Video: Cyclist and police in panto chat about pedestrian zone

The Brits really need to start counting their blessings. However comic and frustrating the exchange may be, it remains civil. In the most of the States, the cyclist would have been cuffed and maced bout about 1:00 — and if he'd persisted, possibly shot. Every time I see one of these, it just makes me want to move to the UK.

So how many people have been knocked over by cyclists in Reading Town Centre? I'm willing to bet none.

One for your MP and the police chief inspector I'd say.

Cyclists typically kill 2 people per year resulting in the police harassing you on a route you are legally entitled to be on backed up with obvious fluster and misinformation from an officer of the law. He also goes on to justify his action by claiming that he might have stopped you where he did because you might have carried on and hit someone.

Since when did the police act on what might happen? If they did that the entire road network would be closed as they'd know today that another 5 people will be killed and 70 or so critically injured and by what?....

Things such as the huge delivery truck reversing (without anyone acting as a second pair of eyes) down a pedestrianised area by some bloke possibly watching porno on his iPhone.

That huge well documented killing machine barrels through without the officer jumping in the way (I wonder why ) and neither him or the PCSO register any threat to the public whatsoever.

I can only hope he never becomes a firearms officer, he'd shoot the hostage and give the knife toting Halloween fan a lovely warm hug.

Joking aside this blatant example of very poor policing and ignorance of actual threat really does warrant an explanation.

Ironmancole: On cyclists killing other people, it's actually closer to 1 per decade than 1 per year.

what an absolute useless officer.

best retarded rely "I didn't stop anyone else is because they are not coming at me. I stop you because you are right in front of me!"

lol, so even if there is murdering raping and kidnapping going on a distance away from this guy he will do NOTHING. but he will stop a law abiding citizen goes about his own business just because the citizen is in front of him although on a transport that he doesn't like to see but is perfectly legally allowed.

what a waste of space..SACK for gross incompetence; lack of intelligence, a parrot has higher intellect than this meat sack; gross ignorance of law and local legislations; lack of humidity and understanding of the situation when pointed out to be in the wrong.

can this be evidence and sent to police complaint system?

Classic case of hiviztabarditis and the magical powers and laws that get made up in the process.

Please, please make a formal complaint about this to the police, it's ONLY when jobsworth little shits like this get pulled up on it that they will stop making up and enforcing their own roles.

Oooops, officer, can't condone his actions. Probably one of the new breed of University educated coppers that the job loves to employ, I'm an ex squaddie, as were most of my intake, we are now seen as dinosaurs (albeit dinosaurs with common sense)

By the way, the anti Police feeling on here makes the comments on corrupt/useless/fat(insert other stereotype) plod stories on the Daily Mail website feel positively supportive

"So while a cyclist killing or injuring a pedestrian is rare, I don’t think we can be complacent about it."

Agree 100% - need to look at why pedestrian / cyclist collisions are increasing - suspect the answer is more shared use facilities and more people cycling and deciding that mixing it with vehicles isn't their thing.
There are answers to this - better infrastructure, taking space from vehicles where needed and encouraging "new" cyclists (and some old ones) to take up bikeability style programs.
Neither of these are especially politically palatable to local councillors - easier to press the Police to waste time on stopping cyclists acting legally or out of desparation for a better route. "Look we did something"

As to statistics - I'd strip out motorway miles from the vehicle data as these are not relevant. Need to look at per urban trip to make some sense of who is really killing or seriously injuring who.

And to to play with the stat's if it taken 7 years for cyclist/pedestrian KSI's to double to 6 per year a quick calculation (ignoring all the external factors as it is so easy to do ) gives that if that rate continues it will take just over 42 years for cyclists to match the 1600+ kids killed (32) or seriously injured by vehicles each year so I'm not in a panic over that Daily Mail style figure.
Hang on my calc is wrong the 1600+ is kids only.

Props to the guy for standing his ground and pointing out that the PO was wrong.

We mustn't tolerate the enforcement of rules that simply don't exist. It would have been very easy for him to just walk round the corner, hop back on his bike and forget the whole thing.

How embarrassing for the police and this young officer. Just rest assured that if he does manage to carve out a career in the modern police force, and it's not unlikely that he could, this clip will come back to haunt him every time he gets a promotion or moves to another location.
He will forever more be known as a fool, and justifiably so.

How embarrassing for the police and this young officer. Just rest assured that if he does manage to carve out a career in the modern police force, and it's not unlikely that he could, this clip will come back to haunt him every time he gets a promotion or moves to another location.
He will forever more be known as a fool, and justifiably so.

Where's Dom Jolly when you need him...

Once had a similer confrontation with plod when ridding two abreast along the A590. Police car screeches to a halt at 45 degrees across the road to block our path.

The young copper then tells us it's illegal to ride side by side and we were obstructing traffic, meantime the queue to get past his squad car was nearly back to Barrow. We narrowly missed getting arrested according to plod, now that would have been fun

That said, I do think the cops have a tough job, but sometimes they don't half dig thenselves a hole. First rule of holes...... STOP DIGGING!

Just had a look at Google maps, that street is marked as a cycle route.

Oh dear...

So that's what happened to David Brent...

When in a hole, stop digging !

Not unusual for police officers to discriminate against cyclists. The whole Andrew Mitchell affair arose because a bolshie plod refused to open the Downing Street gate, instead insisting the cycling mp used the pedestrian ( not shared use) gate.

Looks to me like plastic plod moved to be in his way. I think i'd have kept going and ignore the stupid arse

The bike is making a delivery. It's delivering the rider to work!

I'm from Reading and the cyclist is totally right. Aside from this we do get total moronic cyclists in Reading - usually riding a bike with broken brakes. So the PCSO should target them.

Is the officer old enough shave?

So if he is a PCSO what is the lady that is clearly embarrassed about him with the blue band on her cap?

I dislike the idea that the rules of the road in that area are being subverted by the anonymous "they" - I was impressed everyone stayed so calm and the Police person in the end had been instructed to do something outside the stated limitations on the road - limitations that were it would seem not good enough for someone in authority the "they" - it stinks of how so much of our systems work and how easily arbitrary limitations manifest for ordinary people going about their daily lives. What fantastic comic timing though - this will be a classic.

So, what if the cyclist were making a delivery? Just carry a package with you with address of one of the shops to show the plastic plod next time.

Pay peanuts..............