Live blog: Gloucestershire Police officer allegedly tells cyclist “Maybe you should consider trading in your bike for a Hummer” following shocking close pass by a coach (and they’ve now responded on Twitter saying they’re “looking in” to comments

31 thoughts on “Live blog: Gloucestershire Police officer allegedly tells cyclist “Maybe you should consider trading in your bike for a Hummer” following shocking close pass by a coach (and they’ve now responded on Twitter saying they’re “looking in” to comments”

1. That sheep broke so many laws

   That sheep broke so many laws I can’t even begin to list them, but since it’s a pedestrian, nothing will happen; disgraceful, and all sheep should have registration plates so that they can be traced, held accountable and sued.

   Not sure why you would follow it though.  And for those of little patience, the action starts at 0:29.

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   • burtthebike wrote:

     That sheep broke so many laws I can’t even begin to list them, but since it’s a pedestrian, nothing will happen; disgraceful, and all sheep should have registration plates so that they can be traced, held accountable and sued.

     Not sure why you would follow it though.  And for those of little patience, the action starts at 0:29.

     — burtthebike

     It’s the fault of the cyclist for not smearing enough mint sauce on their bike.

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     • HawkinsPeter wrote:

       That sheep broke so many laws I can’t even begin to list them, but since it’s a pedestrian, nothing will happen; disgraceful, and all sheep should have registration plates so that they can be traced, held accountable and sued.

       Not sure why you would follow it though.  And for those of little patience, the action starts at 0:29.

       — HawkinsPeter

       It’s the fault of the cyclist for not smearing enough mint sauce on their bike.

       — burtthebike

       That  would be a crime: sheepworrying.  And why wasn’t it wearing hi-viz and a helmet?

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2. Admittedly I very rarely

   Admittedly I very rarely cycle anywhere where there are sheep lose on the roads, but that looks like an avoidable, unecessarily close pass to me.  It looks like the sheep was visible from a long way off,  and the cyclist had the whole road to use but chose to stay close to the kerb and the sheep.  I wonder what the sheep thought about that very bright *flashing* headlight too?

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   • pcristatus wrote:

     Admittedly I very rarely cycle anywhere where there are sheep lose on the roads, but that looks like an avoidable, unecessarily close pass to me.  It looks like the sheep was visible from a long way off,  and the cyclist had the whole road to use but chose to stay close to the kerb and the sheep.  I wonder what the sheep thought about that very bright *flashing* headlight too?

     — pcristatus

     I’ve spotted a flaw. They don’t.

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     • don simon fbpe wrote:

       Admittedly I very rarely cycle anywhere where there are sheep lose on the roads, but that looks like an avoidable, unecessarily close pass to me.  It looks like the sheep was visible from a long way off,  and the cyclist had the whole road to use but chose to stay close to the kerb and the sheep.  I wonder what the sheep thought about that very bright *flashing* headlight too?

       — don simon fbpe

       I’ve spotted a flaw. They don’t.

       — pcristatus

       Do Herdwicks have the vote in Cumbria?  That might explain the majority for Brexit there in 2016 then …

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       • pcristatus wrote:

         Admittedly I very rarely cycle anywhere where there are sheep lose on the roads, but that looks like an avoidable, unecessarily close pass to me.  It looks like the sheep was visible from a long way off,  and the cyclist had the whole road to use but chose to stay close to the kerb and the sheep.  I wonder what the sheep thought about that very bright *flashing* headlight too?

         — pcristatus

         I’ve spotted a flaw. They don’t.

         — don simon fbpe

         Do Herdwicks have the vote in Cumbria?  That might explain the majority for Brexit there in 2016 then …

         — pcristatus

         Oh how we laughed….

         FFS! Why bother commenting on a post if the only comment you can make is an irrelevant comment about Brexit?

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         • pastyfacepaddy wrote:

           Admittedly I very rarely cycle anywhere where there are sheep lose on the roads, but that looks like an avoidable, unecessarily close pass to me.  It looks like the sheep was visible from a long way off,  and the cyclist had the whole road to use but chose to stay close to the kerb and the sheep.  I wonder what the sheep thought about that very bright *flashing* headlight too?

