'Dummy' caught cycling down M1 in pouring rain

A man has been censured by police after he was caught cycling along the M1 motorway in atrocious weather conditions.

The culprit was spotted happily pedalling along the London-bound carriageway of the motorway near Redbourn in Hertfordshire on Sunday.

 

He was apparently oblivious to the fact that cycling on a motorway is banned by Section 253 of the Highway Code.

Incredibly, given the driving rain and appalling visibility, the cyclist was also riding without lights or high-visibility gear, choosing instead to wear a dark green anorak, black trousers, and a grey rucksack.

This despite the fact that he was riding just inches away from cars, coaches and heavy goods vehicles which were travelling at speeds anywhere between 50 and 70mph, and sometimes more.

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Constabulary said "We were alerted just before midday of a man travelling southbound on the M1 on a pushbike.

"We did a very slow escort off with him at the next junction, which was Junction 9 at Redbourne."

Police added that they had offered "words and advice", and that the man opted to continue his journey to London by train instead.

The Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Roads Policing Unit took to its Twitter feed to highlight the situation, tweeting: "Somebody thought it was ok to cycle to London on the M1, escorted safely off at Redbourn. #dontbeadummy."

It isn't the first time police have spoken to road users about cycling along motorways.

In June, a woman was escorted off the M1 motorway near Milton Keynes having been stopped by police on a pushbike.

And during the Commonwealth Games, police spoke to two members of the Kenyan cycling team on the M61 near Bolton, who had apparently been unaware that what they were doing was illegal.