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Operation Close Pass in Edinburgh

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  1. rbrtwtmn
    Member

    My other half reported an incident recently (after the two of us having the 'is it worth it' conversation). **Positive experience.** Taken seriously. It may have helped that the person had stopped their car ahead, and reversed a couple of times to threaten, and that there was a witness. Didn't result in anything (no number plate recorded) but they went as far as checking nearby CCTV (no success).

    I'd echo comments above. Might be a waste of time, might be worth it, but gets stuff recorded. Be open to disappointment. Be aware of the risk of prejudice (My personal suggestion would be to dress in ordinary clothes, don't be 'a cyclist', don't be angry, just be an ordinary human who has been scared to death). Police officers are human and subject to all the normal prejudices, assumptions, stereotypes, etc etc. Not how it should be, but there you go...

    Posted 5 years ago #

  2. mgj
    Member

    @Ed1 the problem is that the HWC is so vague; what does 'as much room as a car' actually mean? Most drivers seem to think it means to overtake a cyclist at the same distance you would a car, whereas I think it was supposed to mean that you could fit an imaginary small car between their wing mirror and your elbow. The next revision should just say 'leave five feet between your car and the bike, plus a bit more if you are going faster'

    Posted 5 years ago #

  3. slowcoach
    Member

    There were several stories online around 27-28 December saying (wrongly, AFAIK) that the Highway Code has been changed. e.g. inews.co.uk: "There is now a defined amount of space drivers must leave for cyclists when overtaking, or face a £100 fine. The Highway Code says there must be at least 1.5 metres (4ft 11in) between the car and the cyclist, which is roughly the width of a car door. Those who fail to leave enough of a gap will face a £100 fine."

    Posted 5 years ago #

  4. Frenchy
    Member

    You're right. Changes will happen in March.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  5. stiltskin
    Member

    That makes a lot more sense. The existing advice in the HC is ambiguous & the photo of the car all the way over on the other carriageway on an otherwise deserted road represented an unattainable overkill.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  6. chdot
    Admin

    “

    I get particularly annoyed by such drivers speeding, tailgating or passing cyclists too close – as I have witnessed almost daily while riding a bike.

    That brings me to my choice of commuting predominantly by cycle. Some seem to think I should be most worried about getting to work that way – although the statistics say otherwise.

    “

    https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/why-being-a-transport-correspondent-made-me-nervous-about-travelling-alastair-dalton-1-4865621

    Posted 5 years ago #

  7. neddie
    Member

    He just had to spoil an otherwise decent article by mentioning "hi viz"

    Posted 5 years ago #

  8. chdot
    Admin

    “He just had to spoil an otherwise decent article by mentioning "hi viz" “

    *personal choice*

    He also favours “bike lights on whatever the time of day”!

    That was one of Volvo’s ‘road safety’ ideas which unfortunately led to a lot of ‘oy, you can see me - now get out ma way’.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  9. slowcoach
    Member

    BBC's One Show last night had a section on Police (in E&W) using dashcam and bike cams from public against bad drivers - including officers saying how much more effective it is getting public to upload video to them (rather than to social media). Might be worth a look for Police Scotland? on iPlayer

    Posted 5 years ago #

  10. acsimpson
    Member

    Close pass was active elsewhere in Scotland today:
    https://www.facebook.com/ForthValleyPoliceDivision/photos/a.198337750204151/2119122614792312

    Posted 5 years ago #

  11. neddie
    Member

    Forth Valley Roads Policing officers ran operation Close Pass this morning in the Causewayhead and Bridge of Allan areas. Operation #ClosePass aims to help keep cyclists safe on the road by educating drivers who are found to be passing an unmarked police cyclist too closely or unsafely.

    Today’s operation resulted in:-

    One driver issued a Fixed Penalty Notice (COPF) for passing the two unmarked Police cyclists on the wrong side of a keep left bollard
    One driver warned for shouting at the cyclists to use the cycle lane/pavement (this driver was driving a large road sweeper vehicle)
    One driver was given a Formal Adult Warning for shouting abuse and swearing at the cyclists as he passed them in his car

    One driver issued a COFP for driving without insurance
    One driver issued a COFP for driving while using a mobile telephone
    Two drivers issued Vehicle Defect Rectification Scheme forms for tyre an exhaust defects
    One driver warned for failing to change an address on a driving licence

    Many drivers see a person on a #bicycle riding on the road or in a #cycle lane and do not consider that passing them closely puts all road users in danger. It could constitute careless or even dangerous driving, and you would fail your driving test for that.

    Our officers will be out again tomorrow

    That is an excellent haul. Well done!

    Posted 5 years ago #

  12. LaidBack
    Member

    Mrs LB was just sharing some of the other offences they detected.

