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news
halfords delivery van driving through LTN - via Sarah J Berry on twitter.PNGUpdated: Halfords driver 'removed number plate' to get through Low Traffic Neighbourhood street without detection
Updated: Footage has emerged of a Halfords Autocentre vehicle driving past a planter on a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) street, with the driver allegedly removing the front number plate to avoid detection from cameras. Halfords have now said the driver has been taken off the road*.
So yesterday a @Halfords_uk driver removed the number plate on his van so he could drive through the planters without being detected by the cameras in an Enfield LTN pic.twitter.com/DDc4duq8Y5
— Sarah 😷 (@SarahJ_Berry) September 12, 2020
The first clip - shared by Sarah Berry on Twitter - shows the vehicle reversing in the road with its hazard lights on and front number plate removed, before proceeding to drive on past the barriers which are in place to prevent through-traffic. The road in Enfield is subject to a LTN scheme, intended to prevent drivers from using residential streets as 'rat-runs', and it is believed the driver removed the number plate to avoid detection and a possible fine for defying the restrictions.
Here he is taking them off. Considering @Halfords_uk are a bike company it just seems...really shit to show such disrespect for measures designed to make life less horrid for cyclists and pedestrians on the road pic.twitter.com/JUbZPxMbe4
— Sarah 😷 (@SarahJ_Berry) September 12, 2020
Ms Berry shared another clip, in which she claims the driver is removing the front number plate. She also noted the irony of the driver showing disregard for the LTN, when they are employed by one of the UK's largest bike retailers, adding: "Here he is taking them [the number plates] off.
"Considering @Halfords_uk are a bike company it just seems...really shit to show such disrespect for measures designed to make life less horrid for cyclists and pedestrians on the road."
Halfords replied to the post, saying: "Thanks for bringing this to our attention @SarahJ_Berry. We’re absolutely committed to safe driving and would like to assure you we have launched an immediate investigation into this case."
I’ll 100% be shopping in Halfords from now on.
— Cristo Foufas (@cristo_radio) September 12, 2020
Christo, are you actually- and by virtue of you tweeting as a @talkRADIO employee - advocating that the driver did the right thing?
— Tweeted by Mike (@designled_) September 13, 2020
In recent weeks, tension has been building in the capital over the installation of planters to stop rat-running drivers from using residential streets, and the appearance of 'wands' to create temporary cycle lanes. Supporters have said LTNs reduce emissions and encourage Londoners to get out of their cars for short journeys and commutes, while opponents have claimed some of the schemes have shifted traffic to other roads, and increased journey times for delivery drivers and commuters among other criticisms. Some people have actually defended the Halfords driver in response to the footage above, including Talkradio presenter Cristo Foufas.
In Wandsworth, the Conservative-led council have suspended their Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme after they were met with resistance from a vocal minority, and claimed improvements made to the nearby A24 as part of London's Steetspace programme has led to ‘emergency access’ and ‘traffic flow’ issues.
*Updated, 17:09pm
Since this article was published Halfords have issued a statement, telling road.cc: "As soon as Sarah highlighted this isolated incident we made sure the driver was taken off the road. We’re sorry and would like to assure Sarah and all our customers that we take road safety very seriously and an immediate investigation has been launched.”
Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.
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29 comments
And now it seems Sarah is being targeted at her home address due to this
The taxi drivers have been activated.
Targeted how and by whom?
She had £50 of pizza sent to her house with Pay on Delivery and then someone took credit for it with a "warning" that she revealed herself. And "although he doesn't want to threaten her", Pizzas and Male Prostitutes might be sent.
She has since deleted all to do with the halfords (apart from the one about the Police being involved) and the screenshots of the threats.
I hope she has reported this harrassment to the police and that they have traced it back to the person responsible. Does this amount to intimidation of a witness?
She had mentioned it. I believe as the van and the Pizza are probably police cases, it might be why she "deleted" those messages off.
By a pathetic coward.
however I hope the police take these attempts at intimidation and harassment seriously.
This will all blow over and by this time next week, simply because he's demonstrated his ninja Jim Davidson level skilz, they'll promote him to head of mechaniking.
Are the number plates fixed on by velcro? Isn't that itself illegal?? Else surely itll take longer to take them off and put them on again then it would to take a 1 minute diversion??
And surely driving deliberately without plates is an offence??
Exactly. And if so why isn't either Halfords reporting their driver to the police, or if not, us reporting Halfords to the police. If people can remove number plates with impunity, how long before they're doing that after coming out of a pub and wanting to drink drive home. The plates are only effectively needed in the case of an incident - not the rest of the time. So if removing them ahead of an incident, that's as bad as having no plates at all
Why have Halfords only stopped their employee from driving company vehicles, (not "taken them off the road", I don't think they have quite have that level of power). Surely for this level of at work breaking of the law, suspension until disaplinary hearings would be far more appropriate, and at least gross misconduct at that, leading to, if not termination of employment then at the very least a final written warning.
