Just as the Tour de France wheels out of town, the London city government is considering the installation of cameras to catch motorists driving in bike lanes.
Somewhat similar to cameras in the US that catch motorists driving through red lights, London officials are hoping their use will make people feel safer using bicycles, instead of cars, to commute to work.
London police can now issue fines for driving in bicycle lanes, but only three fines were issued in the past year.
The city already has installed closed circuit TV cameras at intersections with so-called “yellow boxes.” These allow cyclists to pull in front of cars stopped at intersections so they won't be clipped by cars making turns as the cyclists go straight. In the UK, where people drive on the opposite side of the road than the US, it's the left turns where cars often hit cyclists, instead of right turns.
In reporting the proposal, TimesOnline (“New cycle lane cameras to hit wayward drivers”) says tickets would be issued for “even minor infringements” such as veering into a bike lane to pass a car that's blocking the lane to make a turn. Either the reporter didn't think that out, or doesn't care. Such a “minor infringement” by a motorist could kill someone on a bicycle.
Is this a problem in the US? Check out MyBikeLane.com. Members in New York City and other US and Canadian cities submit photos of cars and trucks parked in bike lanes. The website not only runs the photos, but gives the license plates, maps where the violations occurred.
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