"Dangerous" cyclists "entirely unaccountable" and should have number plates, argues former Met Police chief

Crack on. I cAN'T Wait to see how much damage bikes with plates cause to cars too close to them... I'd be happy to paint peel the odd w*nkpanzer...

it's so unfair that cars have to have registration plates

Hit-and-run driver from Lenham who killed a mum in Charing Heath after day at Faversham Hop Festival has been jailed

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/hit-and-run-driver-who-kille...

Old bloke in the HoL drifting towards senility. He should take up cycling, it's good for mental acuity and physical wellbeing.

I agree, unaccountable cyclists is a problem, but it is time to start speaking openly about a bigger problem, unaccountable pedestrians.

Rumors say that Armani is already designing the next Spring Collection suits with license to walk special insertion point.

Off duty Met police officers should wear their collar numbers in case they kidnap, rape and murder innocent members of the public.

I'm conflicted on this - even as a regular cycle commuter in London.

My experience of a 25 mile round-trip commute across London several times a week is that it feels very unsafe and much more so than even 5 years ago - not just because of driver innatention but due to the following:

- illegal eBikes travelling (very) fast on the roads and cycle lanes - typically with  zero consideration for other road users including cyclists

- illegal and legal eScooters - same as above - often being driven the "wrong way" down one way streets / cycle lanes / across lanes of traffic etc.Just crazy moves it's very hard to anticipate or avoid.

- Proliferation of Lime / Santander bikes being ridden seemingly by people with literally no common sense - and who noticeably are much more likely to jump red lights

- Huge numbers of Deliveroo /Just Eats moped and illegal eBike riders - often completely ignorning the speed limits / lights / highway code and many without lights at night.

I still don't think putting registration plates on bikes would make any difference - not least because the Santander / Lime bikes already have registration numbers.

What is needed though is for the Met Police to do their job.

They have a record number of officers and are completely invisible during my morning / evening commutes. In the area where I work the Police just stand around doing nothing even when illegal eBike riders are literally right next to them - and also do nothing about eScooter riders.

The Met could very easily seize huge numbers of illegal eBikes / mopeds / scooters just by waiting outside McDonalds etc for the Deliveroo / Uber riders to turn up. And with that done then start nabbing people on eScooters /  illegal eBikes on the roads and cycle paths.

Isn't North Korea the only country that actually has a cycle registration system?
Yes, lets go follow their example...

Upto 2021, as a cyclist with a camera, I was getting at least a 70% (if not 80%) success rate in the Met police issuing NIPs/FPNs for my dangerous driving reports.
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The Met police are now so under-staffed/under-resourced that I'd be lucky to get a 10% success rate now for identical reports with evidence.

So either dangerous driving is being considered OK or they simply haven't upped their game in dealing with it.

I've noticed an increase in dangerous driving lately (we all know phone use behind the wheel is endemic) and a massive increase in red light jumping by drivers as they know they can get away with it.

Car seized as police probe New Forest hit-and-run which killed pig

https://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/23942547.car-seized-police-probe...

Sounds like he got caught uninsured by chance weeks after the so very accountable the hit and run. 

Fossil fuel cars have the blue panel on their plates. EVs have the greenwash-green panel. Hopefully pedal cycles will have a genuine green panel.

Penalties for pavement cycling should only be considered after penalties for pavement parking (and therefore driving on to by cars) has been introduced across the whole of the UK.
Please.

Number plates make no difference at all if the owner doesn't register details or if the police don't enforce as Lord Hogan-Howe should know full well. After all he presided over the total failure of the Met to enforce millions of what he no doubt considers petty driving offences and in my view must shoulder some of the blame for the total collapse of driving standards in London and the Home Counties. One of the worst Met Commissioners on record and the competition for that title has been pretty stiff over recent years.

What next? If I step out of my house and walk to the shops, I need ID (and it must be on show at all times) as the state needs to identify Me at all times!  You know I might act like (or be) a wrong um!!  When will this push for authoritarian - 1984 - police state stop?

Number plates?  Probably big ones.  Here in the Ole US of A we've got issues with unregulated e-bikes that, with the governors taken off, can easily top 50 mph, and frequently do on our expressways.

No helmets required (it's a bicycle, silly) and infrequently worn.  Fortunately most riders have liability insurance, thou they probably don't know it.  If you own an automobile (I got my first one in a decade and a half two months ago) the automobile liability portion of your policy USUALLY covers you when you're astride your bicycle and, doing something stupid, hurt somebody.

Thanks for listening and remember the mantra of bike riders in the San Francisco Bay Area:  Ride Fast = Take Chances

At least he acknowledged that cyclists are actually people.

Baby steps fellow evil lobby members, baby steps.

Isn't it rather MET chiefs who are entirely unaccountable?

This is the most encouraging news I've heard in ages, I mean there are ongoing mass demonstrations in the streets resulting in a Public Order Act and the new offence of 'scandalous mayhem' and public confidence in the police has been at an all time low. Despite this Britain's ex-top police officer has used this opportunity in the House of Lords to advise on cycling behaviour - this must mean all the other stuff has been sorted obviously?

A friend was run over and murdered by a car that had a number plate.

Quote:

"I want to amend this Bill to ban all e-scooters in England from any public highway, including pavements, and give police powers to immediately confiscate any they find in use on public roads,"

I thought they were already banned, except for the few places with a recognised trial?