Topic: Police at st. katherine's way (tower bridge)...

Hi Guys,
Does anyone know what all the coppers were doing this morning? There must have been at least 20 bike police pulling over nearly all the bikes travelling toward Tower Bridge from the Limehouse Link.

I can only think they were nicking everyone who went the wrong way around the traffic islands (which is admittedly nearly everyone).

Storm

[MATTP]

Could be checking for stolen bikes '> Then again, more like they're trying to get the ticket numbers up to help some bullshit Government stat '>

[CaptMoto]

I can only assume that... with Xmas round the corner, coppers need a few extra bob for their "cookie jar" or... there is a massive shortage of pants to sniff back at the nick.

Hmm... I was trying to sit on the fence and refrain from being cynical... but you may both be right!

[MATTP]

I'd like to see a no law that said cops could only ticket 10 bikes for each bike they have found that was reported stolen. This may help bikers change their view that cops are there for issuing tickets and not finding our bikes. Some may say that they are at times just a group of parking wardens with more different types of tickets to issue. I'd not say that as I still ride in central London '>

[Alba]

they were ment to be at chelsea bridge but got lost.
'>

[Spill]

Loads of police cars around watford area last night as well.
Saw three of them stop ONE car just before we got home.

[tallgirl]

So thats where all the Bastards were when we needed them the other week...

Me very tipsy so please excuse any reply made today

[david916]

There was a Fatal Collision in May 2007 along The Highway, E1 involving a biker who was offsiding the traffic bollards (contravening the mandatory direction arrows) and there have been several less serious collisions of a similar nature and numerous near misses before and since then!
 
The Metropolitan Police Traffic operation was put into place as a consequence to try and educate riders travelling along The Highway. All motorcyclists were pulled in for a friendly chat and a bit of useful advice, if it was safe to do so. In addition, anyone who was seen offsiding the traffic bollards against the direction arrows was given a Non-Endorsable ticket for just £30 (and has been mentioned in an earlier post that was quite a few riders)!
 
 The idea was to try and prevent any further collisions along that particular stretch of road (and elsewhere, by any of the riders who were stopped, hopefully) and to stop any further biker deaths on the road by way of encouragement, a bit of gentle persuasion and a little enforcement too. It certainly wasn't a money making exercise, indeed one biker death on the road is one death too many (and aside from the impact that has on the loved ones left behind it also costs the tax-payer, that's you and me, a fortune).

 Bikesafe-London & Scootersafe-London are certainly useful methods to increase rider skills and reduce accidents, but only for those people who wish to partake. There are others who don't know about it, can't be bothered, haven't got the time, or who are 'riding Gods' who won't be told anything by anyone and it is these riders predominently that were being 'targeted' today. It has to be said that although a significant amount of motorcyclists and scooter riders committed the aforementioned offence, the majority acted within the law and rode responsibly. I hope this answers the initial query and clears up a few ambiguities about what was happening and why?

 Bikesafe-London

Scootersafe-London

[Grandma]

Quote (david916 @ Nov. 16 2007,02:06)

Bikesafe-London & Scootersafe-London are certainly useful methods to increase rider skills and reduce accidents, but only for those people who wish to partake. There are others who don't know about it, can't be bothered, haven't got the time, or who are 'riding Gods' who won't be told anything by anyone and it is these riders predominently that were being 'targeted' today. It has to be said that although a significant amount of motorcyclists and scooter riders committed the aforementioned offence, the majority acted within the law and rode responsibly.  Bikesafe-London Scootersafe-London

Thanks for clarifying this, it puts things in perspective.

[Mr Rizla]

David, many thanks for sharing the information.
I think i can speak for all at TLB when we say that we activly promote safe riding and compliance with the police service, its just from time to time blanket stop and check do get peoples backs up because they cant see the reason why other than as people have already said, hand out tickets for no real reason other than put money in the pizza box. Some riders here on TLB have had experiances in the past where its looked like blanket stops were used for no other reason than to generate revenue, I for one have experianced this on Embankment not that long ago.
TLB promotes USR training as a way forward in enhancing riders abilities, improve riding skills, encourage riders to attend FBOS courses and in general try to improve road safety.
We would be realy greatful in future if you can share with us any concerse regarding road safety as i think you will agree its in our interest, as long as it doesnt compromise any ongoing operations or enquiries.
Again, many thanks for going to the time in sharing the info regarding the fatal collision, shame it took the police 6 mths to organise an awareness operation but at least you did it and those that were stoped are now aware of the risks they are takling both with themselves and the general public.

Be safe out there and keep the sticky side down, hard in this cold weather '>

[Biker Biker]

Thanks Riz....

I also heard on the radio that there was a police clamp down on Road Tax.... too many bikes without valid tax

[Mr Rizla]

were these bikes the type that have white numberplates with little blue squares on them.. if so then most welcome

[Burger]

Quote (Mr Rizla @ Nov. 16 2007,09:00)

were these bikes the type that have white numberplates with little blue squares on them.. if so then most welcome

'>  '>  No riz, dont be silly, why would the police want to waste time trying to trace the details for a bike not even regsiterd in the UK and running around with no valid insurance, that would be a silly waste of police time. Much better to target the ones within the law, that way you dont waste any valuable time doing detective work tracing eastern European plates.

