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news
C3FT close pass measurement deviceCyclist accuses police of ignoring close pass video footage
A cyclist has accused police of failing to act after a driver passed him so close he claims he was almost knocked off his bike.
Simon Keen approached road.cc with two videos of drivers coming dangerously close to him on one commute in September, in Batford, Harpenden.
He alleges when he sent the footage to Hertfordshire Police with his concerns, they told him they won’t prosecute or educate drivers unless someone is injured. Road.cc has contacted Hertfordshire police to confirm or deny this, but the approach would be in stark contrast with a recent West Midlands Police initiative to prosecute close passing drivers in an innovative close pass initiative.
Cycling UK lauds West Midlands Police’s new close-pass initiative
Keen described the second of two close passes a “very close shave, with a car overtaking me at night approaching a blind bend and almost hitting me and an oncoming car.”
He says: “Having reported this to Hertfordshire police, which in itself was a challenge, I have been told that neither Herts police nor Bedfordshire police (where I live) will prosecute or even have a word with drivers.
“They will not consider videos as providing any evidence and will only get involved if someone is hurt,” he said.
Keen’s two close passes can be seen in the following videos. In the first instance a driver pulls out of a side road as Keen passes, which he says felt like the driver was driving directly at him. In the second incident, a different driver attempted to overtake Keen on a blind bend, with oncoming vehicles.
Warning: video below contains swearing.
He describes the incident in an email to police, seen by road.cc.
He said: “The driver had had time to overtake me when the road was clear and also made no attempt to pass me with any clearance. This incident was far worse as he only just missed me.”
Keen says it is unlikely the two drivers didn’t see him, as his bike had bright lights front and rear, as well as a Fly6 with flashing red light on the rear, he was wearing a white cycling jersey and reflective backpack, with reflective paint on his tyres and saddle bag.
Police in Camden, North London, are undertaking a similar decoy close pass initiative as West Midlands, and today sent a driver for prosecution for passing within six inches of one of their officers.
Whilst we try & educate people first when you give me 6" passing room then jump a red light expect my officers to send you to court. pic.twitter.com/Hup404MrTC
— Sgt Clarke (@MPSCamdenTnSgt) 29 September 2016
Over the summer Hertfordshire police did a crackdown on pavement cycling in Baldock and Letchworth.
Sergeant Alan Clarke, of the Letchworth and Baldock safer neighbourhood team, said: "We have had increasing reports of people, predominantly adults and teenagers, cycling on pavements."
"Cycling on pavements is dangerous, anti-social and unpopular with cyclists who obey the rules of the road - as well as pedestrians who have to negotiate bikes using the pavement."
"This kind of behaviour is unacceptable, frequently causes collisions and can be very intimidating for people trying to use the footpath."
It is unclear whether anyone had been injured by pavement cycling.
We will update the article when we hear from Hertfordshire Police.
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85 comments
conicence does not equal cause
roads are getting busiers drivers are getting more stressed -> abuse levels go up
drivers are more stressed and agressive -> camera use goes up.
I do not accept that the prevalence of camers causes abuse to go up, as we all know people are more likely to behave if their actions can be proven.
That first 'incident' was a non event. I'd even argue that on a quiet road, the driver was doing the sensible thing... by pulling out and leaving plenty of room, it stops the car from being caught behind the cyclist moving forward.
However I get why the cyclist was pissed at it... it was a bit cheeky. It was not careless driving though was it?
I'd have submitted the second pass only, and maybe the forces may have been more receptive.
Probably not.
think the issue though not expressed as such is that cyclists deserve what they get for venturing onto "busy" roads - reasoning being that different standards are being applied - there are plenty of prosecutions of drivers for poor and inconsiderate driving offences when the driving has "merely" potentially, but not actually endangered other drivers - to apply the concept that a collision must occur for the driving to be below an acceptable standard is applying a different ruleset and an inappropriate one
resources are different issue from willingness to prioritise
Yay, it's the Mail Windowlickers' Day Out again!
First pass was OK I thought (maybe just the camera angle?), but the 2nd pass in the last 10 seconds of the video was utterly shambolic and clearly dangerous! How on earth that doesn't get a word and a 3 points caution I don't know! Keep fighting for it, do it in writing as suggested above. You have the right to get home safely when using the road, that motorist was very close to stopping that, and deserves a warning.
I wouldn't have reacted the same way as the cyclist in the first clip. You could see the van pulling out and then just ease off or apply a little bit of brake just to fall in behind and avoid getting squeezed.
In the second instance, the driver should be done for careless driving. Any over-reaction driver or cyclist could have ended in tragedy. And not investigating if there is no injury! The whole point is to prevent the injury, not to panic react when it all goes wrong. Prevention is better than cure, just look at the driver who got a slap on the wrist 8 times for mobile phone use but was only given a real punishment when he killed a cyclist while on the phone!
