Today's news

According to the Metro, private security guards and street wardens are going
to be licenced & empowered to impose £30 fines on pavement cyclists...

http://www.metro.co.uk/metro/standar...4&in_page_id=1

Meanwhile, the Evening Standard has a sob-story piece on more drivers being
jailed than burglars...

http://www.metro.co.uk/metro/standar...4&in_page_id=1

And finally, a colleague has bought a new bike. While not wishing in any
way to deride this noble accomplishment, indeed she has been cycling to work
for a lot longer than I have, I think the description "light weight frame"
may well be a false description under the Trade Descriptions Act! It
doesn't half weigh a lot ;-)

http://www.giant-bicycle.com/uk/030....=78&model=9859

Rich

"Richard Goodman" wrote in message
s.com...
Meanwhile, the Evening Standard has a sob-story piece on more drivers
being
jailed than burglars...


http://www.metro.co.uk/metro/standar...4&in_page_id=1


Whoops, that URL should have been:
http://www.eveningstandard.co.uk/new...ing%20Standard

Rich

Richard Goodman wrote:
According to the Metro, private security guards and street wardens are =
going
to be licenced & empowered to impose =A330 fines on pavement cyclists..=
=2E

Don't have any particular problem with that. It's dangerous and=20
illegal, better not to do it.

Meanwhile, the Evening Standard has a sob-story piece on more drivers =
being
jailed than burglars...

I imagine motorists kill and maim rather more people than burglars, as=20
well as being easier to catch when they've done so. A case of sheer=20
weight of numbers rather than the justice system being the cause, I think=
=2E

for a lot longer than I have, I think the description "light weight fra=
me"
may well be a false description under the Trade Descriptions Act! It
doesn't half weigh a lot ;-)

Frame probably is not *too* heavy in itself. However, the chaincase,=20
hub gears, built in lights, heavy duty mudguards, rack will rather add=20
to the net weight of the whole thing!

Pete.
--=20
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"Peter Clinch" wrote in message
...
Richard Goodman wrote:
According to the Metro, private security guards and street wardens are
going
to be licenced & empowered to impose £30 fines on pavement cyclists...

Don't have any particular problem with that. It's dangerous and
illegal, better not to do it.

I agree that it's dangerous and illegal and better not to do it. However
the idea of criminal law enforcement by private companies does worry me
somewhat. I also wonder how many they'll be able to catch if they're on
foot and the offenders don't stop?


Meanwhile, the Evening Standard has a sob-story piece on more drivers
being
jailed than burglars...

I imagine motorists kill and maim rather more people than burglars, as
well as being easier to catch when they've done so. A case of sheer
weight of numbers rather than the justice system being the cause, I think.

Ah, but surely motorists who do it by accident aren't "criminals"? And even
motorists who break some laws in relation to motorvehicle use aren't
_really_ criminals? The State should only be banging up "real" criminals
don't you think? The papers all seem to think so......

for a lot longer than I have, I think the description "light weight
frame"
may well be a false description under the Trade Descriptions Act! It
doesn't half weigh a lot ;-)

Frame probably is not *too* heavy in itself. However, the chaincase,
hub gears, built in lights, heavy duty mudguards, rack will rather add
to the net weight of the whole thing!

True, but I doubt the frame is 'light weight' as compared to genuinely
'lightweight' frames - or even bog standard aluminium ones!


Rich

"Richard Goodman" writes:

Meanwhile, the Evening Standard has a sob-story piece on more drivers being
jailed than burglars...

http://www.metro.co.uk/metro/standar...4&in_page_id=1

I should hope so too. Motorists do more harm than burglars. The
incidence of people being injured or killed by burglars is pretty low.

