The Oxford Times: 84 cyclists caught without lights in Oxford street check
11:31am Wednesday 28th October 2009
A month-long crackdown on cyclists riding around Oxford’s streets without lights was launched last night.
During the check, in the High Street, Oxford, between 6.30pm and 9pm, police officers and members of Oxfordshire County Council’s road safety team stopped 84 cyclists riding without lights.
Those stopped were issued with a £30 non-endorsable Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN).
They can avoid paying it by purchasing a set of front and rear cycle lights and then presenting the receipt, along with the FPN, at Oxford or Cowley police station within seven days of receiving the fine. The receipt must prove the offender bought the lights after the offence.
Road Safety Constable Mark Pilling said: “Clearly a large number of cyclists in Oxford are not using lights.
“This campaign is aimed at educating cyclists about how important it is that they are fully visible to all other road users. Just because a cyclist can see where they are going on a well-lit street, does not necessarily mean that they are fully visible to motorists approaching with their headlights on.
“Cyclists should have a light on both the front and back of their bike and they should wear either some fluorescent or high-visibility clothing. They are reminded to remove the lights when they lock up their bikes to prevent them from being stolen.
“We will be carrying out further checks during November.”
