In message of Thu, 27 Apr 2006
23:51:48 in uk.transport.london, John Rowland
writes

The City Of London Police have announced that they will prosecute not only
drivers who go through the final stop line when the traffic light is reds,
but also drivers who go through the initial stop line before the cycle box.

Where? The nearest relevant URL I found is
http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/community/stoplines.html
That describes the rules but says nothing about new enforcement
policies. 'phone information confirms a new practice is being developed.
Leaflets - not yet ready - will publicise the campaign.
I await a call back from the relevant COLP person. When I find out more,
I will say.

This makes it noticeably harder to stop legally during the amber phase. I
don't see how the police can do this without lengthening the amber phase to
compensate, but even that doesn't really help. I think the only fair

Why? We have the same time to stop. The distances are just pushed back
by a few metres. I imagine that the relevant line is the advance stop
line rather than the cycle stop line.

solution is to remove the final stop line - since cyclists have no license
plates, the final stop line no longer serves any purpose except to allow the

Cyclists may also be prosecuted for stop line offences. Obviously, the
lack of a license plate makes this much less likely than for motorists.

prosecution of drivers who went through the meaningful initial stop line
during the amber phase, which will of course increase scamera revenue, at
the expense of large amounts of tax revenue when professional drivers lose
their licences in droves (drove being the past tense of drive.... hehehe).

I look forward to a few such prosecutions being made to persuade motor
cyclists and black cab drivers not to stop in cycle boxes. I like to
think the main problem is ignorance of the rules. I increased my
knowledge by reading in http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/16.htm
154: Advanced stop lines. Some junctions have advanced stop lines or
bus advance areas to allow cycles and buses to be positioned ahead of
other traffic. Motorists, including motorcyclists, MUST stop at the
first white line reached, and should avoid encroaching on the marked
area. If your vehicle has proceeded over the first white line at the
time the signal goes red, you MUST stop at the second white line, even
if your vehicle is in the marked area.
Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10 & 43(2)


Incidentally, I waited immediately behind the cycle box yesterday for the
green light for turning right from Silvertown Way to George Street, and
after about five minutes the driver behind tapped on my window and informed
me that the sensor only activated if I pulled my car forward onto the green
box!

In E16? I suggest you report it to the relevant local authority.
Metropolitan Plod should be able to advise. I believe a failed
installation is legally ineffective. I used to work on Area Traffic
Control where maximum cycle times were 120 seconds. I now wait until I
have noticed the delay and a further two minutes before proceeding with
caution.

It is EXTREMELY hard to comply with all traffic regulations and the
policy of automatic penalties is very hard. As an amateur motor vehicle
driver, I get two or three tickets each year. I am currently resisting
one. It was depressing that the helpline of the issuing London Borough
and several others could not point to the relevant legislation.
--
Walter Briscoe