City of London Police offer red-light cyclists a safety film instead of a fine

Cyclists caught jumping red lights in the City of London can now be offered a short road safety film to watch instead of an immediate fixed penalty notice, under a new City of London Police scheme.

The force tried the approach on the morning of Wednesday 14 October. Officers stopped riders who had gone through red lights and asked them to stand under a police gazebo set up at the roadside, which has been called a 'sin bin', and watch the film.

Footage released by the force shows commuters and riders on hire e-bikes lined up with their bikes, watching a screen. Pictures from the morning show officers near Bank junction, opposite the Royal Exchange.

What the film shows

The scheme is part of a road safety campaign called STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, CHANGE. City of London Police said the film shows how serious the consequences of dangerous cycling can be. It includes the story of a cyclist who was hit by a bus.

The film also shows the dangers faced by blind and partially sighted pedestrians when cyclists do not stop at red lights. It is reported to last less than a minute.

Tijs Broeke, who chairs the City of London Police Authority Board, said: "People feel strongly about cyclists running red lights, and rightly so."

Fines have not been scrapped

The force said the film is not a way for every rider to avoid a penalty. It said: "This does not replace enforcement or mean all cyclists who go through a red light will avoid a fine. Cyclists will not always be offered this option – where enforcement is necessary, we will enforce."

Officers decide when to offer the film. Cyclists who are not offered it, or who turn it down, can still get a fixed penalty notice. The penalty for a cyclist going through a red light is reported to be £50.

The force says the scheme is part of its 'engagement, education and enforcement' approach to road safety. It builds on the work of its dedicated Cycle Team.

Rise in penalties

The scheme follows a sharp rise in enforcement in the Square Mile. City of London Police said its Cycle Team issued 1,315 fixed penalty notices to cyclists between April 2025 and March 2026, for offences including going through red lights. That is more than double the 643 issued the year before.

The force called the scheme the latest step in its work against dangerous and anti-social road use in the City. Many of the people who cycle through the Square Mile every day are commuters, including people travelling in from West and North West London.

City of London Police covers only the Square Mile. The rest of the capital, including Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Brent and Harrow, is policed by the Metropolitan Police. The Metropolitan Police has not announced a similar scheme.

Under the Highway Code, cyclists must obey traffic lights in the same way as other road users. That includes stopping at the advanced stop line when the light is red.