           — pastyfacepaddy

           I’ve spotted a flaw. They don’t.

           — pcristatus

           Do Herdwicks have the vote in Cumbria?  That might explain the majority for Brexit there in 2016 then …

           — don simon fbpe

           Oh how we laughed….

           FFS! Why bother commenting on a post if the only comment you can make is an irrelevant comment about Brexit?

           — pcristatus

           That’s the other thing I hate about Brexiteers; no sense of humour.  Baaaa.

         • pastyfacepaddy wrote:

           Admittedly I very rarely cycle anywhere where there are sheep lose on the roads, but that looks like an avoidable, unecessarily close pass to me.  It looks like the sheep was visible from a long way off,  and the cyclist had the whole road to use but chose to stay close to the kerb and the sheep.  I wonder what the sheep thought about that very bright *flashing* headlight too?

           — pastyfacepaddy

           I’ve spotted a flaw. They don’t.

           — pcristatus

           Do Herdwicks have the vote in Cumbria?  That might explain the majority for Brexit there in 2016 then …

           — don simon fbpe

           Oh how we laughed….

           FFS! Why bother commenting on a post if the only comment you can make is an irrelevant comment about Brexit?

           — pcristatus

           If you’d looked just a little bit harder, you’d have noticed that was not my only comment.  I do think it’s a bit odd that Road.cc posted this video of apparently poor cycling without editorial comment.  It does seem rather a case of blaming others (here a sheep) for the consequences of your actions – rather like so many things ridiculously blamed on our membership of the EU when we’d done them to ourselves.  

         • pastyfacepaddy wrote:

           Admittedly I very rarely cycle anywhere where there are sheep lose on the roads, but that looks like an avoidable, unecessarily close pass to me.  It looks like the sheep was visible from a long way off,  and the cyclist had the whole road to use but chose to stay close to the kerb and the sheep.  I wonder what the sheep thought about that very bright *flashing* headlight too?

           — pastyfacepaddy

           I’ve spotted a flaw. They don’t.

           — pcristatus

           Do Herdwicks have the vote in Cumbria?  That might explain the majority for Brexit there in 2016 then …

           — don simon fbpe

           Oh how we laughed….

           FFS! Why bother commenting on a post if the only comment you can make is an irrelevant comment about Brexit?

           — pcristatus

           Because it *was* humorous?

           (And maybe because Brexit is the most insanely suicidal political course of action that our government has made since….  I don’t know, since the Trojans said “Hey, look at this giant wooden horse which just appeared outside the gates in the middle of a siege. I know: lets bring it inside, that’s a good idea!”).

           <ducks>

         • brooksby wrote:

           Admittedly I very rarely cycle anywhere where there are sheep lose on the roads, but that looks like an avoidable, unecessarily close pass to me.  It looks like the sheep was visible from a long way off,  and the cyclist had the whole road to use but chose to stay close to the kerb and the sheep.  I wonder what the sheep thought about that very bright *flashing* headlight too?

           — brooksby

           I’ve spotted a flaw. They don’t.

           — pastyfacepaddy

           Do Herdwicks have the vote in Cumbria?  That might explain the majority for Brexit there in 2016 then …

           — pcristatus

           Oh how we laughed….

           FFS! Why bother commenting on a post if the only comment you can make is an irrelevant comment about Brexit?

           — don simon fbpe

           Because it *was* humorous?

           (And maybe because Brexit is the most insanely suicidal political course of action that our government has made since….  I don’t know, since the Trojans said “Hey, look at this giant wooden horse which just appeared outside the gates in the middle of a siege. I know: lets bring it inside, that’s a good idea!”).

           <ducks>

           — pcristatus

           It’s becoming a regular farmyard here with mentions of Sheep, Horses and Ducks

       • pcristatus wrote:

         Admittedly I very rarely cycle anywhere where there are sheep lose on the roads, but that looks like an avoidable, unecessarily close pass to me.  It looks like the sheep was visible from a long way off,  and the cyclist had the whole road to use but chose to stay close to the kerb and the sheep.  I wonder what the sheep thought about that very bright *flashing* headlight too?

         — pcristatus

         I’ve spotted a flaw. They don’t.

