“Staggering”: Police superintendent says “risk is too great” for officers to carry out close pass op; British everesting record smashed; Urán doesn’t use a power meter; Locals report few changes after Wandsworth LTN reversal + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Weekend catch-up
To busy watching cycling to read about cycling? Here’s what you missed…
UCI reveals courses for World Championships later this month (yes, they’re still happening)
Tour de France Stage 14: Team Sunweb do it again
Near Miss of the Day 468: Beware of this vehicle passing on the outside
"No excuses": Egan Bernal at a loss to explain under par Tour de France performance so far
Vive le Tour!! pic.twitter.com/73DBYxLgSC
— Egan Arley Bernal (@Eganbernal) September 13, 2020
It looks like the Colombian’s defence of the yellow jersey is already far out of his reach, as he lost huge chunks of time to overall leader Primoz Roglic and stage 15 winner Tadej Pogacar.
Bernal commented after the stage: “I was not going well from the first climb to be honest, I was almost dropped there, I was suffering from the first climb. I told the team I was not good, but then I was trying to fight until the final and give my best.
“It’s difficult to say how I felt, the feeling was that I was empty – I had no power. When the other riders did a big acceleration, I couldn’t go too hard to follow, but then I recovered really quickly, but my body couldn’t react as normal.
“I’m the number one and I tried to give my best, but finally there were riders who were stronger than me.
“Even if I start the last climb with the other GC riders I felt I would be dropped, I wanted to give my best, not just for me, but for the team and for the respect I have for the race.
“Theres no excuses, I tried to fuel my body in the best way possible, but I don’t know, I didn’t have the legs. The other riders have been stronger than me and we have to accept that.”
Amazingly, Tooting's roads still appear to be heaving after the removal of LTNs
Day 2 – The roads have well and truly been reopened. Thanks @wandbc it’s just so much easier to get around Tooting by car now the LTNs have been removed. pic.twitter.com/uwNdPkA7mw
— harry bennett (@HJBennett_) September 13, 2020
Day 3 and the first day since the LTNs were removed with kids back at school. Big thanks once again to @JohnLocker_UK & @wandsworth for immediately improving traffic flow and reducing pollution in Tooting. I for sure would want my kid walking along these empty streets. pic.twitter.com/xEt9lnNmrI
— harry bennett (@HJBennett_) September 14, 2020
In an incredibly twist, it seems that it’s the traffic that is causing the traffic in the London Borough of Wandsworth, even after the removal of some controversial planters and cycle lanes in the area that resulted in protests over the weekend.
Those who campaigned for their removal don’t appear to have commented on the scenes, but some are reporting better traffic flow on Trinity Road in Tooting.
Well the motor traffic is flowing beautifully thru Tooting this morning – the removal of the LTN TRIALS is clearly an unqualified success 😆 @OWandsworth @wandsworth @NightingaleSMcD @JohnLocker_UK @steffisutters @aled_rj @WandsLS @Wandscyclist pic.twitter.com/T9n36oXtgs
— Andrew Mac (@humantravl) September 14, 2020
Too many cars is still the problem! Too many people driving in a crowded city, too many cars parked in the roadspace. #LTNs would encourage people to consider walking/ scooting/ cycling, but not in @wandbc! Here you take your life in your hands if you don’t drive. 2/2
— Helen Gray (@HelenGrayIBCLC) September 14, 2020
Christina Murray, who was attempting the LEJOG record, has been forced to abandon with "niggling injury"
This ladies and gentleman is Car4 at its finest. It is currently 01:38 in the morning! pic.twitter.com/TUvr7nxH9q
— LEJOG#2137 (@2137Lejog) September 14, 2020
Time trial specialist Christina Murray, who is in the British Army Cycling union, had covered over 400 miles in 24 hours before being forced to abandon this morning. An update on the Twitter account for the attempt said: “Good morning all. Unfortunately, it’s with heavy hearts that we have to report that Christina has abandoned her attempt due to a niggling injury that just wouldn’t go away. A valiant and inspirational effort I’m sure you’ll all agree. Thank you all for your overwhelming support.”
It means the current records of 52hrs, 45mins, 11secs set by Lynne Taylor in 2002 and 43hrs, 25mins, 13secs by Michael Broadwith in 2018 still stand.
