Street rangers to crack down on rogue cyclists

Emma Worthington12 April 2012

Cyclists who ride on pavements are being targeted by private wardens in a new crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

Businesses have ordered their street "rangers" to stop rogue riders amid fears that the Mayor's bike hire scheme will increase problems in central London.

People in Holborn and Bloomsbury are being encouraged to report bad cycling to the wardens. The majority receive a verbal warning but some have been given on-the-spot fines.

Under the new scheme, cyclists could be sent on a course highlighting the dangers of weaving in and out of traffic and riding too close to lorries.

But responsible cyclists attacked the scheme, by a business organisation representing 550 firms between the West End and the City of London, as "draconian and unnecessary".

Businesses on the South Bank recently proposed banning cyclists from the riverside walkway because of the large number of pedestrians.

The initiative has been launched by the "inmidtown" organisation to encourage responsible cycling and prevent injuries to pedestrians. It says that 200,000 people work in and visit the area each day.

Its orange-jacketed wardens, the "midtown rangers", are already helping visitors and workers and identifying criminal behaviour —including cash machine fraud — which is reported to police. The wardens were involved in the recent arrest of two drug users and also target rough sleepers.

Inmidtown, which is funded by a levy on the business rates of its members, works with Transport for London and Camden council. Its "Considerate Cyclist Code" has 10 tips for better cycling, including:

* Don't cycle on pavements.

* Don't cycle after drinking.

* Use back streets to avoid traffic.

Last year 200 cyclists were stopped over four days during Operation Responsible Cycling. Business leaders fear the arrival of Boris bikes — there are seven docking stations, holding up to 176 bikes, in the area — will make matters worse.

Tass Mavrogordato, chief executive of inmidtown, said: "We encourage cycling in the district and welcome the Mayor's new bike hire scheme. However, we need to ensure responsible cycling, for cyclists' own safety, as well as that of pedestrians."

A spokeswoman for inmidtown stressed that "poor and anti-social" cyclists were in the minority.

Mark Ames, of ibikelondon website, said: "While encouraging people to take to two wheels is a good thing, I don't feel that cyclists need their own rules on top of the Highway Code, which the police should be enforcing.

"However, all cyclists should cycle with consideration and know that pedestrians have number one priority."

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