         — don simon fbpe

         Do Herdwicks have the vote in Cumbria?  That might explain the majority for Brexit there in 2016 then …

         — pcristatus

         I would have thought that sheep would have voted to stay with the E Ewe

          

         I’ll get my coat

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       • pcristatus wrote:

         Do Herdwicks have the vote in Cumbria?  That might explain the majority for Brexit there in 2016 then …

         — pcristatus

         It wouldn’t be the Herdwicks. They’re an EU designated protected species like Melton Mowbray pies and Cornish Pasties. 

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         • aegisdesign wrote:

           Do Herdwicks have the vote in Cumbria?  That might explain the majority for Brexit there in 2016 then …

           — aegisdesign

           It wouldn’t be the Herdwicks. They’re an EU designated protected species like Melton Mowbray pies and Cornish Pasties. 

           — pcristatus

           Yet another case of immigrants taking our jobs:

           The origin of the breed itself is unknown, but the most common theory is that the ancestors of Herdwick sheep were introduced by early Norse settlers. According to this, it was brought to the region somewhere between the 10th and 11th centuries during the Viking invasions of western England. Although a piece of local folklore once suggested that it came from a wrecked Spanish Armada ship, it appears that the Herdwick was an important breed in the Lake District by the end of the 12th century.

           — Wikipedia

           Kick them out and let’s have some more Soay sheep.

   • burtthebike wrote:

     That sheep broke so many laws I can’t even begin to list them, but since it’s a pedestrian, nothing will happen; disgraceful, and all sheep should have registration plates so that they can be traced, held accountable and sued.

     — burtthebike

     They do:

     https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sheep-and-goat-keepers-how-to-identify-your-animals

      

     Or are you suggesting we eat tag pedestrians?

     Admittedly I very rarely cycle anywhere where there are sheep lose on the roads, but that looks like an avoidable, unecessarily close pass to me.  It looks like the sheep was visible from a long way off,  and the cyclist had the whole road to use but chose to stay close to the kerb and the sheep.  I wonder what the sheep thought about that very bright *flashing* headlight too?

     — pcristatus

      

     Not sure about avoidable, as sheep are capable of doing very dumb things, but I would suggest giving them a wide birth and slowing down. I would guess the sheep bolted because it felt it was going to be trapped in between the cyclist and the hedge.

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3. Occupational hazard on my

   Occupational hazard on my commute, it being from Ulverston on the south Cumbria coast up to Ambleside – always approach with caution and expect them to do something daft, and they’ll rarely let you down. Bless ’em.

   Also, how old is this? Date stamp says 2015!

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   • Kendalred wrote:

     Occupational hazard on my commute, it being from Ulverston on the south Cumbria coast up to Ambleside – always approach with caution and expect them to do something daft, and they’ll rarely let you down. Bless ’em.

     Also, how old is this? Date stamp says 2015!

     — Kendalred

     You referring to cyclists or sheep?

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4. “sheep are dumb!”

   “sheep are dumb!”

   thats what my sheep farming father in law thinks.

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5. re the date stamp – ignore

   re the date stamp – ignore the date stamp, Andrew says it was shot last week. We should have put that in the article

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   • Tony Farrelly wrote:

     re the date stamp – ignore the date stamp, Andrew says it was shot last week.

     — Tony Farrelly

     Wow, bit harsh on the sheep.

      

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6. Bidgaf.

   Bidgaf.

   Baa, I don’t give a fuck.

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   • Tommytrucker wrote:

     Bidgaf.

     Baa, I don’t give a fuck.

     — Tommytrucker

     SMIDSE = Sorry mate,  I Didn’t See Ewe.

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7. That coach is pants-wettingly

   That coach is pants-wettingly too close.

   I submitted to the police a video of a small truck overtaking me across double solid white lines the other day, but they declined to do anything as they said:

   On viewing the footage I do not agree that the driving is below the required standard, rule 129 of the highway code does state that, You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10mph(16kph) or less. As we are dealing with Dash Cam footage and speed cannot be verified, I will give the driver the benefit of the doubt, as there is nothing else about his driving that concerns me, the road is clear and he gives you enough room when overtaking, so my decision is no further action regarding this.