Look launch their first ever flat pedals, including one with integrated lighting
As the creators of the original clipless pedal, it’s taken Look nearly 40 years to go back to basics and make their first flats. Aimed more at commuting and light trail pootling, they’ve been made in partnership with Vibram to offer plenty of grip, and are available in numerous funky colours.
The models available are the Geo City Grip Vision (€119.90), the Geo City Grip (€59.90) the Trail Grip (€59.90) and the Geo City (€29.90). The Geo City Grip Vision also comes equipped with four adjustable LED lights, that are USB rechargeable and last up to 20 hours at a time.
They should be available to buy via UK retailers soon, and you can find out more over on Look’s website.
road.cc Towers is currently a 1930's French film set
It’s not every day the BBC’s blockbuster Christmas drama is filmed outside your office, but that’s what we’re working alongside today. Unfortunately one scene had to be retaken because road.cc Liam was wheeling a Merida Reacto past the set in the background…
AG2R La Mondiale will ride BMC bikes when they become AG2R Citroën Team next year
AG2R are currently riding Eddy Merckx bikes, but will be supplied by the Swiss brand BMC in 2021 through to 2023. BMC’s CEO David Zurcher said: “We are delighted to announce that the riders of the AG2R Citroën Team will be riding our bikes from 2021 onwards.
“We strongly believe that with the Teammachine SLR01 and the Timemachine Road, we have the best bikes to help the team reach their high goals.”
The team’s big new signing Greg Van Avermaet also said the chance to ride BMC again was part of his decision to transfer, commenting: “I’ve won Paris-Roubaix, the Rio Olympics and all my major victories on the BMC Teammachine SLR01 and I have such fond memories of my time on BMC bikes. The AG2R Citroën Team project was very attractive to me for various reasons and the chance to ride BMC again eventually made my decision an easy one to take.”
Two CCC riders pull out of Tirreno–Adriatico due to "suspected positive" COVID-19 cases
With the threat of the virus continuing to hang over the professional peloton as racing resumes, CCC Team have been forced to withdraw Lukasz Wlsniowski and Szymon Sajnok from their Tirreno–Adriatico squad with suspected coronavirus cases.
A statement said: “Wiśniowski withdrew from stage seven after developing mild symptoms during the stage and underwent a rapid test on Sunday evening which indicated a positive result. Wiśniowski will undergo a PCR test to confirm the result.
“As per CCC Team’s Covid-19 policy, Wiśniowski’s roommate Szymon Sajnok has automatically been withdrawn from racing and will also undergo a PCR test.”
#TirrenoAdriatico stage 8 ITT ⏱
Here’s 👇 when our remaining five riders will roll off the ramp in San Benedetto del Tronto to start their 10.1 effort 🚴♂️💨 pic.twitter.com/ML9SRp3Xpz
— CCC Team (@CCCProTeam) September 14, 2020
All other members of the team and staff underwent rapid testing twice on Sunday evening and Monday morning, with CCC reporting that all these tests came back negative. It means that five remaining CCC riders will line up for the eighth and final stage, a 10.1km individual time trial.
Unlike the Tour de France, RCS Sport – the organisers of the Tirreno–Adriatico and Giro D’Italia – are not enforcing the “two strikes and you’re out rule” with coronavirus cases like the Tour de France, instead just asking that those who test positive should immediately isolate.
The Giro’s race director Mauro Vegni told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I’ll test them, I’ll check them, but I won’t send the team home. I think that’s correct and respectful towards people who don’t have anything to hide in such a situation.
“Those who test positive certainly aren’t bandits. Obviously I will try to protect them from a health point of view, but I’m not going to invalidate the work of a team that has been preparing for a year for a big event.”
Government publish full details on 'Rule of Six', confirming that organised sporting events are unaffected
Although the government said that the new rules were created to “simplify and strengthen the rules on social gatherings”, of course confusion arose over what they would mean in a number of circumstances, and what the exemptions were. One example we were unsure about – plus British Cycling and Cycling UK when we asked them – were if cycling events such as sportives would be affected, because such events involve gatherings of groups much larger than six.
As the official document on the ‘rule of six’ is now published, it all but confirms that any sporting event organised in a certified ‘Covid-secure’ way still has the green light. Here is the relevant part of the guidance regarding the list of exemptions:
“Organised sport or exercise classes or licensed outdoor physical activity. This does not include informal sport or fitness activity with family or friends – this must be limited to a group of six.”
