A Bristol cyclist who was hit by a driver while cycling to work failed to get an apology out of the person responsible. After reporting the incident to police, Jake Johnson says that the motorist has been given three penalty points and a £100 fine.
The Bristol Post reports that Johnson was riding to work in Gordano at around 8.20am on January 31 when he was knocked into the kerb by a passing BMW. The driver continued on their way afterwards.
Johnson told road.cc that there was no oncoming traffic. “It is approaching a bend, so maybe they were protecting themselves in case something came around it.”
He said that he had two lights on the front and two on the back – all flashing – and was also wearing hi-vis gloves and a hi-vis bag cover.
Johnson managed to stay upright after bumping the kerb, which allowed him to follow the car. After seeing the driver pull in at a nearby business park, he left a note on the windscreen and included his phone number.
The note read: “I was on my bike. You ran me off the road and hit me. You didn’t stop. Feel free to call and apologise. The footage will be going to police.”
The person didn’t call and Johnson submitted the footage to Avon and Somerset Police.
“It was extremely quickly they got back to me,” he said.
He was told that officers had reviewed the footage and had deemed that the incident be dealt with via a Notice of Intended Prosecution to the driver which, if accepted, would mean a £100 fine and three points on their licence.
“I was happy that I got something at all – and so quickly,” said Johnson reflecting on the police response. “But once I’d stopped to think about it, it doesn’t seem like something that will make the driver think twice about their actions.”
Avon and Somerset Police launched a close pass operation last year and announced that its version would also involve even off duty police officers carrying cameras while out cycling.
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