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Video: Royal Parks bike cop in confrontation with cyclist
A London cyclist has published footage of a recent confrontation with a Royal Parks police officer in Kensington Gardens. The cyclist was baffled as to why the officer in question appeared to be cycling up and down Mount Walk asking cyclists to dismount.
The video uploader, sw19cam, first passes a number of cyclists walking with their bikes and is then heckled by a passer-by, who says: “We spend millions on cycle superhighways and you thank us by breaking the law.”
It is at about this point that the officer tells him the path is closed to cyclists. He is told that he is allowed to push the bike, not ride it – even while the policeman cycles alongside him.
Sw19cam questions this and then asks why he has to dismount.
He is told to look at “all the lorries.”
There appears to be just one.
In the video description, he suggests: “Wouldn't it be easier to tell the truck driver and car driver to watch out for bicyclists when they move, rather than stop literally thousands of people from safely cycling along here?”
A few sarcastic comments about the enormous danger posed by passing cyclists elicit a comment from the policeman about how the disobedience on display is the kind of thing giving cyclists “a bad name.”
The work being carried out appears to be on laying cycle speed bumps. In a bid to reduce cycling speeds to 10mph, Royal Parks this week revealed plans for similar measures on Broad Walk in nearby Hyde Park.
Cyclists are reported to be either going round the ones in Kensington Gardens onto the grass, or speeding up to minimise the discomfort when going over them. Campaigners say that the cobbled speed bumps “are not proportionate to the risks.”
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
Latest Comments
- ktache 3 hours 28 min ago
The small frame, the aggressive posture, lots of standover height.
- mctrials23 4 hours 24 min ago
As i've said before, the police should be sued for a lot of money when someone they have knowingly ignored has gone on to commit a serious crime....
- David9694 4 hours 31 min ago
'Bad parking' blocks firefighters multiple times on same emergency call-out...
- David9694 4 hours 35 min ago
Cambridgeshire boy, 13, crashes Audi into garden wall after taking it from home...
- Adam Sutton 5 hours 21 min ago
Good stuff. Now do it on cycleway C9 through Hammersmith to Chiswick.
- mark1a 5 hours 30 min ago
It's technically allowed but it's not known as "London's Orbital Car Park" for nothing.
- Dogless 6 hours 38 min ago
You're defending bombing hospitals and refugee camps and starving children.
- mattw 9 hours 18 min ago
Used car salesman is a complete attention-seeking plank....
- tubasti 9 hours 35 min ago
I don't know if they're any better, but they's certainly become more boring.
- FionaJJ 10 hours 1 min ago
At risk of being cynical, and stereotyping the police, it's so they don't have to leave the comfort of their panda cars and pursue on foot when...
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23 comments
At the end of the day this is not a public park and there were signs up telling people to not cycle temporarily. The park policeman was trying to enforce this temporary ban but as it looks like he is one guy covering a large area he has to use a bike to enforce this. If everyone was obeying the signs then I am sure that he would not have to use the bike himself.
The cause of the disruption is separate and irrelevant to some extent. If the same signs had been put up because of say filming in the park and the cyclist had ignored them I am sure everyone’s opinion of this encounter would be different.
Regardless of the reason for the temporary ban, the heart of the matter for me is that:
The ban is there
These cycle speed ramps look like excellent obstructions on which to perfect mu bunny hopping technique, I'd have to build up a bit of speed to clear them cleanly though!
To misquote Martin Luther King "one has a moral responsibility to disobey stupid laws"
There's always enough policemen when a petty rule needs enforcing. When it's proper crime they don't want to know.
I see nothing wrong with questioning authority - this is not Nazi Germany.
too right - they had rules, discipline, and a plan!
What a silly situation, the rider was taking care, not causing any problems. I did like the piss take of the Copper riding whilst telling others to get off their bikes
If I'd have seen this on TV I would have genuinely thought it was a comedy sketch show. Irony alarms going off all over. I love how the guy stays so calm and just rips the piss out of the jobsworth enforcer by repeatedly questioning the stupidity of it all. Not that the failed despot took any of it on board...
I guess there must be a seriously high KSI rate in that park for them to be enforcing such Draconian traffic-calming measures?!
It's not the actual incident that irks me (maybe its a stupid rule, but I just don't see the point in picking an argument with a cop - who, let's face it, has all the power - over such a trivial issue) . It's much more what is said in the course of it.
The heckle from the 'passer by' is teeth-grindingly stupid.
"We" spend a tiny pittance of the transport budget on a few cycle routes, and when did anyone last shout at one of the many rule-breaking motorists 'we spend billions on roads and motorways and you thank us by breaking the law'?
And who is he referring to with the 'we' and 'us' in that sentence? Who are 'cyclists' supposed to thank, exactly? Does he imagine all cycle routes are paid for by the amalgamated union of idiot passers-by?
And on top of that there's the fatuous 'bad name' remark from the police officer.
Grrr.
it's true - only an idiot would consider law breaking to be a sign of gratitude!
Whatever happened to the good old fashioned "up yours mate"?
One idiot vs. another idiot. Why is this interesting? Its just daily life in this idiot country.
It's not a public park its a Royal Park. - You can't expect to wield supreme power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!
Time to try some 'Unsafe velocities!'
Come back common sense, where have you gone?
How is it that we have got to a point where we have complete brain dead jobsworth idiots, that cannot use an ounce of common sense and discretion in this country.
I lived in Germany for a number of year's and it is amazing that vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists can all co-exist in areas together, without conflict and idiots screaming about hi-viz, helmets, jumping redlights, being run over etc etc.
Who do I contact from the park to replace my pro 3 poke wheel after riding over them cobbles?
Presumably they'll close it completely to cyclists as soon as one sues for damage to bike on the basis that the path isn't suitable for cycling as it's too bumpy, sigh
That'll be the queen then
One trumped up bully in a uniform VS One entitled Cyclist with a GoPro.
Two knobheads don't make a right.
Blimey looks dangerous in those Royal Parks, with all those hooligan riders careering around. I'll be sticking to the less salubrious routes from now on, with the unlicensed drivers, uninsured cars and youths on "monkey" bikes - much safer. Is this the beat you get rewarded with when you can't catch a real criminal
Well that wasn't very exciting.
There seems to be clear signs that explain 'no cycling' so regardless of opinion, respecting them whilst the work is carried out would be a requirement. The debate about 'speed bumps' for bikes is for another place but sw19cam is the sort of bike user that would benefit from a hefty slap. IMHO obviously
And you sound like the sort of person that the jobsworth copper should be spending his time interfering with.
the point wasn't that the copper was being pedantic or that the guidance was ridiculous but that the guy on the bike was being a deliberate knob head. "No cycling whilst they wreck the path" may not make sense but that's what it says. If he doesn't like it, use the road. The coppers arguments were also pathetic & childish as opposed to " if you don't like the rules, don't use the park. Now get off". He hasn't made the rules but has been told to enforce them. pointless argument that I presume SW19 lost.......
No, the point is that you seem to think that hitting someone is justified in an argument. We can't afford to waste police time on the sort of stuff in this video when there are people like you walking around instead of safely locked away.
The bumps do look rather overkill, and the grass on either side is going to be seriously chewed up by people cycling around them. Also seems rather overkill to stop the people riding bikes, and I'd very much like to see the risk assessment that justified it.