Elite sporting competition or training is also unaffected. What it does definitely mean is that informal rides where the group is larger than six are off. Those caught flouting the rules risk £100 fines, doubling for further breaches up to a maximum of £3,200.
On 11th September, British Cycling also said that all activities permitted in their Way Forward document could continue, “because of the measures in place to reduce the risk of Covid-19.”
Happy riding… in groups of six or less and socially distanced of course!
Ridulous speeds and power numbers from Tirreno–Adriatico stage 8 time trial
Monster performance from Filippo Ganna to set the fastest time on Stage 8’s TT at @TirrenAdriatico. Here are his truly exceptional numbers from the last 2km 💪
Follow live power data with our Race Centre: https://t.co/twjrrBwQOX
______
🇮🇹 #TirrenoAdriatico pic.twitter.com/2FsZg2XBzW— Velon CC (@VelonCC) September 14, 2020
Filippo Ganna has set the quickest time so far on the 10.1km course, completing it in 10mins 42secs at an average speed of around 56km/h. For the final 2km, he averaged 580 watts and 57km/h.
Currently the Hour Record holder Victor Campenaerts is in 2nd, and Rohan Dennis is third.
Tour de France: Bob Jungels apologises for move that was blamed for Sergio Higuita's abandon
I sincerely want to apologize to Sergio Higuita and @EFprocycling for my move at the beginning of the race.
It was not my intention to cause this crash but I am absolutely at fault and I hope that Sergio is okay given the circumstances.— Bob Jungels (@BobJungels) September 13, 2020
Higuita abandoned in tears yesterday following the crash, in which Jungels took out his front wheel while attempting to form a breakaway on stage 15. Higuita got back on his bike, only to crash again and leave the race with a suspected broken hand.
Jungels said: “I sincerely want to apologize to Sergio Higuita and @EFprocycling for my move at the beginning of the race.
“It was not my intention to cause this crash but I am absolutely at fault and I hope that Sergio is okay given the circumstances.”
Good news: Sergio’s hand is not broken. He should be recovered in short order. Thanks for all the well wishes.
— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters) September 13, 2020
EF Pro Cycling manager Jonathan Vaughters has now confirmed that Higuita’s hand isn’t broken, and thanked Jungels for the apology.
Rigoberto Urán doesn't use a power meter or heart rate monitor, according to manager Jonathan Vaughters
Btw – Rigo. No power meter. No heart rate monitor. Nothin but bananas and and old skool “hurt rate monitor”
— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters) September 13, 2020
While his teammate and Colombian compatriot Sergio Higuita has crashed out, Urán rides on fuelled by nothing other than “bananas and an old skool hurt rate monitor” according to Vaughters.
Urán currently sits in third on the general classification, with Vaughters adding: “Old man Uran in third overall. Man, this sport… It doesn’t let you stay happy for very long. You win, you’re high, and then you get slapped back down to the ground. And then old man Uran pulls off something you’d never expect. Highs and lows. Guess that’s why the race is 3 weeks.”
A rather harsh nickname for the 33-year-old, but we’re guessing it’s all in jest…
If you think Rigo’s approach is old-fashioned, it’s nothing compared to the farmer filmed drafting him during a training ride back in June. The man, wearing a backpack and dressed in baggy clothes and work boots, reportedly kept up with Urán at speeds of 45km/h, and the clip went viral.
He was later identified as 54-year-old flower farmer Iván Dario, who was gifted a new Cannondale and cycling gear at Urán’s bike shop for his efforts. After checking his power numbers on Zwift, Dario commented: “It was an honour to be able to talk to Rigo, and he even invited me to take part in a virtual race. He is very humble and says hello to everyone. I am a huge fan of him and his achievements.”
The Tour de France rest day couldn't come soon enough
Rest day needed😂 pic.twitter.com/2fYjoj3C85
— nicholas roche (@nicholasroche) September 14, 2020
There are some sore legs, arms, bones and everything else within the peloton today, none more so than those belonging to Sunweb’s Nicholas Roche.
