UK to seize bikes of people involved in ‘anti-social behaviour’ under new rules

15 comments

1. Once I started working for a Dutch based company in their London office it was funny to see even the Amsterdam natives think London cyclists are complete psychopaths who put themselves in dangerous situations (for themselves and pedestrians) for no reason.

2. There are perfectly adequate ways to seize bikes involved in nuisance already, problem is lack of enforcement. You really need dedicated officers on crosser bikes, otherwise they are nigh on impossible to catch. Used to be a pair of them would do a few shifts in my area, get a couple of dozen of them and do another town for a few days. They were cut about 10 years ago and presumably it’s not cheap to train new ones.

3. Oh yay, new laws which nobody will enforce. Woop-de-fucking-doo

4. They’ve got to catch them first.

   Surely the police already have powers to seize bikes that, if they are not stolen or completely illegal on roads, are almost certainly being driven without licences, insurance, helmets etc.?

5. You can introduce all the laws you want but if you don’t have enough Police Officers to enforce thoselaws it’s pointless.

   We need at the very least another 10k Police Officers as well as support staff.

6. A police officer chasing a bike risks a career ending collision every time, either through a the crash or the subsequent criminal prosecution.

   The public and government need to decide what they want the police to do and let them , even if it’s nothing.

   They can’t do half

7. You see “new rules” so often.. are these rules or laws because there’s a massive difference

8. Nobody read the thing, eh? It talks about MOTORbikes, not bicycles. As in a registered vehicle. They can now aprehend the vehicle without warning/questioning/etc.

9. Is this a new news aggregator? I’ve not come across it before

10. It’s all blah blah yawn from this government. They talk a lot but no action re crime .

11. I like how the article title says bikes and everyone has jumped on cyclists here but the government quote was including motorbikes with no mention of bicycles.

12. They should do this with cars too, I fking hate those nutters reving their engines at midnight with those stupid modified exhausts. If they can’t behave like a decent person, take away their toys.

13. Not getting my hopes up, but something needs doing. They’re a menace in my area, all over the footpaths expecting people to dive out of their way. One twerp I keep seeing on a quad bike has a toddler on his lap… eventually someone other than the rider will get killed and the police will still act like nothing could have been done to prevent it.

14. Shockingly crap reporting given that the detail is already out there.

    The current legislation is here:

    https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/30/section/59

    Key points:

    > Where a constable in uniform has reasonable grounds for believing that a **motor vehicle** is being used on any occasion in a manner which—

    > (a)contravenes section 3 or 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (c. 52) (careless and inconsiderate driving and prohibition of off-road driving), and

    > (b)is causing, or is likely to cause, alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public,

    > he shall have the powers set out in subsection (3).

    Currently that power is curtailed by Section (4) which places an obligation to warn.

    The new bill, here:

    https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61564/documents/6824

    Seeks to omit Section 4:

    > In section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 (vehicles used in manner causing
    alarm, distress or annoyance) omit subsections (4) and (5) (powers of seizure
    etc exercisable only if warning given, subject to certain exceptions).

    I.e., the police will no longer need to warn.

    Regarding “Motor Vehicles”, that definition can be found in the RTA:

    https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/part/VII/crossheading/interpretation

    In particular, legal, pedal assist, e-bikes are excluded:

    > an electrically assisted pedal cycle of such a class as may be prescribed by regulations so made, is to be treated as not being a motor vehicle.

    As are, of course, normal cycles.

15. There’s a tit who wheelies down the main road near me on a motorbike in rush hour. He wears a balaclava, no helmet and his bike doesn’t have a plate. He’s not going to get caught.

    He’s going to kill himself. Or someone else. But he ain’t getting caught.

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