London Police ticket cyclists on first day of blitz

Cyclists need to learn the rules of the road. That's the sentiment of Cst. D'Arcy Bruce of the London Police Service.

Bruce and his team are in the middle of a five-day traffic enforcement blitz, which islargely focused on cyclists and pedestrians.

"There's a lot of infractions that are done over the year, that we're unable to address everyday. So this campaignitself is to not just to enforce, but to educate the cyclists and the pedestrians," said Bruce

"Cyclists are more vulnerable, so they have the responsibility to try to follow the rules because the rules are there to try and make them safer."

Bruce said he handed out at least five fines to cyclists on day one of the blitz."I found a few people who were riding on sidewalks or cyclists going against the lights, or crossing on the crosswalks." Theaverage fine forthose tickets amounts to$110, said Bruce.

Police also gave warningsto several other cyclists. It's unclear how many cyclists in total received tickets or warnings.

Bruce said not all cyclists understand the Highway Traffic Act. "One of the ones that people may not be aware of is, if a cyclist is riding on a roadway, they are considered a slow-moving vehicle," explained Bruce.

"They need to be as far to the right as they can while operating on the street. They do have a right to the roadway, but because they're a slower vehicle, they need to try to move to theright if they can."

Common cycling infractions:

• No bell
• Riding on the sidewalk
• Riding on a crosswalk
• Riding the wrong way down a one-way street
• Taking the whole lane when it's possible to move over to the right

Bruce said police are not just singling out cyclists;drivers will be warned or ticketed for notleavingat least a metre between cyclists and their vehicles.

Bruce said he did not ticket or warn any pedestrians on day one of the traffic enforcement blitz. However, he said they can still be safer. The city of London's 'Road Safety Strategy' suggests pedestrians get in the habit of making eye contact with drivers before crossing an intersection.

"I think it's safe practice. When you're crossing the street, even if you have the right of way, it's good to look to make sure the drivers are paying attention. I mean, some drivers are on their cell phones. We deal with that all the time. Some drivers are inattentive, some drivers are running lights."

The blitz ends Friday.