Bicycle lanes will now be policed by cameras – and you’ll be fined up to £130 for blocking one
A Government safety review has prompted the nationwide installation of CCTV that will fine Londoners up to £130 and drivers elsewhere up to £70 for parking in a bike lane
DRIVERS that park in bicycle lanes are now even more at risk of being fined up to £130, as new cameras will be set up nationwide to enforce the policy.
The CCTV installation comes on the back of a Department for Transport safety review on walking and cycling.
Londoners will face the highest fines of up to £130, while motorists across the rest of the UK will have to pay up to £70 for stopping in a cycle lane.
Local councils have also been encourage by the DfT to dedicate 15 per cent of their transport infrastructure budget on walking and cycling.
Video footage from dashcams and biker GoPros will be organised for evidence by a new £100,000-funded national back office.
The idea is based on Welsh enforcement's Operation SNAP, which saved 14 hours of work per case using amateur footage.
The Government also denied the introduction of licence plate on bicycle, as it was deemed as a deterrent for Brits taking up cycling.
Making further protective gear compulsory for cyclists was also denied, with the DfT stating: "We believe wearing helmets, and also high-vis clothing, should remain a matter of individual choice rather than imposing additional regulations which would be difficult to enforce."
However, Government will work with industries to develop better fitting helmets for children.
Meanwhile, just over a hundred cyclists were killed on the road last year with 18,220 injured.
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Jesse Norman, Cycling and Walking Minister, said: "Greater road safety - and especially the protection of vulnerable road users such as cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders - is essential.
"We want to improve air quality, encourage healthy exercise, reduce obesity and boost our high streets and economic productivity.
"That means more support for cycling and walking, and that's why these new measures are designed to deliver."