Transport for London to begin fining motorists caught driving in mandatory cycle lanes

Awavey already answered that.

Ah, I see that now. Ta. So why is the word "moving" in there? Just another typo? Or is a parked car considered as "moving traffic" (I know it is on the M25, but that's another matter).

EDIT: previous response was wrong. 

I dont agree the "moving" part only relates to the latter, not the former.

Because TfLs enforcement power comes from them already having taken on "moving traffic offences" as a thing they enforce & not the local police,and that enforcement power is now available to local authorities in England, and bits of Wales, that apply for it. That's really the big law change here, TfL/London boroughs are no longer the exception that they alone can do this for themselves.

The cycle lane part is just it's been added to the list of moving traffic offences list of things all these authorities can now enforce.

And its labelled "moving" because most of the offences involve you moving past a traffic sign that prohibits you doing something, like no u turns, no access, buses only that type of stuff.

With bus lanes/cycle lanes you can designate a route as being only for bus/cycle access, and add a sign to that effect.

so with a car that ends up parked in one I dont believe gets just a parking ticket, theyll get a you ignored a sign prohibiting you "moving" into this lane and being here in the first place ticket, the fact you arent "moving" now, is just as irrelevant as if you immediately stopped after doing a prohibited u-turn. You moved past a sign telling you, you couldnt do that or be here.

At least that's how I think it works

Yes, agree. I posted hastily then went down a legislative rabbit hole trying to work out what the changes actually do, and came to the same conclusion you've just posted, and retracted my original post! 

Awavey wrote:

The cycle lane part is just it's been added to the list of moving traffic offences list of things all these authorities can now enforce.

Broadly yes, but technically I think cycle lanes have only been added to the list of things that TfL / London boroughs can enforce (under the London Local Authorities and Transport for London Act 2003). They appear always to have been in the list of moving traffic offences in the Traffic Management Act 2004, it's just that the enforcement powers hadn't commenced until now. 

Awavey wrote:

You moved past a sign telling you, you couldnt do that or be here. At least that's how I think it works

Not disputing - but for stopping / parking won't this just fall victim to the usual parking defense of "unless you can prove otherwise a cyclone dropped my car there / a rugby team ran by, picked me up and moved me / it was a crane"?

Presumably they've covered the "moving bad, stationary excusable" get-out?

This is contracting things a bit but, broadly speaking, the offence is failing to comply with the indication given by a traffic sign (s.36 RTA 1988). There are various signs relating to cycle lanes, but they give an indication to the effect of "Route for use by pedal cycles only" (or some variation thereon - bikes and buses, bikes and pedestrians etc). I would assume therefore that both driving and parking in a cycle lane are therefore caught by "use" and are therefore offences. Whereas (outside London) it is only an offence to drive on the pavement (s.34 RTA).  

Grahamd wrote:

I think there is an error in the article "previously this was only enforced by the police". Was it ever enforced?

In Bristol, the police were enquiring after the driver/parker of this vehicle:

(https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/photograph-one-bristols-worst-parked-7034882)

More recently, there was this classic piece of entitled parking:

(https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristols-worst-pavement-parking-far-7218314)

If I were the driver of that Bristol car I would argue that I was not parked in the cycle lane. I parked on either side of it.

eburtthebike wrote:

Why only London?

That's the only area that politicians are concerned about?

They employ a better pr agency...technically the law change allows all local authorities in England as well as London to apply for these powers.

But London had a head start because TfL/boroughs already uses these type of civil enforcement powers for driving in bus lanes, so it's not much of a change to extend to cycle lanes for them.

Elsewhere theyll be taking over what the police should have been,but probably werent, doing. So may take longer to set up a system of enforcement, but I believe Kents local authority had expressed a strong interest in adopting it also.

Edit: just spotted Bath & North Somerset have also applied and are awaiting confirmation from the DfT to implement https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/movingtrafficrestrictions

Was just about to say the same, the full statement from TFL makes it clear other authorities can do the same if they want to:

The Government has introduced new powers allowing TfL and London boroughs to fine motorists who infringe on cycle lanes and cycle tracks in the same way that they currently do for bus lanes and yellow box junctions. These powers were introduced at the same time as wider national changes giving local authorities in England outside of London the powers to enforce moving traffic contraventions. Initially, TfL will use existing CCTV cameras to enforce contraventions in cycle lanes and cycle tracks at key locations across its road network.

I suspect another reason might also be because they have pavement parking bans in most of Central London already so the same people who process those could then catch the Cycle path ones. Plus as shown with HP's Van, they might do the old half/half trick to try to get away with it elsewhere.

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

I suspect another reason might also be because they have pavement parking bans in most of Central London

All of Greater London in fact except a very few specifically assigned areas; not correcting you to be smart, just mentioning it in case any out-of-town visitors might think it's okay to park on the pavement in the outer boroughs, you will be ticketed!

No probs, when I lived in Bexley for a couple of years, I got done for parking across my driveway with two wheels on the ramp whilst I went in to see why my wife was taking so long (she had forgotten her inhaler at the start of a trip). There were still the remains of the old white markings as well but council wouldn't do anything. 

I only mentioned Central London as I'm guessing that is where the majority of solid line Bike lanes would be. 

London borough's like Brent, actively set aside space on narrow pavements for cars to park, forcing pedestrians into the road.

RoubaixCube wrote:

How about people parking in cycle lanes?

I've tried parking people in a cycle lane, but they got bored and wandered off.

What we need is a bunch of predatory, capitalistic vehicle-tow-ers that get paid per vehicle captured and then authorise them to keep the cycle lanes clear.

Parking will be covered under the same lane enforcement PCNs https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/red-routes/rules-of-red-routes/cycle-lanes

RoubaixCube wrote:

How about people parking in cycle lanes?

Pulling my handbrake in public got me in trouble last time. I can no longer park on hills as a result.