Those of you that are keen cyclists I have some good news for you those of you that are
annoyed by cyclists I have some bad news for you and for those of you that are astute watching
my videos you'll know that I like to get out the two wheels as well so that's what I'm
talking about today but first of all if you're new to my channel and you got questions of
your own don't forget to hit subscribe because I'm a barrister who helps you understand law
10 June just about a week ago the Department of Transport made an announcement that said
that local authorities can use CCTV to catch and find drivers that are driving or parking
in mandatory cycle lanes the statement itself read as follows car parked on cycle lanes
pose problems for cyclists often forcing them into the flow of traffic with approved camera
devices it will be easier for those local authorities with civil parking enforcement
powers to take action against cars illegally parked on mandatory cycle lanes allowing cyclists
to complete their journey without deviating from their part for those of you that are
keen cyclists it probably doesn't need much explanation as to why this is important for
those of you that are not cyclists I would like to speak on behalf of the cycling community
just for a moment I often say that a lot of roads around Britain are not particularly
well adapted or designed for cyclists that might be because they are narrow there's obstructions
or there isn't a dedicated cycle lane but over the years more and more cycle lanes have
been developed as new areas are being developed and cycle lanes have been put in some of them
are advisory cycle lanes and they are denoted by a broken white line some of them are mandatory
cycle lanes this is where the local authority has deemed it very important this is a cycle
route and it should be safe for cyclists to ride through typically are some very main
roads and commuter routes where cyclists often commute to work on a cycle to listing the
scenario for a moment where there is motorcycling whatsoever we just got an open plain road
let's say we have a cyclist on the left-hand side and let's say you are the motorist when
you drive up and approach the cyclist and you see the cyclist on the left-hand side
naturally you will need to slow down you will then need to wait for an ideal opportunity
to move around the cyclist safely allowing enough space to save both for you the cyclist
and any oncoming traffic this scenario by itself is not ideal because it is a little
bit dangerous for the cyclist and it is obviously inconvenient for you as a motorist but without
any cycle lane at all that is exactly what should happen bananas compare a scenario where
there is a cycle lane monetary or otherwise and the cyclist is in the cycle lane use a
motorist will be in the normal Lane and the cyclist is going to be in the cycle as a motorist
whether you are consciously aware of it or not paying attention to it or not you will
realise on some level that there is a separate cycle lane shouldn't bother you with any cyclists
in it the problem comes where there are obstacles in that cycle lane and the cyclist needs to
leave the cycleway in order to get round this was the very subject matter of a video by
Casey nice that famous YouTube in case you haven't heard of him many years ago which
rocketed and propelled his YouTube channel which now stands over 12 million subscribers
feel free to drop a line to tell you that I'm talking about cycle lanes in cases video
he was talking about finds the other way round he was talking about being fined as a cyclist
for riding his cycle not in the Cycle Ln, Riley Moberg the right way but of course his
whole video was exactly this point he needed to leave the cycle lane to avoid obstacles
in the cycle lane itself but he was fined by the police for doing so so his video showed
him riding into these obstacles in the cycle lane because that's what he was told to do
by New York police Department so either way you look at it riding a cycle
sign of the cycle lane is dangerous for both cyclist and the motorist because remember
I said as the motorist you will on some level be aware that there is a cycle lane so if
you are driving along you won't mentally expect a cyclist to come out of that lane in front
of you to avoid an obstacle because of course obstacle is not going to be in your direct
line of motion but it will be in the way of the cyclist so unless the cyclist slows down
wait for the car to go past and then goes around the obstacle then the cyclist is going
to have to come out into your lane to get around the obstacle course obstacles in the
cycle lane are unavoidable if they are roadworks DreamWorks or something else that simply can't
be avoided but the problem we as cyclists have is cars driving in the cycle lane and
parking in the cycle lane thinking that they are vehicle by another cyclist it doesn't
matter to them so they are just going to park there and over the course of the lockdown
many many more people have decided to get the bike out dust it off get cleaned up and
start cycling in fact some of the new government measures to support cycling and walking include
a fund of £225 million improved cycle and walkways to encourage people to get out and
walk and cycle very much more so the new regulations are coming about by way of a statutory instrument
called the civil enforcement of parking contraventions short from 22 June English local authorities
are going to be able to use CCTV cameras to identify and find drivers for parking or unloading
in a mandatory cycle the fines for a first offence will be a maximum of £130 in London
and £70 elsewhere important to note that this was already the case in Wales and Scotland
is considering similar measures along these lines as a reminder to both motorists and
cyclists a mandatory cycle lane can be identified because it has a solid white line as against
a broken white line that been the case motorists must not drive or park within a mandatory
recycling there is a slight contrast with the advisory cycle lanes those are demand
by a broken white line but drivers still should not park within those areas unless it is unavoidable
according to the highway code and some further good news this time for everybody is that
the Department for transport also announced a fictional bike fund £25 million which will
be issued by way of 500,000 vouchers worth £50 each in an effort to help you fix your
bike get you out on the road and get healthy give this video a thumbs up if you found it
useful.your questions and your comments down below they might find their way into future
videos watching and see you next time