Annual Oxford bike lights crackdown sees 171 cyclists fined

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Nobody can complain about this, surely? It's for the cyclists' own good and is a sensibly targeted campaign which has a strong likelihood of making a positive difference.

Anyone got any stats on how many cyclists are killed or injured when cycling w/o lights and whether the cyclist who knows they are unseen is more at risk than one who thinks they have been seen? I wonder, do drivers go more slowly if they are constantly coming past ninja cyclists. Does this then save pedestrian lives?

If it is for the cyclists own good, why are so many people who are riled up over this issue completely without voice on any other cycling safety concern, bar maybe rlj, helmet compulsion and pavement cycling? Are they all campaigning to stop skip lorries at rush hour, saying it's for cyclists' good? No they are not.

Most people all fired up about this are not motivated by safety at all, I think - the motivation is the UK's poisonous argy bargy angry media culture and a need to keep outsider groups in their place.

I use lights so I can go at speeds I can't if unlit and unseen. Not interested in other cyclists' choice on this point. They are not cars and almost never kill people.

They should crack down on all unlit vehicles, not only bikes!

Good work, some Oxford cyclists really need to engage some brain, and get some lights. Agree it would be nice if road rules were enforced on motorists, too.

Sounds like this enforcement would pay for itself? 171*50=8550

(though hopefully most of them spend a bit on some lights, rather than £50 on the fine).

I'm not against this, though there is much to say cyclists without lights in Oxford are at such a critical mass that all motorists look out for them the moment the sun is no longer visible...

However...

Two years ago I was cycling at around 10pm with a group of friends, some of which had no lights. A couple of police officers at the side of the road beckoned us to pull over so they could admonish the offenders (they weren't fined btw)...

They did however pull us over, across a busy junction with cars waiting to turn left.

TVP also decided to pull a van over, which if it hadn't been due to their being enough space to my left for me to escape, would have driven sideways into me.

I've also seen officers overtake cyclists with less than a foot to spare, slowly roll into ASL whilst the light was red and been tailgated by them fairly regularly.

I don't feel hugely confident about TVP lecturing people about using the roads...

Hoorah. Get down to London and boost your public funds with more of the same please. RLJs too. I'll personally volunteer to issue the fines if need be. Oh and cars in ASLs, might as well whilst I'm there.

Quick get over to the big City and ticket Boris for NO rear light.

If EVERYONE obeyed the rules there would be no need for crackdowns, in fact there would be no need for a police force.

Unfortunately EVERYONE doesn't obey the rules, and even if you have fully functioning lights, are they certified to British Standard 6102/3, 6102/2, and do you have amber pedal reflectors, and a red rear reflector?

If not you're technically not legal.

Nobody can complain about this, surely? It's for the cyclists' own good and is a sensibly targeted campaign which has a strong likelihood of making a positive difference.

As I said, the police can't enforce every law all of the time so specific campaigns like this are a good thing.

And yes, there are campaigns that target drivers also at different times of the year

This get my full support. I cycle responsibly with hi-viz & lights. No excuses. Roll this out countrywide and it will do cycle no end of good.

Ok Fair enough. It's an offence. If I am driving my car with a defective or missing light chances are I get a "producer" though.

That would be a better use of the £50 than the fine. The bikeshop idea is a good one as well. ie you can have a £50 fine or go over there and buy some lights and get them fitted.

the fitting makes sure the bike has lights in the future and the fine does not.

Mixed feelings.

On the one hand, the law about compulsory lights seems a sensible one and as lights are now incredibly cheap I really don't understand why you wouldn't have them.

On the other hand I'm constantly irked by the one-sided and weirdly selective law enforcement I regularly see.

E.g. the policeman walking right past a car that just drew up and stopped in a mandatory cycle lane dangerously close to a junction on a double yellow line, and instead going and confiscating the booze of some entirely harmless Polish street-drinkers because its a 'no alcohol zone'.

Or the one stopping and searching some guy for unknown reasons while a white van drew up and parked illegally on the pavement right behind him.

Though giving people a grace-period to actually get lights seems quite reasonable.

Wouldn't be a bad idea to do this near any major university at this time of year. There would be a fair number of takers round here.

they should have a "crackdown" in oxford on bus drivers driving like dicks!

I see wiggle getting bumper sales in lights this week... and bumper returns next week.

think they have 'crackdown's' and campaigns don't they - sometimes car drivers on phones, or speeding, drink driving, sometimes cyclists 'RLJ-ing'/ without lights etc. If you accept that you can't police every infringement all of the time, then this seems an effective way to do it.

Nothing unfair about it, IMO, especially how the police are enforcing this with the 'rectification within x days' rule to avoid the fine

There's no excuse not to have lights. There's also no excuse for driving a car with bald tyres or defective lights. I hope the police are enforcing all construction and use regs fairly: would be a shame if they were targeting one (relatively slow moving...) group, wouldn't it.

They did this in Newcastle early in the year also, really need to prod them to do it again as going through the student areas (Jesmond especially) there are loads of riders on bikes with no lights.

Good job by plod

Shouldnt need an initiative
Should be all year
lights are dirt cheap theses days for a basic set

Good initiative. I wonder why they don't just get a bike shop involved and have a roadside light-fitting service so miscreants would have to get them fitted immediately. That would also save the considerable administrative expense of issuing and then cancelling penalties.

A fantastic initiative. And well handled by the police. Let's hope those induced to buy lights now use them!

I'd like to know how many motorists were given fines for having defective lights (or unlit lights) during any similar period?