Cyclists caught running red lights in the City of London can now dodge a £50 on-the-spot fine by watching a short safety video instead. The option is offered to riders caught in the Square Mile, who can choose to view the hard-hitting clip on the roadside rather than pay the immediate fixed penalty notice.
Rise in penalties and cycling numbers
Police have issued 1,315 fixed penalty notices to cyclists over the past 12 months for the offence, more than double the 643 given out during the previous year. City of London Police say offering riders a chance to see the consequences of dangerous riding will cut accidents.
Data from the City of London Corporation recorded 139,000 daily cyclists through the Square Mile. Daily bike trips are up 43 per cent compared to 2019 levels and up 12.7 per cent from 2024. Transport for London estimate 1.5 million cycling journeys take place in London every day.
Police initiative and officer discretion
Police hopes its "STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, CHANGE" initiative will tackle dangerous riding, with the surge in hire bike use increasing the number of cyclists in the capital.
Sergeant Stuart Ford, cycle team lead at City of London Police, said: "We want cyclists to stop and take a moment to see the danger, listen to the experiences of those who have been affected, and think about the consequences of their behaviour. Going through a red light might save a few seconds, but it can change someone’s life forever."
"This does not replace enforcement or mean all cyclists who go through a red light will avoid a fine. It is an additional tool for our officers, reflecting our approach of engagement, education and enforcement. The intervention will be incorporated into our patrols and operations, with officers using their discretion on when it is appropriate. Cyclists will not always be offered this option – where enforcement is necessary, we will enforce."
Film content and community response
The film will include a testimony from a cyclist who was struck by a bus, as well as highlighting the dangers faced by visually impaired and blind pedestrians when cyclists fail to stop at red lights. The force said officers would retain full discretion during patrols.
Tijs Broeke, chair of the City of London Police Authority Board, said: "People feel strongly about cyclists running red lights, and rightly so. It can put pedestrians at risk, particularly those who are blind or visually impaired. This initiative combines education with enforcement to make the Square Mile’s streets safer for everyone. It shows what locally accountable policing can deliver when it focuses on the issues that matter most to our communities."
The news comes as motorists are urged to belt up and switch off mobile phones after an AI-powered road safety trial captured images of almost 19,000 driving violations in two weeks. The "frankly shocking" findings of the trial at two sites in Birmingham and Wolverhampton showed risk-taking among drivers at far higher levels than anticipated, including a front-seat passenger with a small child on their lap with no seatbelt and a driver with two hands on the phone.
