LONDON, UK - Traffic police in London are being given a monthly target for fines issued to cyclists, according to a leaked email obtained by The Times newspaper.
An email sent by Inspector Colin Davies of the Met's South East Area Traffic Garage, starts: "All, can you please cascade this onto your troops, Officers have four months to do 40 cycle tickets. Ten per month, 2.5 a week. Most officers are nearing or have even achieved their other targets. This will give them a renewed focus for a while."
It comes during the week when hundreds of officers were sent out to 166 of London's busiest junctions to observe both cyclists and motorists and to issue advice and tickets to both. That initiative was in response to six cyclists deaths in London in a space of just two weeks.
Cyclists have been advised to wear high visibility vests and helmets as well as fined if they ignore traffic lights, sit outside the ATS 'cycle boxes' or do not have lights on when it is dark.
Chief Superintendent Glyn Jones, head of the Metropolitan Police's Traffic Command, clarified later his officers' email, saying that although he had reviewed performance targets and set a target of 40 tickets per officer, this was aimed both at cyclists and motorists and should be issued to both for jumping traffic lights, careless or inconsiderate cycling or driving, or stopping in safe zones when not allowed to.
He told The Times: "The e-mail from the inspector was a genuine misinterpretation of my direction. The offences that relate to the cycle highway and advanced stop lines can actually only be committed by motorists; and contravening traffic lights is dangerous regardless of who commits it.
"Our intention from the very beginning has always been to target dangerous road use by all road users and encourage everyone who uses our roads to be responsible and consider others around them. I am grateful to The Times for bringing the issue to my attention, and that inspector has now issued a corrective instruction to his officers."
However the email was widely condemned by pro-cycling lobby groups who said that setting targets to fine cyclists was not the best way to solve the fact that so many riders were being killed or seriously injured on London's roads.
Last week Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan police commissioner, said that he would not cycle in London because it is too dangerous.
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