This Sunday (August 1st) Bristol City Council launches a pilot scheme in Central Bristol to reduce anti-social cycling and driving behaviours.

The pilot will run in partnership with Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Life Cycle UK.

The scheme aims to provide education rather than tickets to cyclists and motorists who break the rules of the Highway Code.

If a cyclist is found cycling on the pavement they will be given the option of taking a one-hour adult cycle training lesson with Life Cycle UK or receiving a £30 ticket – the standard penalty for riding on the pavement.

Tim Wye, Life Cycle UK Director said: “People sometimes cycle on the pavement because they lack confidence to cycle on the road, so giving them a lesson can help them to cycle more appropriately.

"The more we can do to promote respect to all road users – be they cyclists, motorists or pedestrians – the better for everyone.”

The pilot, which starts on Sunday, 1 August, will initially concentrate on cyclists.

If the scheme is deemed to be successful it wll also be rolled out to include motorists who drive or stop in cycle zones (eg parking in cycle lanes or purposely stopping into advanced cycle lanes).

Life Cycle UK will be designing a cycle awareness course for motorists. Again they will have the chance to attend rather than pay the fine.

Both courses will cost £15 instead of a £30 fine and the discretion to offer the course will be with the individual police officer.

This pilot is part of a Greater Bristol Cycling City project aim to make cycling safer across Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

I'm for it. Some people won't be. Anything that improves the behaviour of cyclists so pedestrians and motorists have a better impression has to be a good thing – or not?

anything to improve all road users road craft would be supported from me.

I don't buy the argument that cyclists need a licence – car drivers have them and there are loads of rubbish drivers!!

Heresy on here – cylcists are NEVER wrong.

Bit worried about where it states "the scheme will initially concentrate on cyclists" – maybe it should start with the big heavy machinery that gets slung around our roads first, I imagine cars kill more cyclists than the other way round….

"Purposely stopping in ACLs" – that might be tricky to prove!

If I'd nipped onto the pavement to get around an obstacle blocking the road ( the only time I do ) and was unlucky enough to get caught. Then I'd def. pay the extra money and take the fine. Times far to precious to have someone patronising you for an hour.

Poor idea. It's just a means of targetting transgressing cyclits who are easier to catch than scary Bristolians in clapped out 5 series beemers with blacked out windows and dope smoke and dubstep pouring out of the windows.

I think a reduction in RLJ'ing by cyclists has to be welcome, and cluttering ASLs up with bikes may stop the average half dozen motorists that RLJ on every light cycle on every set of lights in the city too.

I think it's mostly becuase we're an easier target than motorists though. Thus, I think it's more aimed at increasing 'acceptance' of bikes on the roads by daily wail reading drivers, than any ideas about road safety.

I wonder how many tickets a year are given for these offences anyway, I bet 12 months from now I will be able to count the numbers of people to attend these courses on one hand.

So none of you lot reckon you'd benefit from any training?

Nothing wrong with training, I just think this is a press release that will amount to nothing.

I would just fine the berks who cycle on pavements as I dont think they will learn .I have found that accidently walking in front of them brings the odd one down though.They really do give real cyclists a bad name the same as the ones who ride one way streets the wrong way

So none of you lot reckon you'd benefit from any training?

I'm sure my road craft could be improved. I don't tend to RLJ, or ride on pavements though. I do tend to filter rather, erm, asserively, becuase I'm too impatient to wait for the stupid sh^tboxes to get on with it.

TBF with many of the shared paths, its impossible to figure out where they begin/end/have been recinded/rerouted. There are no consistent markings either.

If a cyclist is found cycling on the pavement they will be given the option of taking a one-hour adult cycle training lesson with Life Cycle UK or receiving a £30 ticket – the standard penalty for riding on the pavement.

IIRC arbitory ticketting of cyclists is against the court guidelines.
/googles
Sorry, not the courts, the Home Office –

On 1st August 1999, new legislation came into force to allow a fixed penalty notice to be served on anyone who is guilty of cycling on a footway. However the Home Office issued guidance on how the new legislation should be applied, indicating that they should only be used where a cyclist is riding in a manner that may endanger others. At the time Home Office Minister Paul Boateng issued a letter stating that:

"The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of 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 on the road, sensitivity and careful use of police discretion is required."

Almost identical advice has since been issued by the Home Office with regards the use of fixed penalty notices by 'Community Support Officers' and wardens.

"CSOs and accredited persons will be accountable in the same way as police officers. They will be under the direction and control of the chief officer, supervised on a daily basis by the local community beat officer and will be subject to the same police complaints system. The Government have included provision in the Anti Social Behaviour Bill to enable CSOs and accredited persons to stop those cycling irresponsibly on the pavement in order to issue a fixed penalty notice.

I should stress that the issue is about inconsiderate cycling on the pavements. The new provisions are 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 road users when doing so. Chief officers recognise that the fixed penalty needs to be used with a considerable degree of discretion and it cannot be issued to anyone under the age of 16. (Letter to Mr H. Peel from John Crozier of The Home Office, reference T5080/4, 23 February 2004)

So the moral of the story is to tell them you're a responsible cyclist, and they can stick their fine up their arse 🙂