Footage captures moment attempted robbery of a cyclist is foiled in South Africa
Attempted robbery of a cyclist: Hermanus Western Cape. A motorist came to the rescue… pic.twitter.com/jnRhyquZIz
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) September 13, 2020
Using a car as a weapon is never a good thing, but some on social media are saying that this is one of the few examples where it could be justified. At the beginning of the clip, the cyclist is knocked off his bike by one of the three people in the road, in an attack that looks like a robbery. He then runs towards the attacker, before a white 4×4 drives at one of the other attackers at speed, who then flees.
Some thought the attack didn’t look like a robbery, with one commenting: “Doesn’t look like an attempted robbery, more like punks who are assholes being punks. The cyclist didn’t stand for that crap good for him, and thanks to those who stopped.”
45-year-old sets new British everesting record, which is also the fifth-fastest attempt of all time
Training around work and family life, Phil Stonelake has now had his attempt ratified by Hells 500 and is the new British record holder for the everesting challenge. His time was a staggering 7hrs 44 mins, which is also the fifth-fastest in the world and the fastest ever time for a veteran. The overall record is held by Irishman Ronan Mc Laughlin, who took over 20 minutes off Alberto Contador’s previous mark to finish in 7:04:41 back in July.
Crowcombe on Monday 7 September. A big day on the hill rep production line. New British Everesting and world veteran’s…
Posted by Phil Stonelake on Sunday, September 13, 2020
Mr Stonelake completed the required 8,848m on Crowcombe Hill in Somerset, using a modified Focus Izalco with the big chainring removed.
He added: “I’m just an amateur with a full time job and family life, but it shows if you use your head as well as your body normal people can achieve things that are up there with the professionals. If it hadn’t started raining at the halfway mark it would have been nudging up to Lachlan Morton’s time.”
Chapeau, Phil!
Simon Yates wins Tirreno–Adriatico
Great day for GB in Italy today! 🇬🇧@SimonYatess becomes the first British winner of @TirrenAdriatico 💙#TirrenoAdriaticopic.twitter.com/A8dqy4Bvgd
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) September 14, 2020
It’s been a good day for GB overall, with Lizzy Banks also winning stage 4 of the Giro Rosa.
🇮🇹 #GiroRosa
So proud of @ElizzyBanks!! 🏆 https://t.co/NuH29abXRI
— Équipe Paule Ka (@Equipe_PauleKa) September 14, 2020
"I cannot deliberately put officers at risk": West Mercia Police superintendent gives shocking reason for calling off close pass operation
This is, by far, the most staggering tweet by a senior police officer I have every seen. Cycling on the road is too risky for a police officer?
— Peter See (@PeterSee8) September 14, 2020
Supt Steph Brighton, a policing commander based in South Worcestershire, gave the remarkable reason for calling off her force’s Operation Close Pass, in which plain-clothes police officers on bikes attempt to catch drivers who are passing too close to them.
She said: “Officer safety is my priority and a health and safety assessment by a specialist who has spoken to other forces has determined the risk is too great. I cannot deliberately put officers at risk.”
Although the tweet has been taken to mean that Supt Brighton has deemed the roads too unsafe for her officers to cycle on, she now claims that her words have been “taken out of context”. She added: “This is exactly why I have suggested a meeting rather than attempt to explain using very few words on Twitter. The roads are not unsafe… the proposed operation was when there are other ways to tackle it for the safety and benefit of all.”
It’s unclear if this means the operation will go ahead when changes have been made, or if nothing of the sort will happen at all. West Mercia’s neighbouring force West Midlands Police is often praised for their award-winning Operation Close Pass scheme, that has since been adopted by other forces across the UK.
After road.cc and other organisations requested more clarification, Supt Brighton says she is willing to explain in more detail via a telephone meeting and won’t be publishing a statement – we’ll update as and when we get more details.
Hundreds ask West Mercia police superintendent for clarification over comments on cancellation of Close Pass Op
Therein lies the issue. Respectfully, officer safety is your priority when the safety of the public should be. The fact officers are endangered is evidence greater efforts are required, not a cessation.
— Tom Staniford (@tomstaniford) September 14, 2020
That’s remarkable.
I always thought that the police could deal with anything, including drug, knife and gun crime.
But when it comes to people’s lives put in danger every day by drivers of cars….?— steve abraham (@steve_abraham74) September 14, 2020
Shame on you. So much illogic and poor judgement by you and that specialist.
