Cyclist fined £220 for riding through red light forcing mum with pushchair
to stop mid-crossing to avoid collision

The cyclist was initially offered a fixed penalty notice which went unpaid, following which a full criminal prosecution was launched

by ADWITIYA PAL
WED, JUN 19, 2024 17:01

A cyclist has been ordered to pay a total of almost £400, including a fine
and other costs, for riding through a red light as a mum with her child in
a pushchair were crossing the road, making them stop in their tracks to
avoid a collision.

31-year-old Pavanrao Hanchate was caught by police officers immediately
after he failed to stop at the red light, and almost caused a collision
with the mother and the child, The Standard (link is external)reports.

Court papers revealed that he “rode through a red light, which had a pedestrian with a pushchair and child on the crossing”, and the “pedestrian had to stop mid-crossing to avoid collision with the cyclist”.

Hanchate, who lives in Norwich, was offered a fixed penalty fine but this
went unpaid, and he was then taken to court in a full criminal prosecution.

The magistrate convicted him of riding a pedal cycle on a road and failing
to comply with the indication given by a traffic signal, marking an unusual prosecution likely because the officers noticed the incident and stopped Hanchate at the scene to get his details.

Hanchate was ordered to pay a £220 fine, plus £90 in prosecution costs and
an £88 victim surcharge.

The news comes just a few weeks after the “dangerous cycling” bill was tabled in Parliament by senior Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith and backed
by Transport Secretary Mark Harper, who said it would mean the “tiny minority” of reckless cyclists would face the “full weight of the law”, while protecting “law-abiding cyclists”.

The bill was purposed to introduce the specific offence of "causing death
by dangerous, careless, or inconsiderate cycling, and causing serious
injury by careless or inconsiderate cycling", which would lead to tougher penalties for those who kill or injure while riding bikes, e-bikes,
electric scooters, unicycles, and "personal transporters”.

Duncan Smith’s amendments had been welcomed by Matthew Briggs, a
longstanding campaigner for a dangerous cycling law, whose wife Kim was hit
and killed by a cyclist riding with no front brakes in London in 2016, with
the cyclist Charlie Alliston later being jailed for 18 months after being
found guilty of causing bodily harm by "wanton and furious riding”.

The bill was first agreed upon in the House of Commons by ministers, but
was then shelved following the announcement of the general elections by
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

However, just days after it was reported that the bill won’t become law, it received cross-party backing in the Parliament, with Labour joining the Conservatives in committing to introduce stricter laws on cycling if they
form government after winning the upcoming election.

The amendments, if passed, will replace the current legislation with which cyclists who kill or injure while riding recklessly can be prosecuted under
the 1861 ‘wanton or furious driving’ law, which carries with it a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

It means the maximum sentence for causing death or serious injury by
dangerous cycling, if the proposed amendment passes, would be brought into
line with sentencing guidelines for dangerous driving, of which the maximum sentence is currently 14 years' imprisonment. The government are set to
bring forward an updated amendment to James Cleverly’s Criminal Justice
Bill as it enters the House of Lords, where it will be debated.

Currently, the Highway Code dictates that cyclists must stop at red lights.
In April, we reported that the City of London Police had handed out 944
fixed penalty notices to cyclists for riding through red lights since its
Cycle Response Unit was formed nine months ago.

The authority — which polices the Square Mile area of the English capital home to the Stock Exchange, Bank of England and St Paul's Cathedral — said
it would continue to fine cyclists who ride "through red lights, putting themselves and pedestrians at risk".

<https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-fined-ps220-riding-through-red-light-308957>





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