      - passing bollards (traffic islands) on wrong side
      - ignoring no entry sign
      - using hand held mobile phone

    Posted 5 years ago #

  13. ejstubbs
    Member

    @slowcoach: The standard excuse trotted out for not using dashcam and bike cam footage in Scotland is that the rules of evidence are different here. Someone with a better legal brain than me might be able to explain the difference.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  14. Frenchy
    Member

    By "rules of evidence" do you mean how evidence is handled, or the law around corroboration?

    Posted 5 years ago #

  15. fimm
    Member

    I think it is to do with the law on corroboration - one video isn't an independant witness, or something.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  16. Frenchy
    Member

    I asked the police about corroboration a while ago. The "deputy portfolio holder for Vulnerable Road Users" responded:

    Q: What are the implications of corroboration for prosecuting drivers using video footage from cameras mounted on bicycles?

    A: The main implications are qualitiy of the footage recorded, identification of the vehicle by full registration number but the most difficult issue with non collision reporting incidents is the requirement to report matters as soon as practicable due to the requirement to provide the registered keeper of the motor vehicle with a notice of intended prosection within 14 days of the date of the offence. The footage and witness(es) statements require to be provided to Police quickly however these issues are not insurmountable.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  17. EdinburghCycleCam
    Member

    Anyone know what happened with the law being changed? It was meant to happen this month, right?

    Posted 5 years ago #

  18. Frenchy
    Member

    If I remember right, the changes don't actually come in until the 31st March.

    The list of updates to the Highway Code only has one change being made so far this year ("Updated rule 160 to make it clear that you should ride with both hands on the handlebars where possible.").

    Posted 5 years ago #

  19. urchaidh
    Member

    Following up on my post about a close pass a couple of months back, I did report it. It was a fairly positive experience, particularly the initial response from the police. It then went quiet and I suspected nothing would come of it, but this came through today by email after I'd missed a call from the police.

    ...let you know that I have traced the driver of the vehicle that nearly hit you and he has been charged with careless driving. He has accepted a traffic ticket by way of penalty so that should be an end of the matter and there should be no requirement for us to go to court. He was very apologetic and asked me to pass his sincerest apologies on to you. His main concern throughout was whether you were injured so he was very relieved to hear that you weren't but I did make it clear that you were shaken up by this incident.

    I won't take pleasure in the fact that someone got ticket, but I am pleased the police took this seriously and followed it through.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  20. gembo
    Member

    @urchaidh, outstanding

    Posted 5 years ago #

  21. Frenchy
    Member

    Good to hear. Should ensure they leave plenty of space in future.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  22. ejstubbs
    Member

    @Frenchy: If I remember right, the changes don't actually come in until the 31st March.

    What changes are those?

    Posted 5 years ago #

  23. Frenchy
    Member

    Listed here: https://thehighway-code.co.uk/highway/code-news/highway-code-will-face/several-changes.html

    Posted 5 years ago #

  24. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @urchaidh

    That sounds like a satisfactory outcome?

    Posted 5 years ago #

  25. EdinburghCycleCam
    Member

    Ah ha, thanks Frenchy!

    Posted 5 years ago #

  26. ejstubbs
    Member

    Yes, thanks for that.

    Just for clarity, that web site is not the official Highway Code web site. It is a third-party site which replicates information from the gov.uk web site. It does actually tell you this at the very bottom of the page:

    "TheHighway-Code.co.uk is an independent website and is not associated with the Department for Transport or any other government agency."

    The official Highway Code web site is here:

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code

    If you're looking to rely on what the Highway Code says in order to establish liability in an accident, for example, then the gov.uk web site is the only authoritative and up-to-date source.

    You may well be probably perfectly well aware of this, but I have seen people citing information on that site as authoritative when strictly speaking it isn't.

    It doesn't help that it comes up as the top hit on a Google search. I'm not sure whether Google would be at all interested in rectifying that in this case, since it doesn't appear to exist to make money from unsuspecting punters by illicit means like those 'renew your EHIC card here...that'll be £xxx thanguverymuch' scam sites that Google was prevailed upon to demote a while back.

    It's actually not at all clear to me why this non-official site is in operation - except perhaps as a means of generating ad revenue (but if that's the case then my adblocker stops that in its tracks). But I suppose the "news" section is reasonably useful.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  27. HankChief
    Member

    Launch of a month long campaign on close passing today.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48181424

    73% of people didn't realise that they could get points for passing too close.

    A much needed campaign then...

    Posted 4 years ago #

  28. CycleCommute.CC
    Member

    Good news. I'll be interested to see the TV ad as well.

    Posted 4 years ago #

  29. steveo
    Member

    I'll be interested to see the TV ad as well.

    People are horses too?

    Posted 4 years ago #

  30. HankChief
    Member

    http://www.naden.de/blog/bbvideo-bbpress-video-plugin -->

    [+] Embed the video | TV Ad" target="_blank">Video DownloadGet the Video Player

    Posted 4 years ago #

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