— ⚫ CyclingMikey aka Bike Gandalf 🇪🇺🇳🇱🇿🇼 (@MikeyCycling) September 14, 2020
If the roads are that bad, you should close them. You’d do it if a festival got out of hand, if a pub venue was antisocial, if an activity operator failed to offer adequate safety.
— Katy Rodda Still Wants 2m (@KatyCycles) September 14, 2020
Supt Brighton has said her short statement was taken out of context; but many are struggling to see how the comments could be be perceived in another way, other than taking it as an admission that officers wil be put in unnecessary danger if they carry out a Close Pass Operation by cycling on the roads.
Supt Brighton reiterated: “I would rather explain in person as the H & S rationale is too lengthy for social media.”
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Latest Comments
@mdavidford disc brakes and helmets too provocative, mayhaps.
(except we could only think of 8, so 3 of them are variations of 'different sized wheels'.)
I don’t think I’ll ever I understand dropper posts, even on the most brutal downhill you’re standing and the saddle is kind of useful for stability around knee height. My mate says it stops you getting whacked in the cobblers but I’ve never had that happen. I know people swear by them but I almost never use mine…
@Rendel Harris that's interesting because the article could simply say "from £45" to indicate that the shoe might not be available in your size or colour at that price. The review itself is very specific about the pricing, so it is not difficult to do.
@Freddy56 Yep, Or rather she was told she can step down and say what she likes (which was nonsense then and even more nonsense now) or she will be fired, which would be way more harmful to her career.
@Nigel Garage Oh yes, the defence of the country and adequate provision for the disabled are very much an either/or, we can't possibly have both. Hang on, what if we set about closing all the tax loopholes and avoidance schemes advised by greedy Essex accountants, then there might be enough to go round.
@Rendel Harris tut tut, you obviously haven't taken your DEI course yet. You can't say "the disabled" in this day and age because it objectifies them. You're turning an adjective into a noun, very poor form by someone who self-certifies as an expert in the English language. "Disabled people" is the non-discriminatory way to describe those with disabilities. Putting aside your ridiculous and cliched comparison of my vision of an equal society with National Socialism, the last thing I'm going to say on the topic is that society has infinite number of wants on a finite number of resources. Clearly you think doling out free cycling gear to people is more important than spending those same precious resources on treating people in the NHS, educating our children, or defending our country. Well, more power to you, but I'm certain the overwhelming majority of people think otherwise.
@chrisonabike Yes, of course in any march of 250,000 plus people you're going to get some nasty bits of work and idiots. The police have arrested some of these and from what I hear (friends have gone on the marches, I haven't) they are reasonably assiduous in doing so within the obvious limits of trying to identify and then isolate and arrest a person responsible for shouting stupid things in a massive crowd. However, and I'm happy to stand corrected if they should wish to make their position more clear, I assume from the tone of open_roads' remarks and his description of the marches as antisemitic that they regard any march protesting the behaviour of the Israeli government with regard to the slaughter in Gaza as being antisemitic. In any case, the point I was making still stands, as backed up by those arrest figures I quoted, which is that it is not accurate to say that the Met have a "not a priority" attitude to these marches, quite the opposite.
@Ramz Not in the slightest, because the supposed wrong price isn't part of the review, so no misleading or inaccuracy there, and the shoes are available, albeit only in one colour, for £45 as stated.
@Rendel Harris Are you agreeing that the review was misleading and inaccurate?
35 thoughts on ““Staggering”: Police superintendent says “risk is too great” for officers to carry out close pass op; British everesting record smashed; Urán doesn’t use a power meter; Locals report few changes after Wandsworth LTN reversal + more on the live blog”
Quote:
Yup – clearly it was the bikes which were the problem…
Tooting has always been awful
Tooting has always been awful to drive through. The LTNs did make access for ambulances to St Georges Hospital worryingly difficult admittedly.
I took my motorbike for its MOT in Tooting last week and the traffic was terrible. But it has been for years. The worst stretch is the bit between Balham and Tooting Broadway.
Within the Tweet from the
Within the Tweet from the Superintendent, the Worcester Bike account has also tweeted out the requirements for Worc County Council when planning the cycle routes asked by the Governement.
No loss of Car Parking Spaces will be accepted.
