Be careful with those Keep Left signs.
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However this was probably made worse by the fact he pushed through when another car was coming…
I didn’t have audio but got the impression this was from dashcam submitted by public?
Andy sounds a right laugh.
I’m never a big fan of riders going round pedestrian refuges. I probably wouldn’t have advocated in this instance as there were pedestrians about to cross, and like above oncoming car. The only place I do this semi regularly (a couple of times a month) is the large light controlled pedestrian refuge by Aldgate Place if there’s coaches and big dumper lorries on the corner. I look forward to my points in the post…
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The rider got what he deserved. Absolute stupidity and a Darwin award winner in the making.
I’ve probably done this in the past but I would never do it in a situation where there was an oncoming car… this sort of behaviour I expect the L brigade to participate in, not full licence holders.
The ÂŁ500 and 5 penalty points reflects a number of infringements including the speed, riding on the over the chevrons, off siding the keep left signage and then some.
My first endorsement was for off siding a keep left sign. No penalty points back then just an endorsement and I think the fine was ÂŁ5.00. Obviously the beaks are viewing these infringements as more serious probably due to the amount of traffic on our roads compared to back then when off siding was regularly practiced by many a motorcyclist including the Police. I once saw a police motorcyclist off siding head on into a car turning left to join the main road.
I thought dashed chevrons (as these are) are okay. If it’s a solid white line you are not allowed to cross but dashed lines are permissible. At least that’s what the copper I was following on my Bike Safe day said, and did.
yeah broken line hatched areas are okay (termed “do not enter unless it is safe” mind, so if you have an accident after entering one pretty likely to be found at fault baring something ridiculous from other party)
Maybe I can’t tell as well from the footage by how close they came to the car, I honestly didn’t watch it and cringe which is my usual indicator of how sketch something was. Like I say, I have definitely seen worse today already
But quite right, something I would fully expect of a L plater
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I’m surprised that no one in authority has cottoned on to the fortune they could harvest if they started doing this on the eastbound bit of road between the Limehouse link & Tower Bridge during the morning rush hour.
A good reminder. Thank you
The offence has sod all to do with the lines be they solid or broken. You can filter on broken white lines as much as you like, and even on solid white lines providing you do not cross or straddle them.
The rider has failed to comply with an obligatory traffic sign (keep left) which is a specific offence.
@National_Treasure, offsiding is still legal but no longer taught at Police advanced or IAM and RoSPA levels, but even back in the day it was only taught on an open road in certain circumstances.
It is still however practiced in towns by emergency vehicles on a shout providing certain criteria are complied with where the compliance of obligatory traffic signs is not enforced unless the failure to deal with the situation appropriately results in a collision.
I often go right on the keep left signs on my way to work, but that is always near a railway crossing where traffic is stationary on my side, and I know there is nothing coming the other way as the road is closed. Doing it in moving traffic though, with an oncoming vehicle? That is just stupid.
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@RyanSimmons Without wishing to sound like a killjoy, just bear in mind that you are leaving yourself (regardless) open to a prosecution a fine and a minimum of 3 points on your licence even if traffic is stationary on your side of the carriageway.
The offence is absolute you will not be able to plead anything in mitigation.
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Also note, the keep left signs are enforced by camera in some places. My neighbour got a fine through post from one near Enfield Tesco (can’t recall exact location, was a couple of years back). Was the standard £120 fine, but £60 if paid early.
Agreed, regarding the Highway (Limehouse Link to Tower Bridge) - nearly had an oncoming take out by a chap going right on a keep left at one of the junctions, directly into my path the other week. 
On my bikesafe days the cops have always said it was fine and common sense would allow it. Going around it rather than stopping 150m back from the level crossing when a car hasn’t left enough space would be silly.
Unless you get a dick cop. Which the bikesafe guys also warned me about, apparently there is one in every station. But the general advice I got from both sessions I did was stuff like tinted visors, cycle boxes, filtering past the front car, edging around keep left signs etc is fine if done carefully and without being dangerous or annoying to other road users, but be prepared that if you annoy a cop they will find every little detail to throw the book at you. Hence most important thing is “Sorry officer” rather than “What do you want pig?”
That was the bikesafe cops in Croydon though, not sure if different departments are less / more strict.
Edit: I didn’t know about the camera thing though. That would be a nightmare. For reference the place I am talking about is on my commute, past Richmond park where the crossing often stays down for 10 minutes with a queue back off 500m+ sometimes. After this thread I will be a lot more careful though!
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have to say I got shopped by a cyclist in 2016 for popping a curb and riding down the pavement to avoid a snarl up … my fault but used my trial skills so the only danger was to my licence…
tbh i had no idea that I was in danger of private cameras but its even easier now
https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/rti/report-a-road-traffic-incident/
9 points and a fine - "due care and attention offence " later … …leave the fun to my enduro/trials days now and try not to “show off”/be an idiot these days
@RyanSimmons The Bikesafe cop is wrong.
The Police cannot advocate and promote a rider breaking statutory laws such as ignoring obligatory traffic signs in the same way as they cannot tell riders that it is OK to exceed the national speed limit whilst on a Bikesafe course.
So, the Dick cop was actually the bloke you had not the cop that might pull you for breaking the rules.
One of the reasons I am no longer a supporter of Bikesafe is because of idiots like that who apply the rules to suit themselves.
I have not long dealt with a case where a lad had a crash at excess speed but was told that speed was OK because he had been encouraged to do so on his Bikesafe course. Of course the Police would deny it, but historically I have heard it so many times.
Many forces are using unqualified riders for Bikesafe. Many hold nothing more than a standard driving licence and yet they are tutoring and assessing.
And I speak as one of the 2 people who wrote the original Bikesafe programme back in 2001.
You are of course free to follow your mans advice, but please do not complain when it goes pearshaped and you end up with a fine and points.
Sorry to sound so negative.
I agree with the sentiment but Islington enforce this by ANPR and cameras don’t engage in common-sense chat with you.
I see it as black and white. The rule say you have to comply with the Keep Left instruction, even if a dick driver has purposely blocked it off on you, you have to sit there and wait. I see it like a red traffic signal: there are many times especially very early in the morning I’ve been tempted to go on red at an empty junction, or empty signal controlled pedestrian crossing, but I don’t.
how would it stand if I cut my engine, hopped off. looked both ways, slowly walked my bike around the keep left. Then hopped back on, started engine. Looked all around to ensure it was safe and then carried on?
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Interesting question. I had to do that on the footway in Hammersmith the other week when the mega-snarl-up which was caused by the closure of the A4 brought everything to a standstill. I wheeled the bike for ten meters on the footway. No penalty notice, yet!