Cyclists moving faster than 12mph could be fined in Wandsworth after the council’s Parks Police began using a speed gun normally used for vehicles.
London Centric first reported that cyclists breaking the speed limit in Tooting Bec Common were being issued £50 fines following “complaints from dog walkers that people had been going too quickly”.
The Friends of Tooting Common wrote an open letter to Wandsworth Council Cainet member for the Environment Paul White calling for both “increased police enforcement” and the imposition of “physical barriers or other effective constraints”.
The group told White that reisdents had reported a “particular problem with delivery riders” and warned the council that unless increased speed checks were carried out barriers built to slow down cyclists, a “serious accident or fatality is waiting to happen”.
The letter added that “we are, of course, not anti-cycling. There are strong environmental and health reasons to encourage cycling, and many of our members are cyclists.
“Among other things we are concerned that a cyclist could well be seriously injured in a collision with a speeding cyclist. Traffic calming measures do not deter considerate cyclists – on the contrary.”
However, a council spokesperson has told road.cc that Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were only being issued “as a last resort for dangerous speeding and unauthorised cycling.”
As, cycling’s popularity has grown, scrutiny has risen over the conduct of cyclists in the capital. As a non-motorised mode of transport, cyclists are not ordinarily subject to most speed limits.
However, Royal Parks advise all cyclists to observe the vehicular speed limit on its grounds, varying between 5 and 20mph. The Square Mile of the City of London has also imposed a 20mph speed limit.
20mph sign (credit: CC licensed by EdinburghGreens via Flickr)
> Cycling group and Royal Parks disagree over cyclist speed limit advice in Richmond Park
The 12mph speed limit in Tooting Bec Common, which can also to apply to other areas such as Finsbury Park and Wandsworth Common, has come under particular attention for it’s relatively low limit by comparison.
The limit reportedly owes its existence to bylaws created by the Greater London Council that governed London until 1986. The limit means that e-bikes, which legally have a motor that goes up to 15.5mph, could also be fined.
A separate but related issue concerns electric motorbikes that are often misidentified as e-bikes. E-bikes are also subject to illegal modification that increases the motor’s speed beyond legal limits.
The topic of speeding cyclists has also been the subject of misinformation. Last year, the Daily Telegraph were found to have breached the Editors’ Code of the the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) after running a headline titled “52mph in a 20mph zone – Lycra lout cyclists are creating death traps all over Britain”
Telegraph front page (credit: road.cc)
The action of Wandsworth’s Parks Police follows what the council told road.cc were “too many park users [that] told us they feel unsafe around speeding delivery riders, illegally modified e-bikes and dangerous or inconsiderate cyclists”, adding that “this is about responding to residents’ concerns and keeping our parks, commons and open spaces safe for everyone.”
The council spokesperson also told us that “our Parks Police are taking action to protect many people, including considerate cyclists, who use our parks responsibly”.
“Officers follow an educational-first approach, offering information and advice about the importance of slowing down and using designated cycling routes, and only as a last resort will they issue Fixed Penalty Notices for dangerous speeding and unauthorised cycling,” the spokesperson said.