And finally, a colleague has bought a new bike. While not wishing in any
way to deride this noble accomplishment, indeed she has been cycling to work
for a lot longer than I have, I think the description "light weight frame"
may well be a false description under the Trade Descriptions Act! It
doesn't half weigh a lot ;-)

http://www.giant-bicycle.com/uk/030....=78&model=9859

Well, it is a giant bike.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Windows 95:
You, you, you! You make a grown man cry...
M. Jagger/K. Richards

"Richard Goodman" wrote in message
s.com...
"Peter Clinch" wrote in message
...
Richard Goodman wrote:
According to the Metro, private security guards and street wardens are
going
to be licenced & empowered to impose £30 fines on pavement cyclists...

Don't have any particular problem with that. It's dangerous and
illegal, better not to do it.

I agree that it's dangerous and illegal and better not to do it. However
the idea of criminal law enforcement by private companies does worry me
somewhat. I also wonder how many they'll be able to catch if they're on
foot and the offenders don't stop?

Scary, but it's already happening and has been for some time. Just think of
Group 4 and the prisons, sell out of customs & excise property to companies
based in tax havens... this Government's thoroughly corrupt and yet, God
only knows why (hello Mr. Murdoch) the papers don't give a ****.

Must admit, I was also wondering how fit the enforcers would be - surely
even I could out-cycle 'em :-)

Tom.

Read medialens and you will see what the papers are upto.

Thomas wrote:
"Richard Goodman" wrote in message
s.com...

"Peter Clinch" wrote in message
...
Richard Goodman wrote:

According to the Metro, private security guards and street wardens are

going

to be licenced & empowered to impose £30 fines on pavement cyclists...

Don't have any particular problem with that. It's dangerous and
illegal, better not to do it.

I agree that it's dangerous and illegal and better not to do it. However
the idea of criminal law enforcement by private companies does worry me
somewhat. I also wonder how many they'll be able to catch if they're on
foot and the offenders don't stop?


Scary, but it's already happening and has been for some time. Just think of
Group 4 and the prisons, sell out of customs & excise property to companies
based in tax havens... this Government's thoroughly corrupt and yet, God
only knows why (hello Mr. Murdoch) the papers don't give a ****.

Must admit, I was also wondering how fit the enforcers would be - surely
even I could out-cycle 'em :-)

Tom.

In message m, Richard
Goodman writes
According to the Metro, private security guards and street wardens are going
to be licenced & empowered to impose £30 fines on pavement cyclists...

http://www.metro.co.uk/metro/standar...cle_id=15404&i
n_page_id=1

Do the police already impose these fines?

I ask because I braked and stopped for a red light at one of the
pedestrian crossings on the Mall this morning. There were no peds in
sight and the road was clear, so I was tempted, but I obeyed my
instincts. Several cars stopped alongside me.

Seconds later another cyclist whizzed past me and through the red, only
to be flagged down about 50 yards further down the Mall by a policeman
who appeared from behind one of the trees or flag poles there.

In recent months I've often I've seen cyclists deep in conversation with
police bods around there, presumably for cycling on the pavement rather
than the road, or for hopping on the pavement at the squeeze point at
Admiralty Arch.

--
congokid
Good restaurants in London? Number one on Google
http://congokid.com

"congokid" wrote in message
...
In message m, Richard
Goodman writes
According to the Metro, private security guards and street wardens are
going
to be licenced & empowered to impose £30 fines on pavement cyclists...

http://www.metro.co.uk/metro/standar...cle_id=15404&i
n_page_id=1

Do the police already impose these fines?


I think cyclists are most likely to get warnings, but surely some must
occasionally get nicked for a fixed penalty. Not often enough to be any
effective deterent though - if you cycle through dozens of red lights every
day, one £30 fine every few years, if that, is probably going to be in
couldn't-care-less territory.

Rich

Richard Goodman wrote:

"Peter Clinch" wrote in message
[snip]

I agree that it's dangerous and illegal and better not to do it. However
the idea of criminal law enforcement by private companies does worry me
somewhat. I also wonder how many they'll be able to catch if they're on
foot and the offenders don't stop?

[snip]

As a pedestrian (well you can't cycle all the time
have you never tried grabbing their front brake as they go past?
It's a delightful way of both stopping and punishing them.
--
Jan