   Annoyingly, I’d specified that I was doing around 25mph at the time, but I can see why they don’t want to pursue it (I was in primary position and the truck did leave a reasonable amount of space – I was more miffed than frightened).

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8. Droving without ewe care and

   Droving without ewe care and attention.

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9. Dreadful overtake and illegal
   Dreadful overtake and illegal.
   Was the cyclist supposed to jump over the hedge if things went wrong?

   @HawkinsPeter
   Surely they could have worked out your speed from the footage frame rate and distance covered?

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   • hirsute wrote:

     Dreadful overtake and illegal. Was the cyclist supposed to jump over the hedge if things went wrong?

     — hirsute

     Yes, apparently so… 

     @HawkinsPeter Surely they could have worked out your speed from the footage frame rate and distance covered?

     Wouldn’t that have involved “time” and “effort”?

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     • brooksby wrote:

       Dreadful overtake and illegal. Was the cyclist supposed to jump over the hedge if things went wrong?

       — brooksby

       Yes, apparently so… 

       @HawkinsPeter Surely they could have worked out your speed from the footage frame rate and distance covered?

       Wouldn’t that have involved “time” and “effort”?— hirsute

       I could easily provide them with data from the Elemnt Bolt and Wahoo Speed sensor on my front wheel, but they obviously weren’t that interested in that particular overtake.

       They’ve responded well to other incidents, so I’m willing to accept their opinion on what they want to deal with if I’m not personally endangered.

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     • brooksby wrote:

        

       @HawkinsPeter Surely they could have worked out your speed from the footage frame rate and distance covered?

       — brooksby

       Wouldn’t that have involved “time” and “effort”?

        

       Playing devil’s advocate, I imagine it would “evidentially unsound” (if that is a term) to calculate the speed from the video when there is no way to be certain that the speed of the video hasn’t been altered – altering the speed of a video is fairly trivial. However… the better police forces, that do send out NIPs based on submitted footage, have probably never actually prosecuted on the basis of submitted footage.  The difference is that the people in charge of these Forces understand that:

       1. Something needs to be done, even if they can’t prosecute.
       2. It is their responsibility to do something, if they don’t nobody else can.
       3. The number one priority of the Police is crime prevention. Not detection or prosecution, prevention.

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       • jh27 wrote:

          

         @HawkinsPeter Surely they could have worked out your speed from the footage frame rate and distance covered?

         — jh27

         Wouldn’t that have involved “time” and “effort”?

         — brooksby

          

         Playing devil’s advocate, I imagine it would “evidentially unsound” (if that is a term) to calculate the speed from the video when there is no way to be certain that the speed of the video hasn’t been altered – altering the speed of a video is fairly trivial. However… the better police forces, that do send out NIPs based on submitted footage, have probably never actually prosecuted on the basis of submitted footage.  The difference is that the people in charge of these Forces understand that:

         1. Something needs to be done, even if they can’t prosecute.
         2. It is their responsibility to do something, if they don’t nobody else can.
         3. The number one priority of the Police is crime prevention. Not detection or prosecution, prevention.

         My footage does have time/date in the image, so it would be more obvious if the footage speed was altered. It would be possible to set the camera to not timestamp the footage and then put it in post-production, but there would still be other clues in the video that it had been tampered with (e.g. slowly moving cars, pedestrians or squirrels).

         It wouldn’t be worth doing for that kind of scenario as the most that they seem to do for bad overtakes is to send a letter.

         I had another incident that surprised me when the police replied saying that they are looking to prosecute. I was overtaken by a taxi indicating left as the road split from 2 to 3 lanes and I was carrying straight on. It was pretty much alongside and then the driver decided to start moving left, so I moved left and gave him a querolous look before going on ahead of him. It was at a slow speed as we were approaching red traffic lights with traffic in front, so I thought the police would just send a warning letter. They might work to different principles with taxi drivers.

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10. I wonder whether highlighted

    I wonder whether highlighted plod has considered trading in their job for one where they don’t have to deal with the public, or think.

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11. If the footage has a timer on
    If the footage has a timer on it, then it would be easy to verify.

    Prosecution goes hand in hand with prevention, being in part a deterrent.

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