On a more practical note, try contacting your police and crime commissioner and MP. About all you can do other than vigilante actions
That must be L Willo. Sounds just like his brand of trolling.
Thames Valley Police also refuse to take action and are now saying they are only interested in the "Fatal Four", so they think that the offence of driving without a seatbelt is more serious than someone who endangers a vulnerable road user. Hants Constabulary are even worse.
Oddly enough Thames Valley Police are more than happy to take action based on video evidence when you cross a hatched area on, say, leaving the M4 at J6. Don't ask me how I...cyclists may be better drivers, but not necessarily perfect. But the course was actually less excruciating than expected.
But obviously endangering cyclists is far less important.
Not sure why this bloke was yelling at the first pass ~40 seconds in, it does make him seem like one of these self appointed "cycling safety campainers" who makes a mountain out of everything and puts everything on a youtube channel.
I do obviously agree with the second pass being far too close.
I dont think the first pass is about the distance so much, its that the car has done that thing where theyve decided not to wait a few moments more, or worse they just didnt look or care, and just pulled out of the side road, and you end up riding alongside them whilst they complete their turn, which is disconcerting because you kind of know you are in a temporary blind spot where they cant judge the distance away from you properly or see you in the mirrors properly.
so I can see why a rider would react to that, and dont forget sometimes its not the first encounter on a ride youd likely have had, its just the one that causes you to shout.
Contradiction.
Re Herts Police.
Now this is what you call irony;
https://twitter.com/HertsPolice/status/781524328923922432
Good link easy to add a tweet to Herts Police
Note that their logo is a car. That says it all, really.
It happens to me everyday, they pass exceeding the speed limit and I have had my arm touched on several occasions with their mirror. Not a lot you can do. The cops don't give a shit. I just live with it
What a load of rubbish. The police get more than enough money. As do the NHS. It's just that they waste it willy nilly because it's somebody else's money ie ours!
It's about time we held our public services to account more instead of just saying they need more money. The amount of waste is incredible.
Have you ever noticed how absolutely anybody can have their prescription delivered? Who do think pays for that? I could go on but it drives my blood pressure up.
I could continue!
In accidents, what is the number one reason drivers give? Answer: "I didn't see him." Remember that if you are cycling, and always, always presume that they haven't seen your skinny ass.
Secondly if they have seen you, the next misjudgement is to under-estimate the cyclist's speed. Case in point here, the van driver did think this guy would be so fast and pulled out. It's so bloody simple! Wake up!!! Cyclists need education too, clearly ffss
Please don't, you've said more than enough crap for now.
Such as?
...to the end of the video clip before you posted a load of nonesense?
Why, please do. Then feel free to defend the car driver who very nearly destroys a bloke cycling along...
Willos back with a new name, or just another daily mail refugee
Obvious trowel is obvious.
If one hides in the gutter as you seem to propose then they're even less likely to see you. Fecking idiot.
Troll alert.
I mean you can't be so daft as to claim that the cyclist was "too fast" therefore it wasn't the fault of the driver.
Seriously?
Do I need to spell it out.
If a driver can't estimate the speed of a fellow road user then they should not have a licence.
A license is a privilege, not a right.
The first was pretty much business as usual. The second was absolutely outrageous.
I hope they don't prosecute because:
1. it wasn't closer than the mandatory distance.
2. it will hopefully discourage utter twats like this who go around with cameras shouting at motorists and giving all the rest of us a bad name.
I'm a lifelong keen cyclist, ever since I was a kid and many years before the current boom. I do hundreds of km per week and I have never had cause to shout at a motorist. This is because I do my damnedest to stay close to the kerb, to make myself visible, to not cycle two-abreast, to always presume that a car has not seen me and will not assess my speed correctly.
Please, get a life and ride safely. The guy should have slowed down when he saw the van turning instead of steaming through. Yes, the driver made an error of judgement. You however are a 12-stone piece of meat on a 9kg frame, versus a couple of thousand kilos of van. Regardless of what situation you are in, you are not a car and you do not have right of way due to basic physics and common sense. Back off.
Internet cycle justice warriors (CJWs) are going to increase tension and screw things up for all of us. Drivers are not out to get you. They generally can't see you and become nervous as they don't know what you are going to do, because they don't want to kill you! Grow up!
4 paragraphs of bollocks. Good work.
4 paragraphs of bollocks. Good work.
[/quote]
Nice critical analytical skills you've got there. I therefore take it you believe the opposite, which seems bizarre on a cycling website.
Have you watched the end of the video yet?
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