Active travel campaigner leaves Twitter after abuse & threats; Cav content; TDF behind the scenes; But cyclists; New pro kit: Movistar go dark; Virtual Everesting; Pog to ride Flanders; Dashboard gunsight; Hairpin porn; Bye Bailey + more on the live blog

Organon wrote:

You can't Everest in your livingroom.

correct, because the boss would never let me set up the turbo trainer there.

What if your living room is actually on Everest?  Surely theres a few Tibetans who can?

Yep, I added the same link on late yesterdays blog as well. It is about time the Police actually has national guidelines on submissions and following through with them rather then it being piecemeal for each force. 

I envy people who get feedback on NIP status etc and stare in horror at WTJS's local force deciding that red light jumping at the one set of lights is fine. Surrey Twitter account do good public knowledge share but are let down with actually actioning. 

And that latest video with Herts, Beds and Bucks Police starting please submit because look how bad this driving is and it is all offences and then NMOTD 671 having a response that the driving with the trailer was not an offence in any way even though cyclist had to take evading action to avoid dying. 

Yes, Lancashire are my local force too. And they are completely useless. Lazy, no interest at all in doing anything to make our roads safer. I have given up reporting dangerous drivers to them. Supplied with HD footage with sound, they still decide that it's not in the public interest, too busy, not enough evidence, blah blah blah.

I have zero respect for the police now, and would not lift a finger to help them. And I used to be a police volunteer, and gave a lot of my spare time to them, usually Friday evenings and weekends. Never again.

Yes, the red light jumping is dreadful. I know that junction well, the A6 at Garstang. It is a fast road and the approach to the lights from one side is on a downhill from a canal bridge. I use the A6 regularly to get from one place to another but try to avoid it where possible, using the small lanes instead.

I have zero respect for the police now, and would not lift a finger to help them. And I used to be a police volunteer, and gave a lot of my spare time to them, usually Friday evenings and weekends. Never again

Can't argue with that- I despise the b******s. This is black Berlingo VO12 HXU crashing the lights at the usual A6 junction

Have you noticed that a lot of the traffic lights around the Preston area seem to be biased towards causing collisions?

What I mean is, for example, the roundabout at Bamber Bridge, between Sainsburys and St Catherines Hospice. Which I avoid like the plague on the bike btw, but if you sit in the car at any point, as the lights to your right turn red, the ones for you turn amber, green immediately. There is no break between the lights, the amber lights up as the opposing red lights up. So, if someone is going to drive through on red, they may well collide with you as you are already moving across the roundabout.

This is not unique to this junction, I see it at many traffic lights in the area. Almost as if they want the accident rate to increase so they can add yet more lights.

I envy people who get feedback on NIP status etc and stare in horror at WTJS's local force deciding that red light jumping at the one set of lights is fine

I feelI should reward this mention with the evidence of one of my rarely mentioned cases- black Astra PK66 JYP speeding through a red light. I think this one (I have the evidence, I just can't be bothered to look it up) was treated to a formal statement and was then binned. This was a regular dodge of Lancashire Constabulary late last year- they now refuse to communicate at all about the outcomes. I write to the SRU Court Presentation Officers (employees of LC, usually Roseanna Nuttall- laugh all you want: SRU stands for Safer Roads Unit) and she refuses to tell me anything about the case and suggests I ask the relevant police officer- usually PC 1583 Bryan Harrison, who styles himself as Tac Ops Dash Camera. I had, of course, already asked PC Bryan Harrison who refused to reply. I ask him again, and he still doesn't reply. The reason is, of course, that there is no outcome to the case because it was just a sham statement and a sham prosecution which was never intended to take place and they have just decided to keep quiet about it for fear of incriminating themselves further. I have all the statements as .pdf files. It is difficult to describe to people in other areas what it's like dealing with a police force as bent as Lancashire.

Since New Year they have abandoned this 'statements dodge'- they just refuse to respond in any way to evidence of red-light offences. You may well ask why they are putting more effort into not prosecuting people than they would have to put into dead certainty convictions. The reason is that officers are accepting payments to abandon prosecutions- it's the only explanation

hey if that first one were ignored just because it was a bike cam, I think Id quit cycling on UK roads completely, how the heck they missed crashing into the car there I do not know, I hope thats the one that was disqualified. The rest Im not sure were much more than atypical stuff you see on the roads daily, though why people feel they need to use hard shoulders to speed, when there were  completely empty lanes they could have sped on, is perplexing.

but maybe an FOI request to Cambridge,Bucks & Herts on how many NIPs from cyclist videos might be in order for an article.

I agree, but my point was that if all the footage was supplied by cyclists there would be no further action taken.

and my point was if that first one were given that specific NFA treatment just because it was supplied by a cyclist, I would not cycle on UK roads anymore, because I would not consider it safe to ride as we would not have any fit for purpose legal recourse or protection.

maybe Im naive, but I do not agree that first incident would be treated anything other than deadly seriously by the police, whoever submitted it. the others I dont know, its going to be down to the force involved.

Try reporting that first one, and supplying the video footage to Lancashire police. You will see what I mean.