Saying all that David, I understand what your saying and its a very valid reason for pulling people over. I just wish you could also focus on other area's of road traffic violations, one's that put people in REAL danger and start to educate other road users about motorcyclist instead of constantly targeting a small easy minority group. Educate the masses and your roads might be safer.

[Alba]

i wish to add and divert a little from the subject, if i may.
am i the only one that has noticed a recent increase of vehicles jumping red lights?
and by vehicles i mean EVERY vehicle, including buses.
i have to check every day before i can take off from a very bright green light that there is no wanker that cant be bother stopping and try to kill me in the process.
apart from jokes of me being a tiny impatient with traffic and stuff ( lol ) this is a quite serious issue and honestly i see this happening everyday now.
i wish to have your comment to this and sorry if i deviated from the topic, i think this is related to safety too?
thank you

[TallGuy]

Indeed Alba I do notice this and have commented before that the average motorist either does not know what an amber light means or just doesn't care because they've never been fined. So they only react when the light actually goes red and therefore don't all stop in time.

When I show them The Highway Code SIgnals to Traffic they sware blind that the signals had a different meaning when they took their test.

It is a pet hate of mine as I'm seeing too many RTCs at traffic light controlled junctions.

[MATTP]

I remember going to the Bridge with FlyingScot a while back and being stopped at a red light  waiting to go. The light went amber, then green and around a good 2sec later Ron made off and just miseed a wanker in Mini who had not missed an amber light but a red light and was F-ing flying across the junction.

The problem with red-light cameras is that they are linked to the local authority. IMO, this where the judgement line is mixed up as the people viewing the tapes are looking at it as making money and nothing else. Have them enforced by a Agency that has no links to the money raised and then I'd be happy to have them on every red light in the country!

[Alba]

aside from the 'moneymakingbusiness' of which we all know about, its exactly the situations as Matt described, not jumping a yellow but a full bright red light when mine is fully green.
thats is homicidal, and especially when you're driving a bus full of people, Jesus the only thing that comes to mind is Grand Theft Auto!!!
i'm understanding when you cant stop on time but when you clearly have all the time in the world and deliberately carry on, that is what i see every day.
i know is a hard question to ask, but any idea on what we can do to stop this behaviour?

ps.i have commented (nicely) on one of these occasion to a c**t when we stopped next to each other at the next traffic light, he litteraly spat on my bike.

[TallGuy]

How would you feel if traffic light cameras raised money for your police force? Who could then spend that money to offset the huge cost of road traffic accidents and thereby permit investment in more effective policing of crimes and other matters which have a wider public impact.

I understand objections to speed cameras but are there valid objections to traffic signal cameras or is it just where any resultant revenue stream goes?

[Mr Rizla]

I personaly think revenue streams raised from traffic violations should remain inside the source environment, ie as u said law enforcement, why should a speeding fine go to supliment a local councils running costs or am i looking through my nieve glassses again

[Burger]

Lets face it, We can sit here all day putting the world to rights. If the government gave the correct amount of funding to boroughs and police forces there would be no need for revenue generating schemes. That way the police could focus on fighting crime and reducing accidents

[Grandma]

Update, looks like they have been out today too, statistics look horrifying

Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Traffic Partnership Unit, working in partnership with Transport for London and Tower Hamlets borough road safety officers, carried out a high visibility initiative to highlight the problem during rush hour this morning (16.11.07) on a stretch of road where off siding is particularly prevalent, The Highway, in east London. This resulted in 167 motorcyclists being stopped and spoken to, and 70 given fixed penalty notices.
Although motorcyclists only make up 10% of traffic on this road, they have been involved in 49% of collisions resulting in injury over a three-year period between January 2004 and the end of 2006. Two have also died, and 64 been injured - 13 seriously - over the same time period.
 
 '>

[Burger]

jeeeez your right Chris, They are not nice statistics. '>

Just how do you die from off siding? pedestrians? oncoming vehicles? U turners? I dont understand how it can be some much more dangerous than normal filtering?

I mean if there is such a risk with going the wrong side of bollards then remove the bollords that aint at Junctions or ped crossing. This stretch of road has hundreds of em!!

[jimc]

Or put hatched markings around them, to encourage the cagers to leave enough room for bikes to get by.

[Mr Rizla]

Quote (Grandma @ Nov. 16 2007,18:16)

Update, looks like they have been out today too, statistics look horrifying Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Traffic Partnership Unit, working in partnership with Transport for London and Tower Hamlets borough road safety officers, carried out a high visibility initiative to highlight the problem during rush hour this morning (16.11.07) on a stretch of road where off siding is particularly prevalent, The Highway, in east London. This resulted in 167 motorcyclists being stopped and spoken to, and 70 given fixed penalty notices. Although motorcyclists only make up 10% of traffic on this road, they have been involved in 49% of collisions resulting in injury over a three-year period between January 2004 and the end of 2006. Two have also died, and 64 been injured - 13 seriously - over the same time period.    '>

70 Fixed penalties, wow, hangs head in shame.. however i wonder how many were just for naughty numberplates or zosts and not with actual riding that section of road.
Respect to all '>