So why not tell us that the disiplinary processes had started...
Or are they going to let doing at least two road going offences whilst in operation of their company liveried vehicle go?
Sarah posted on Twitter earlier this morning to say that Halfords have refered the matter to the police.
Driving without plates is an offence, and removing them before committing another shows intent.
I think they're normally just screwed in? So taking them off and putting them on again probably doesn't take very long, especially if you have a toolkit handy and regularly fit replacement parts as part of your job so don't have to spend 20 minutes on youtube first.
This is Halfords we are talking about. After taking the plates off the wheels will probably fall off 😜
(Actually fair play to the company for acting quickly on this)
You aren't expecting logic, are you? When I was delivery driving the knots some of my colleagues would tie themselves in to "stick it to The Man" was laughable.
Opposition to LTNs is a very odd thing. Even if you are a regular driver, who wants traffic thundering past your front door night and day?. These people opposing are often those travelling through the area who themselves live in quiet cul de sacs or country areas which - by default are actually LTN areas. It's unbelievably selfish.
When was there a consultation about people using sat navs to bypass main roads to drive down my side steet! There wasn't one!
Yup, you've pretty much nailed it on the head.
Bang on. One local councillor here was pushing for a bypass & telling the people who would be affected that they were selfish in opposing it.
The councillor lives right at the end of a cul-de-sac.
I completely agree. Why would anyone advocate for vans, cars, lorries outside their front door day in day out. Once the scheme has been implemented ask the residents after six months - 'shall we take the filter out and let the traffic back in again?' What do you think the answer would be`?
And yet popular support for them seems to be, well, muted? If it is a "silent majority", they need to start shouting. Like this:*
Mr Halfords - a practised routine here, I suspect - I wonder how widespread?
Does anyone know how it went over on Twitter?
* https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/18718298.poole-residents-thank-bc...
good angle here: https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/18711883.parking-pavements-across...
after a close pass, nothing says "sod you" better than pavement parking.
And finally, here's an example of how traders often react to road closures. What she describes, somewhat at length, I'm afraid, is accurate - however, the weekdays closure itself is 9 miles away from her pub.
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/18718255.call-action-remove-confu...
Some of the LTN routes aren't well planned. In South London ambulances making for St Georges hospital keep getting stuck in routes that are blocked completely to motor vehicles and the main roads around are horrendous now.
But planned properly LTNs are quite good. I cycle up one route regularly on the way back from a training session that used to be a bad rat run. Now it's really nice. And when I've been in the car in that area, the routes motor vehicles have to use are no worse than they ever were.
This report does at least clear up something for me - that in some areas, some LTNs are enforced by cameras. In my borough, they aren't. They're just strategically placed planters and signs. Yet among some of the bizarre objections to them on the streetspace ongoing consultation is that they are a money making exercise/scam for Sadiq. He isn't part of our council, none of them are enforced by cameras and there's no money being made. You have to drop a pin on the street or in the area you are commenting on, so I know for certain that the people making many of the comments are not residents. They out themselves in other ways by lack of local knowledge but it's clear that there is an organised campaign against LTNs by people who don't reside in them.
Blaming Sadiq Khan is standard response from the usual neanderthals opposed to any sort of traffic reform.
Witness the spectacular own goal by the cab drivers caught on camera shouting abuse at him a few days ago.
Blaming Sadiq Khan is the default setting for a lot of people in London who are more racist than they'd care to admit.
This is known and used by many councillors. For example, now Wandsworth council want to abandon their LTNs which they half-heartedly implemented with funds from the tory government on roads the council oversee (rather than TfL), they cite Sadiq Khan as the reason they failed. Dogwhistle politics pure and simple.
It isn't the people in the areas who object, it's the people who want to drive through it.
Same think happened in Amsterdam when the original road closures were implemented, with ignorant, selfish, arrogant drivers pushing their way through the assembled parents who were demanding safe streets. Not sure any of them was stupid enough to do it in the company van though.
I look forward to the prosecution for driving though the LTN, removing a registration plate and driving without a registration plate, and immediate sacking by Halfords.
The reg plate removal is interesting. Round here there are loads of cars with numberplates so dark they are all but impossible to read anyway - would not need to be removed for the purpose. And quite a few others with no front plate on the car - its just jammed down the front of the windscreen, pointing skywards - impossible to read. Police clearly not bothered since there are more examples by the day.