Cyclist hit head-on by driver on wrong side of road says police declined to investigate footage (+ video)

Thanks for that update . Any reader with WMP?

In my experience campaigns often need to be 'flavour of the month' with someone (often behind the scenes) pushing it.

When they move on to say a different department or job entirely, the campaign just withers.

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

I've mentioned several times that WMP are no longer leaders in the field of cyclists  safety.

That's certainly putting it mildly. I've submitted over 20 incidents to them with camera footage and registration plates, and heard nothing about any of them.

Same here, but at least previously with Mark cycling along and catching people on my own commuting route, I could know that at least the WMP were doing something about shite drivers for cyclists and pedestrians. Now all you see is catching stolen vehicles and the odd close pass demo with someone on a mat. 

Dazzled by the cyclist's illegal light.

It's illegal for cyclists to have lights?

alexls wrote:

It's illegal for cyclists to have lights?

It's illegal to use lights that dazzle other road users.
However, it's also below the standard required to carry on driving regardless when you cannot see for being dazzled.  It's also not recommended to drive AT the light.

GMBasix wrote:

It's illegal to use lights that dazzle other road users.

Someone needs to tell all those SUV drivers, in that case... 

alexls wrote:

It's illegal for cyclists to have lights?

Not illegal per se, just not the done thing...

You seem to be not adding to the list of excuses...

.................

Front Lamp

At least one lamp is required, showing a white light, positioned centrally or offside (the right-hand side of the bike), up to 1500mm from the ground, aligned towards and visible from the front. If capable of emitting a steady light, it must be marked as conforming to BS6102/3 or an equivalent EC standard.

If capable of emitting only a flashing light, it must emit at least 4 candelas.

Note: It might sound obvious, but the light needs to be fixed to the bicycle; there is a fashion for helmet lights which can be pointed in the direction you're looking which might be useful but is not legal. A single helmet mounted light doesn't conform - and if you're an adult, then the chances are that your helmet light will be more than the 1500mm height limit from the ground anyway.

The reference to '4 candelas' isn't very useful because most bike lights are given an output in 'lumens'; for a guide, 1 candela approximates to 12 lumens, so the tiny blinky flashing lights which usually put out around 25 lumens won't enough on their own; you'll need at least two of them.

...............

https://www.cyclinguk.org/lighting-regulations

hirsute wrote:

it must be marked as conforming to BS6102/3 or an equivalent EC standard.

Okay, but if the light isn't marked as conforming to BS6102/3 or an equivalent EC standard (and all the other requirements you list) - does that mean the light is an illegal light or simply not a legal light.  I.e. if you had two lights, one that conformed to all the requirement and another that did not, could you be prosecuted?

I think you are missing the point of the original post.

Yes, I was a police officer for thirty years and it's only now do I realise how defensive and insular the 'police family' can be.

Silly me!

wtjs wrote:

If people can't be bothered to complain and then follow it up as far as possible when they're fobbed off (which is a 100% certainty), then there will be no improvement.

Indeed.  We need to make it more costly and annoying for them not to address our reports than to action them immediately.

It stuns m how many drivers seem to think that they can't use the full lock of thier seering, or that it is somehow going to be hard work, how often do you pull up to turn right out of a junction and the driver who wants to turn right into the junction (so they have priority) will sit back and flash thier lights so they can take a lazy sweeping line.

EK Spinner wrote:

..., how often do you pull up to turn right out of a junction and the driver who wants to turn right into the junction (so they have priority) will sit back and flash thier lights so they can take a lazy sweeping line.

Beats my experience of angry gestures and words for not letting them cut the corner, and them being surprised when they have to adjust to the line they should have taken in the first place. (while driving, not cycling)

They will have been told when learning to drive to take corners properly but it seems like they just forget as soon as they pass. Similarly drivers are completely oblivious that buses and trucks need more space when turning. Which of course means that cars tip trucks onto them.

I hadn't even thought that they were trying to cut the corner when they let me out first. Sometimes I just wait for them to take the proper line.

Yes, we all know junctions where this is unfortunately the norm. There's one near me, a turn right and I always keep to the kerb in order to get a better view into the junction and avoid the cars turning out.

There's one near me too. It has speed bumps in it and drivers typically come round the corner in the middle of the road to straddle them. Whether I'm on a bicycle or a motorbike, I always make a point of riding as close to the gutter as I can as I'm well aware a vehicle might swing round the corner in the middle of the road and may well be going too fast to stop.

My own street has a slight left hand curve when leaving so anyone cutting the corner will either just miss or hit oncoming traffic. It doesn't stop them doing it though!