No Loss of Road Space will be accepted.
So pretty much they are also saying the car is the main thing and eff anything else out there.
Quite shocking really.
Quite shocking really.
I thought that maybe they don’t have any officers who can actually ride a bike?! Or maybe all their officers are so unfit, to subject them to some physical exercise would be far too dangerous.
I guess all the bad’uns in Worc will be pleased that the cops there are a push-over. First sign of danger and it’s back to the station for cake and kittens.
Quote:
No, I don’t think so.
I think a statement explaining this policy is the only way that she can stop looking quite so stupid as she does right now.
Surely all they need is a
Surely all they need is a helmet, high viz and retro reflectives?
After all, they keep all other cyclists 100% safe.
I do have empathy for her
I do have empathy for her position though, and certainly I agree social media is rubbish for conveying the detail required on this and isnt remotely helped by a free for all piling in on it.
the issue is youve got an independently produced risk assessment thats identified there is potential risk of injury to an officer engaged in this close pass operation, we dont know the extent of the risk or its details, maybe they are specific to the location they wanted to do this than a blanket ban risk, and it sounds like it might have suggested there are other, less risky, ways, to achieve the same goals.
but if you overuled that risk assessment or ignored it, and an officer is then hurt, maybe precisely in the way the risk assessment warned, well youve broken your duty of care to your employee, union lawyers would be all over that risk assessment and thats a slam dunk H&S prosecution that even the cps prosecutors assigned to most cycling cases would struggle to lose.
it might not be the message we want to hear,and it could certainly be communicated in a better way, but i cant see how they get around the risk assessment
But an assessment by someone
But an assessment by someone may not be anything to do with h&s but simply an excuse not to do something. The h&s website has loads of examples of myth busting.
I think this will be the
I think this will be the workers’ health & safety regulations about how protecting employees from anything that may cause harm in the workplace environment, thats identified by a risk assessment the employer has carried out.
the key part is understanding what the risk assessment actually identifies as the risk, we are just guessing at the moment which probably isnt helping as we feel we accept the risks everytime we ride a bike on the road, but it could be a basic thing like theres no formal police training course on how to ride a bike with this equipment in traffic.
That’s all back to front
That’s all back to front though.
You wouldn’t plan an operation without that consideration, so if they had no training why would you announce the operation, then later cancel it? Additionally, I’d expect the operation to be signed off by a couple of people. I can’t believe that could happen without a formal risk assessment.
Also other forces manage to put on such operations, so there seems no reason why this force can’t.
Aside from all the others risks accepted as being part of the job of an officer.
(As a side note, had a ridiculous close pass on the way home).
She hasn’t cancelled
She hasn’t cancelled opclosepass for that location, she has cancelled it full stop as per her tweet.
And I don’t see what specific extra risk she sees that isn’t present for any other law enforcement the Police take. Yes, there is a chance that her officers could be knocked off their bike when taking the operation. But there is also a chance the Police Motorcyclist could be knocked off their bike or the Police Car could crash. Yet you still see them out and about enforcing the law. Or don’t they hold out much hope that the Police HiViz would make the cyclists visible and safer?
the risk is identified in the
the risk is identified in the risk assessment, its how West Mercia Police decide whats reasonably practicable to mitigate that risk thats then the decision she has made.Theyve decided there isnt anything they can do,and can achieve similar results doing something differently, so have cancelled the close pass operation. fair enough as I say we might not like it but without knowing what the risk assessment says we dont know what mitigating options there might be.
in terms of how the police manage to cope doing other risky things, they primarily get training either to ride motorbikes, drive cars in pursuits,handle angry people or are issued appropriate levels of ppe, all of which are mitigating the risk, what you cant do is just pretend the risk isnt there if youve identified it.
Alternatively, she was
Alternatively, she was spouting bullshit and got called on it.
I wonder which party is in
I wonder which party is in control of that council…
On the police superintendent’s comments: What she wants to say is that she doesn’t consider the welfare of cyclists to be worth her and her officers’ time – a fact which is evident in how many individual forces handle issues involving cycling. What she’s now hoping is that the story dies while a spurious “meeting” is arranged.
Front line police work is inherently dangerous. It’s laughable to use H&S as an excuse for this.