IanMK wrote:

Whenever, I jump in my car I like to offer up a quiet prayer to apolgise in advance for all the blinkin' carnage I'm about to create. I like to call it my apology of blinkin' absolution (ABA).

Rest assured that you will unlikely be prosecuted on your rampage, and even if dragged before a court, with multiple murders in your vehicle, you will unlikely lose your licence or be inconvenienced from any sentencing. Such is the UK's car-centric motorist-appeasing legal system.

Coincidentally Katie Price has been banned from driving for about the seventh time, for driving while banned, without insurance, on drugs, drunk, on the way to buy more drugs - Result: Another pointless ban, no prison time at all.

Jenova20 wrote:

Coincidentally Katie Price has been banned from driving for about the seventh time, for driving while banned, without insurance, on drugs, drunk, on the way to buy more drugs - Result: Another pointless ban, no prison time at all.

I think most people treat the prospect of being caught with fear, abhorrence, disgust, shame and variations of those feelings.

Most people.

For some, it just seems like an occupational hazard, with a reasonable chance of absolution in court with (the right 'highly regarded road safety expert' as your brief*) - at most a slap on the wrist and a short walk to the Head's office, giving off cheeky smiles and winks to yer mates as you go.

Then it's back to your high profile meeja work (what is it you do, Katie?) to explain how she suffers ever-so from all the something or other.

Sadly, the things KP talks about are real issues, and may be real in her case. But if those become any part of the excuse for her behaviour behind the wheel of a 2-tonne vehicle, then enforcement should be effective and meaningful for somebody who can pay for a driver during the ban, and whose 100 hours of communuty service will simply inspire series 2 of Misfits.

Meanwhile, apparently, as her friend tells the Sun, 

Quote:

“She is happily planning Christmas. All of her plans for next year are intact. Some of those close to her are worried she is in denial about the situation she is in. When she is asked, her response is that she has been to The Priory, and they will let her off because her family [disabled son & terminally ill mother] need her. But the crimes she has admitted are serious and some are concerned she is burying her head in the sand.”

Then, Her Jordanship posts on Instagram to say, "It seems that at the moment the media won’t leave me alone and are trying to portray that I’m not taking this situation serious. Well I’m here to confirm that I definitely am." [ibid]

I'll just reiterate that, Katie Price takes to Instagram to tell her 2.6m followers, that the media won't leave her alone... "I am takin' it seriouslike, coz Instagram, innit!"

(* a different one from the usual name that keeps popping up.  Even KP's defence didn't seem to be her best friend in court: "It's a complicated driving history. Things tend to be quite complicated with this lady. She does not deal with her problems, particularly with paperwork." 

I'm at a loss to understand how taking drink and drugs before driving and rolling a car is 'paperwork', and I applaud the police for considering appealing the sentence.)

We've already had series 2 of Misfits !

You're absolutely right.  Wrong show.  Outlaws.

The Grauniad has said today (16/12) that the police are considering appealing against Price's sentence as being unduly lenient.

And the court effectively said "Roll another one, just like the other one, you're not holding on to it (your licence), just don't drive for a bit. Don't bogart that jeep, my friend ..."

Far as I'm aware she can afford a cab / chauffeur so it is pretty outrageous she's dodged the clink - but not surprised rich folks do better in court. (Also please police are taking that sentence on). I'm more interested in what would effectively keep her (and lots more like her) off the roads for longer. So it's how to better enforce that on a budget? Prison would - but only for a short time.

Possibly why there's no national forum for reporting road offenses - probably everyone knows that the system would be swamped in no time.

chrisonatrike wrote:

Far as I'm aware she can afford a cab / chauffeur so it is pretty outrageous she's dodged the clink - but not surprised rich folks do better in court.

She was declared bankrupt in November 2019 so she may not be as rich as you think.

I suspect her reckless behaviour and inability to take responsibility is not just a driving thing.

For clarity, I believe her sentence is far too lenient too.

It may also be why she wasn't represented by Nigel's favourite lawyer this time around.

Sniffer wrote:

She was declared bankrupt in November 2019

was once worth more than £45m, but bankrupt in 2019 over £3m in debts,

what was the car that she flipped over leading to this case? hard to tell from the images of the underside, but I would not be surprised if it was an X5, hardly a cheap car. And this despite th fact she has crahed other cars since her bankruptcy.

Previously reported as a bmw. Although who owns it is another thing. Probably rented like nearly all new cars.

When she was declared bankrupt the court heard she had average earnings of £45,000 per month & her mansion was worth at least £2million. As it happens it's more likely now she will face jail time for not keeping to the bankruptcy agreement to repay her creditors as part of the CVA.

Awavey wrote:

When she was declared bankrupt the court heard she had average earnings of £45,000 per month & her mansion was worth at least £2million. As it happens it's more likely now she will face jail time for not keeping to the bankruptcy agreement to repay her creditors as part of the CVA.

because property >>> safety every time.  

Didn't know that - but still can afford to run a car (and indeed upend it) and lawyers (presumably - although maybe she's bilking them?) and obtain Bolivian marching powder. Although I hear that does at least provide its own motivation for getting more...

I think for many people going bankrupt is "bad times" but there are rumours that some folks are seen not doing badly afterwards.  Guess it depends on the conditions and who checks up on them.