Fines for Pavement Cycling in Hounslow Plummet

None issued in the borough in the last ten months

The number of cyclists fined for using the pavements in Hounslow has dropped sharply according to new figures.

In 2013/14 cyclists in Hounslow were issued with 124 penalty notices for cycling on pavements, however figures for 2015/16 show that no fines were issued at all. 46 were issued for 2014/15.

The decline seems to be general across the capital as a whole the number of penalty notices fell from 5,003 in 2013/14 to only 406 to date in 2015/16 despite increasing numbers of cyclists on London’s streets. The figures are calculated until the end of March each year.

London Assembly Member, Murad Qureshi warned that the small minority of cyclists who rode on pavements were putting pedestrians at risk and called for more action to enforce the rules.

Mr Qureshi AM said, “With more cyclists than ever on London’s streets the number of fines issued to pavement hopping cyclists has nose-dived. In Hounslow, fines have dropped to zero in just two years, that’s a real problem, particularly with the number of pedestrians around.

“This kind of thoughtless behaviour from an incredibly small minority of cyclists endangers pedestrians who have a right to feel safe on the footpaths in just the same way cyclists should on the roads.

“It can be incredibly scary for pedestrians to see a bike hurtling down a footpath towards them. Unless there are the police and PCSOs around, out on the beat enforcing these rules then the small minority of offenders will continue to break the rules.”

January 22, 2016