Cyclist ordered to pay £500 for riding bicycle through town centre as
councillor claims hefty fine is "great result for our enforcement teams"

The fine comes from the same council that was accused of targeting "old and
slow" cyclists after another person was ordered to pay £1,150...

by DAN ALEXANDER
TUE, MAR 05, 2024 12:54

A North East Lincolnshire councillor has hailed a "great result for our
enforcement teams" after a 60-year-old cyclist in Grimsby was fined and
ordered to pay £500 after breaching a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO)
by cycling through the town centre.

It is the latest episode in the ongoing "zero-tolerance policy" for
cyclists riding bicycles in pedestrian areas in Grimsby, last summer the
council making headlines after a female cyclist was ordered to pay £1,150
in fines and costs after being caught breaching the PSPO, which was
introduced in 2019 and has seen more than 1,000 fixed-penalty notices, the
majority of which have been for cycling on Victoria Street South and
walking dogs along the main beach.

> More cyclists fined for riding bikes through town centre – months on from
> rider ordered to pay £1,100

In December, the council said 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.

This latest incident, happened on Victoria Street, one of the main shopping
streets in the town, North East Lincolnshire Council stating that a
cyclist, Andrew Billingham, was found guilty of breaching the PSPO by
cycling in a pedestrian area on 24 March 2023.

The local authority said its enforcement officers had spotted the
60-year-old man cycling in the street, when he was stopped and issued with
a fixed-penalty notice. Mr Billingham refused to pay the fine and appealed
the decision, claiming he had dismounted before entering Victoria Street.

However, a district judge at Grimsby Magistrates' Court found him guilty on
6 February 2024 and ordered him to pay £530, in the form of a £200 fine,
costs of £250, and an £80 victim surcharge.

The council said it had fined 85 people last year for cycling in
"prohibited areas", councillor Ron Shepherd calling the latest fine a
"great result for our enforcement teams".

"The PSPOs are invaluable for helping to reduce anti-social behaviour
across North East Lincolnshire and those that breach them need to know that
it's not acceptable," he said.

"It's important that people understand the rules across North East
Lincolnshire and adhere to them. Our council plan advocates a
zero-tolerance policy and we constantly review how we deliver our
enforcement to make sure we can effectively tackle any issues."

> Campaigners call for clearer signage to reduce "risk of confrontation"
> with pedestrians, after council insists disabled cyclists won't be fined
> under controversial town centre cycling ban

The council and its enforcement officers have come in for criticism during
the five years the PSPO has been in place, locals accusing council officers
of targeting "old and slow" cyclists after a pensioner was fined for riding
through the town in 2022.

Barrie Enderby, who was 82 at the time, told the council to "stick it up
your arse" after being fined £100 for breaching the order.

"I've been riding my bike around here for 40 years and have never once been
fined," he said. "I'm more annoyed about it because my biking is what keeps
me going. I've never had a problem when out on my bike before. I've seen
all sorts going on around town in the past and they chose to give me a
ticket. If he had just asked me not to ride my bike I would have understood
and stopped out of respect, but I never got the chance."

That case provoked a backlash from residents, some accusing the council
officers of targeting "old and slow" riders while ignoring youths "racing
up and down".

July 2023 saw the aforementioned incident resulting in 31-year-old Lauren
Cullum ordered to pay more than £1,100. Some questioned the fairness of the
punishment, in contrast, in the same week at Grimsby Magistrates' Court,
Paul Berry pleaded guilty to driving at 50mph on a 40mph road. He was
disqualified from driving for seven days, fined £60, and ordered to pay a
victim services surcharge of £16.

North East Lincolnshire Council introduced the PSPO in 2019 and last year
announced it had been extended until 2025. Local authorities are able to
introduce such measure under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing
Act of 2014 in order to tackle issues of a particular nuisance or problem
in an area that is detrimental to the local community's quality of life.

<https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-ordered-pay-ps500-riding-bike-town-centre-307121>

--
Spike

On 06/03/2024 09:10, Spike wrote:
>
> Cyclist ordered to pay £500 for riding bicycle through town centre as
<Huge cut>
> <https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-ordered-pay-ps500-riding-bike-town-centre-307121>

You taking Simon's place then Spike?

