https://trafficwmp.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/junction-malfunction-and-a-new-dawn/
If they follow through on this then every other police force in the country needs to follow suit.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Cycling News
West Midlands Police just raised the bar...
(125 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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Good article. Let's hope all the other police forces take the same attitude.
Posted 8 years ago # -
A great article - thanks very much Stickman. I hope this gets the publicity it (and 'we') deserve.
Posted 8 years ago # -
If this wasn't such a good article you could be forgiven for thinking it's a press release from the department of the obvious. Let's hope other forces do some research too.
"...those unwilling to take on the message or dismissive of vulnerable road users altogether, which given the rise in KSI collisions involving vulnerable road users seems like the majority of motorists..."
"...if drivers expect to be prosecuted for committing offences they suddenly stop committing them, unsurprising correlation I know but it’s the truth..."
Posted 8 years ago # -
Thanks for posting, relieved to find that the title of this thread wasn't sarcastic.
Not finished the article yet, but is the reason that people complain more about close passes than, say, cars pulling out at junctions that there is almost literally nothing you can do about them? If a car passes me too closely, it's often past me before I've even realised it's there. With cars pulling out in front of me, I usually at least see them, and I might say to myself "Oh, should've gone slower there" (even though my speed shouldn't be a factor).
Posted 8 years ago # -
I think close passes are a bit of a cause célèbre because they're unique to cyclists and a lot of people don't really understand that they exist, so it's worth emphasising. With junctions, the problem isn't that people don't know to give way, it's that they don't see cyclists, so it's a different problem.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Great read, and quite heartening, particularly the refreshingly intelligent rebuttal of the "what about enforcing cyclists too?".
Interesting to read rospa campaign is called "Share The Road" even as Columbus, USA replaces their Share The Road signs having found drivers thought they were directed at roadhog cyclists.
Posted 8 years ago # -
It's midnight but I logged in just to share this (and clearly I'm too late).
** READ IT **
All of it.Sad that a blog saying some relatively obvious stuff is so amazingly radical - but radical it is nonetheless. Given the title I thought it might be positive... but it knocked my out my seat.
I was wondering if it's just that I'm tired and looking for good news before bed - but all the other reactions I've seen express equal shock - and positivity.
Suggest re-tweeting their tweet.
https://twitter.com/Trafficwmp/status/774197255129608192Interestingly there was a stream of sensible tweets from this Twitter account a year or so ago - then they stopped and I 'unfollowed' their account. Thought perhaps one insightful officer had quietly been moved on. But I remember this particularly positive and insightful article about headcams well...
https://trafficwmp.wordpress.com/2015/07/08/lights-camera-action/
I'm left wondering how we can support what might be a small team of enlightened officers. I don't suppose the whole of WM Police see things this way. There will probably also be some policy makers who can't quite see what's different about this blog... after all the police surely enforce the law already don't they.
So I say lets share this, and (assuming ongoing praise) let's make sure that it's not just the blog post that gets attention, but also the amazement of people who cycle. Maybe that way we can explain why we all often (not always) feel disheartened by our dealings with the police on cycling matters.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Wow. How can we get Police Scotland to acknowledge this? I'll certainly Tweet about this at a more sensible time.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Wow - I suddenly have a desire to go live in the West Midlands. And that's not something I thought I'd ever say...
"Cycling is a fantastic thing, it’s benefits are well documented, traffic congestion is reduced, as is pollution, health and wellbeing are boosted for the participants and not forgetting the resultant benefits of less dependence on a stressed NHS. When it comes to playing our part in supporting cycling and cyclists it’s not a case of “why should we?” it’s a case of “why wouldn’t we?” Supporting cyclists and cycling is really a case of policing for the benefit of all, a prime case of policing for the greater good of the community."
The best paragraph in a blog full of fantastic insight.
Posted 8 years ago # -
A very good read.
Should be shared far and wide.
I am going to experiment too, with their advice on eye contact as that is something I preach! I suspect their is room and time for both in many instances.
A very good read btw.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Can we swap them with the Scot Squad please?
Posted 8 years ago # -
@jdanielp
Wow. How can we get Police Scotland to acknowledge this? I'll certainly Tweet about this at a more sensible time.
