here for 40 years and have never once been
> fined," he said. "When he gave it to me I told him, 'stick it up your
> arse'."
>
> <https://road.cc/content/news/council-slammed-fining-cyclists-city-centre-street-306165>
>

Interesting defence.

Reminds me of a certain ‘legal expert’ who is now doing serious time.

Brian <noinv@lid.org> wrote:
> Spike <aero.spike@mail.com> wrote:
>>
>> “They have all the resources in the world to pick on cyclists”: Council
>> slammed for stopping and fining cyclists on pedestrianised city centre
>> street
>>
>> South Wales Police has issued over a dozen Fixed Penalty Notices to
>> cyclists riding on the “popular” city centre route in the last two months
>> by ADWITIYA PAL FRI, JAN 12, 2024 15:57
>>
>> Cyclists have slammed Cardiff City Council's latest social media post about
>> the crackdown on cyclists on the only pedestrianised street in the city
>> centre, raising concerns about the rising trend of picking on cyclists,
>> including commuters and delivery riders who are allegedly seen as easy
>> targets by the police.
>>
>> In the social media post, the council states that city centre wardens,
>> joined forces with South Wales Police to enforce the no-cycling rule along
>> Queen Street. It said: "Between October-December, OpCastor has seen: 504
>> cyclists stopped, 98 stolen OvoBikes seized, 14 fixed penalty notices
>> issued, [and] two Section 59s issued to electric scooter riders."
>>
>> Queen Street is one of the three major streets curtailed off to vehicles in
>> Cardiff's city centre. However, it is the only one where cycling is
>> officially banned. In fact, it has been illegal ever since the street was
>> pedestrianised in 1974, yet it is far from an uncommon sight to see riders,
>> partially because it is a busy shopping area with a number of cafes and
>> retail stores, as well as because it runs along the horizontal length of
>> almost the entirety of the city centre, starting from Newport Road on one
>> end and opening up at Duke Street on the other.
>>
>> The cyclists stopped and fined in the past couple of months were part of
>> Operation Castor, a SWP initiative aimed at "tackling bike crime through
>> education and enforcement", with people signing up with the force as police
>> community support officers (PSCO) and taking on the responsibility of
>> dealing with cyclists illegally riding on Queen Street.
>>
>> The reaction to the council revealing the figures on social media has been
>> sort of mixed, with some people agreeing that cycling shouldn't be allowed
>> and even asking for further bans in the rest of the city centre. However,
>> cyclists seemed to be in unison in criticising the council's decision to
>> police cyclists strictly while ignoring other behaviours which could
>> potentially endanger pedestrians and wheelers, such as pavement parking and
>> speeding.
>>
>> Michael Young said: "Cycling should be allowed on Queen Street. It's wide
>> enough for a designated section to be put aside. This is anti-cycling
>> nonsense. Shame on you all.", while another Twitter account named Scowling
>> Monkey wrote: "Please can we see instead a focus on the awful driving
>> standards around the city. They put far more citizens at risk of severe
>> injury or death than a few folk cycling down Queen Street. I am far more
>> interested in seeing you crack down on irresponsible and dangerous
>> drivers."
>>
>> Another account on Twitter called @closepassescdf, which documents near
>> misses by motorists on cyclists in Cardiff, asked the council if Operation
>> Castor still potentially breaking the law by targeting disabled cyclists
>> with adapted bikes, as was allegedly confirmed by the council's official
>> social media account last year.
>>
>>> Council “escalates war on cycling menaces” with new town centre ban,
>>> saying: “We will not stop until we eradicate this behaviour”
>>
>> Meanwhile, Penny Dinh on Twitter said: "The council can’t afford to pay bin
>> collectors liveable wages (link is external). The council has no resources
>> to crack down on landlords guilty of illegal evictions. Yet they have all
>> the resources in the world to pick on cyclists, many of whom are precarious
>> gig-economy workers. Make it make sense!"
>>
>> On Facebook, Paul Rock argued that if Queen Street was pedestrianised
>> today, it would have been designed to allow cycling as other streets have
>> been. He added: "The police always has the power to deal with people who
>> cycle dangerously. The status and design of Queen Street needs to be
>> reviewed in the light of why it has become such a popular route for
>> cyclists.
>>
>> road.cc has contacted Cardiff City Council for comment.
>>
>> Despite cycling being banned on Queen Street, it is not however, a breach
>> of the infamous Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which has been used
>> by many councils in the last couple of years to charge hefty fines from
>> cyclists.
>>
>> Just last month, North Lincolnshire Council said that it has "escalated"
>> and “intensified” its "war on cycling menaces" by implementing a complete
>> ban on riding a bike in pedestrianised zones, as part of a wider crackdown
>> on anti-social behaviour.
>>
>> Following a public consultation earlier this year, the council announced
>> the PSPO will be in place in Scunthorpe and Brigg, while also introducing
>> stronger powers and increasing fines for what the local authority described
>> as the "scourge" of "irresponsible behaviour".
>>
>> In March, the North Lincolnshire Council leader Rob Waltham came under fire
>> from cyclists for his rhetoric. He said: “Residents are fed up and we are
>> fed up with that small minority of people who think the rules do not apply
>> to them.
>>
>> "We have taken a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour, and we
>> have spent a great deal of time - and taxpayers' money - to crack down on
>> these people already. Despite this, they just will not listen nor learn.
>>
>> In the past, PSPOs have also been used to target the elderly as well. In
>> 2022, an 82-year-old cyclist was fined £100 for riding in the Grimsby town
>> centre. However, he defied them by saying he would rather go to jail than a
>> pay a fine.
>>
>> I've been riding my bike around here for 40 years and have never once been
>> fined," he said. "When he gave it to me I told him, 'stick it up your
>> arse'."

>> <https://road.cc/content/news/council-slammed-fining-cyclists-city-centre-street-306165>

> Interesting defence.

> Reminds me of a certain ‘legal expert’ who is now doing serious time.

“We have taken a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour, and we
have spent a great deal of time - and taxpayers' money - to crack down on
these people already. Despite this, they just will not listen nor learn.”

No surprises there…

--
Spike