On 06/03/2024 09:10 am, Spike wrote:
>
> Cyclist ordered to pay £500 for riding bicycle through town centre as
> councillor claims hefty fine is "great result for our enforcement teams"
>
> The fine comes from the same council that was accused of targeting "old and
> slow" cyclists after another person was ordered to pay £1,150...
>
> by DAN ALEXANDER
> TUE, MAR 05, 2024 12:54
>
> A North East Lincolnshire councillor has hailed a "great result for our
> enforcement teams" after a 60-year-old cyclist in Grimsby was fined and
> ordered to pay £500 after breaching a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO)
> by cycling through the town centre.
>
> It is the latest episode in the ongoing "zero-tolerance policy" for
> cyclists riding bicycles in pedestrian areas in Grimsby, last summer the
> council making headlines after a female cyclist was ordered to pay £1,150
> in fines and costs after being caught breaching the PSPO, which was
> introduced in 2019 and has seen more than 1,000 fixed-penalty notices, the
> majority of which have been for cycling on Victoria Street South and
> walking dogs along the main beach.
>
>> More cyclists fined for riding bikes through town centre – months on from
>> rider ordered to pay £1,100
>
> In December, the council said 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.
>
> This latest incident, happened on Victoria Street, one of the main shopping
> streets in the town, North East Lincolnshire Council stating that a
> cyclist, Andrew Billingham, was found guilty of breaching the PSPO by
> cycling in a pedestrian area on 24 March 2023.
>
> The local authority said its enforcement officers had spotted the
> 60-year-old man cycling in the street, when he was stopped and issued with
> a fixed-penalty notice. Mr Billingham refused to pay the fine and appealed
> the decision, claiming he had dismounted before entering Victoria Street.
>
> However, a district judge at Grimsby Magistrates' Court found him guilty on
> 6 February 2024 and ordered him to pay £530, in the form of a £200 fine,
> costs of £250, and an £80 victim surcharge.
>
> The council said it had fined 85 people last year for cycling in
> "prohibited areas", councillor Ron Shepherd calling the latest fine a
> "great result for our enforcement teams".
>
> "The PSPOs are invaluable for helping to reduce anti-social behaviour
> across North East Lincolnshire and those that breach them need to know that
> it's not acceptable," he said.
>
> "It's important that people understand the rules across North East
> Lincolnshire and adhere to them. Our council plan advocates a
> zero-tolerance policy and we constantly review how we deliver our
> enforcement to make sure we can effectively tackle any issues."
>
>> Campaigners call for clearer signage to reduce "risk of confrontation"
>> with pedestrians, after council insists disabled cyclists won't be fined
>> under controversial town centre cycling ban
>
> The council and its enforcement officers have come in for criticism during
> the five years the PSPO has been in place, locals accusing council officers
> of targeting "old and slow" cyclists after a pensioner was fined for riding
> through the town in 2022.
>
> Barrie Enderby, who was 82 at the time, told the council to "stick it up
> your arse" after being fined £100 for breaching the order.

That's the way chav-cyclists think and (too often) talk.
>
> "I've been riding my bike around here for 40 years and have never once been
> fined," he said. "I'm more annoyed about it because my biking is what keeps
> me going. I've never had a problem when out on my bike before. I've seen
> all sorts going on around town in the past and they chose to give me a
> ticket. If he had just asked me not to ride my bike I would have understood
> and stopped out of respect, but I never got the chance."
>
> That case provoked a backlash from residents, some accusing the council
> officers of targeting "old and slow" riders while ignoring youths "racing
> up and down".
>
> July 2023 saw the aforementioned incident resulting in 31-year-old Lauren
> Cullum ordered to pay more than £1,100. Some questioned the fairness of the
> punishment, in contrast, in the same week at Grimsby Magistrates' Court,
> Paul Berry pleaded guilty to driving at 50mph on a 40mph road. He was
> disqualified from driving for seven days, fined £60, and ordered to pay a
> victim services surcharge of £16.
>
> North East Lincolnshire Council introduced the PSPO in 2019 and last year
> announced it had been extended until 2025. Local authorities are able to
> introduce such measure under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing
> Act of 2014 in order to tackle issues of a particular nuisance or problem
> in an area that is detrimental to the local community's quality of life.
>
> <https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-ordered-pay-ps500-riding-bike-town-centre-307121>

On 06/03/2024 11:40 am, Soup wrote:

> On 06/03/2024 09:10, Spike wrote:
>>
>> Cyclist ordered to pay £500 for riding bicycle through town centre as
> <Huge cut>
>> <https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-ordered-pay-ps500-riding-bike-town-centre-307121>
>>
>
> You taking Simon's place then Spike?

In his later years, May Sun rarely posted on chav-cycling matters.

His posts were almost all about motor vehicles and their users.

JNugent <jnugent97@mail.com> wrote:
> On 06/03/2024 11:40 am, Soup wrote:
>
>> On 06/03/2024 09:10, Spike wrote:
>>>
>>> Cyclist ordered to pay £500 for riding bicycle through town centre as
>> <Huge cut>
>>> <https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-ordered-pay-ps500-riding-bike-town-centre-307121>
>>>
>>
>> You taking Simon's place then Spike?

> In his later years, May Sun rarely posted on chav-cycling matters.

> His posts were almost all about motor vehicles and their users.

That’s why I had to prefix my Subject header with [Cycling], so that people
could more easily find the on-topic posts among the huge amount of dross.

Mason did once explain this bizarre approach as ‘drowning out the trolls’,
apparently not realising that he had become the troll and was trying to
drown out cycling-related postings on a cycling group.

You couldn’t make it up.

--
Spike