Tweet it to police scotland, to Humza Yousaf, Michael Matheson etc.
If we're like a dog with a bone, this might get some traction.
As the title of the thread says, West Midland police has raised the bar by taking a fact-based approach and being willing to accept what the fact say - which is that, in order to get drivers to take close passes seriously, police have to be willing to enforce the laws.
The corollary of which is, as long as police scotland treat driving offences as a joke, those offences will continue.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@gibbo was about to Tweet referencing Police Scotland but have now added the other two for good measure...
Posted 8 years ago # -
There really ought to be some sort of nationwide "police standard" for the treatment of vulnerable road users...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Its telling that I checked the date on the article when I read it to make sure it wasn't first published very early April.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Whoops. Sorry for double posting.
My comment in the PoP reboot thread was serious.
Get this person to speak at PoP. (Try to) get Police Scotland to speak afterwards- to force acknowledgement/response. Try to engage with media/TV beforehand to guide focus of coverage towards this.
Far more impact I reckon than politicians wheeling out their standard patter
Posted 8 years ago # -
Great article. Have emailed Police Scotland asking them to read as well. Full of the sort of things you would expect the Police to be doing as part of their standard job description I thought. Particularly the use of camera footage to prosecute. I would invest in a decent camera if I thought it would significantly up the chances of a prosecution the next time a Sighthill Royal Mail depot van decides to broadside me as I am coming down the hill towards Edinburgh Park.
Posted 8 years ago # -
What has to happen outside the West Midlands...
Posted 8 years ago # -
"West Midlands Police have begun proceedings against 38 motorists for what is known as close passing - giving cyclists less than a metre-and-a-half of room."
Posted 8 years ago # -
It would be great if Police Scotland followes suit but first step for them is for some of their officers to learn the Highway Code. This morning a police car was stopped squarely in the ASL at West Maitland Street. Lights had been red for some time before it got there.
But well done to West Midlands Police.
Posted 8 years ago # -
It would be great if Police Scotland followes suit but first step for them is for some of their officers to learn the Highway Code. This morning a police car was stopped squarely in the ASL at West Maitland Street. Lights had been red for some time before it got there.
I've seen that happen in a few different junctions. Not only do Police Scotland have zero interest in enforcing laws that are designed to protect cyclists, they themselves are breaking those laws.
Posted 8 years ago # -
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Hope @MathesonMichael will talk to @policescotland about @WMPolice initiative on passing cyclists too close
@ScotgovJustice @PaulJScotGov
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@MathesonMichael
@CyclingEdin @policescotland @WMPolice @ScotgovJustice @PaulJScotGov send me the details.
"
Posted 8 years ago # -
Has anyone else felt that they were getting more veeeery wiiiiiiiide passes? A good thing. I wondered if the publicity surrounding this had changed people's behaviour? Or possibly I am supplying anecdata.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Ha! since the post came out I've had three drivers pull out on me without looking. Clearly they don't read the bike blogs in Dumfries. I keep forgetting to watch the wheels...
Posted 8 years ago # -
I've been watching a few wheels and while it might be the absolute safest way it seems to be fairly effective at slowing your journey. The number of drivers who continue creeping even after they have seen you is substantial.
The past couple of weeks this has been particularly apparent when turning right on roundabouts; any cars coming from the left don't seem to realise that they should be giving way to traffic on the roundabout and just continue ambling forward while watching you. They go slowly enough that I can get in front which is what I generally choose to do. The other choice seems to be stopping in the middle of a roundabout and trying to find a gap in a flock of sheep occupying the lane you want (the rest of who almost certainly don't know you are there).
Posted 8 years ago # -
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2011: A lot of Nihola trike riding among other two-wheeled mounts. Had a fair few near misses with bad and dangerous drivers. Gave chase to three of them and had words! Police were involved in one encounter and were surprisingly impressive at taking the case seriously.
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Posted 8 years ago # -
Posted 8 years ago #
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Great to see it spreading.
Hopefully more and more English regions will act on the data... and, in a few years, Scotland will be sufficiently embarrassed about being backwards and stupid... and then it might finally happen here.
Posted 8 years ago #
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