Does anyone here live in
Does anyone here live in Worcester and fancies being a volunteer for the work?
Or if anyone lives in Worcester, you now know that every single close pass you submit will result in prosecution.
Surely if the West Mercia
Surely if the West Mercia police just take responsibility for their own safety and share the road, they’ll be fine.
“…Supt Brighton says she is
“…Supt Brighton says she is willing to explain in more details via a telephone meeting and won’t be publishing a statement…..”
If a serving police officer is unable to explain their policy decisions clearly, succinctly and in a logical fashion, perhaps it’s time they found another job?
If she proposed some other method of tackling this issue, then her attitude might be acceptable, but merely evading the problem is most definitely not acceptable. I hope someone has contacted the Police and Crime Commissioner for the area, and expressed very forthrightly their indignation and lack of confidence in the Superintendent. It’s her job to protect the public, if she doesn’t want to do it, them maybe something a bit easier might suit her better.
If the H&S rationale is too
If the H&S rationale is too lengthy for social media then why did you post the damned thing on Twitter.
Has she not heard of links to
Has she not heard of links to PDFs, web pages, TwitLonger and lots of other ways of doing links to longer documents.
However, I also want to know who the consultant is they got in to state how dangerous this is? It isn’t Georgina Wager is it?
West Mercia have backtracked
West Mercia have backtracked now, and apparently are now doing close pass operation. You’d love to be a fly on the wall eh!
Well, I don’t know who’s
Well, I don’t know who’s worse, this muppet of a superintendant or the person who thought she was fit to be promoted to that rank. Beggars belief and will go a long way to support a lot of people in the mysoginistic views. Extending her views on maintaining officer safety precludes them from tackling any type of violent crime so if you live in Worcs and a burglar is threatening you, you’re on yer own. Tool up appropriately.
Re disturbing a film set, I
Re disturbing a film set, I rode into the middle of a scene being shot in Great Budworth a few years back.
The show was ‘Our Zoo’ and I rode around a corner to be confronted by a flock of penguins, a camel, a crowd of extras in 1920’s costume and an irate director.
I worked as a film runner as
I worked as a film runner as a lad. On a film shoot for the BBC in Piccadilly Circus (the area had been closed off for the day) as the crew were filming an intimate scene between two leads, I decided to start loading one of the vans parked around the corner and obvioulsy off camera. But the alarm went off. And I couldn’t work out how to turn it off. So i panicked and thought the best thing would be to drive off. So I did, with the alarm still blaring. They showed me the rushes later. Two characters in period costume, with bewildered expressions as a silver van, alarm blaring, shoots past in the background. I didn’t work for that particular production company again.
A TV company filmed scenes
A TV company filmed scenes for a drama series in my office building a few years ago. My abiding memory was the lead actor sulking because we didn’t have a wifi network available for him to use…
I like the film set. Did any
I like the film set. Did any of you guys get cameos? I’m thinking Big Dave as a gendarme and VecchioJo as Jean-Paul Sartre: ‘L’enfer … c’est les autos.’
I’m going for a new Ever
I’m going for a new Ever-resting record. So far I’ve ridden zero miles, done zero climbing, but I’ve achieved 100% resting figures. Should I be writing to the Guinness book of records?
Sounds like the supers been
Sounds like the supers been given a bit of a telling off
https://twitter.com/WMerciaPolice/status/1305531742506364929
Operation Close Pass back on
Sounds like the supers been given a bit of a telling off
Operation Close Pass back on
I think your interpretation is correct. She should have realised she was going to get a pasting for that nonsense. What they might do now is ‘not try very hard’
I really want to like bike
I really want to like bike lights integrated in pedals, but in this case both the forward- and rear-facing lights are the same colour (understandable in a symmetric flat pedal), and the legalistic folk would want a red rear light. Plus, in practice, much of the light’s coverage will be obscured by your shoe or your wheel. So it seems to be more like a Kickstarter product than something from the seasoned experts at Look.
You’d think lights integrated
You’d think lights integrated with a pedal would be amber…
As pedals are left / right
As pedals are left / right specific, a simple “which way up” detector in each pedal could set the front and rear facing led colour.
The legalistic folk would
The legalistic folk would actually want reflectors in the pedals, not lights instead. They’d be right too.
Road congestion levels in
Road congestion levels in outer London higher than before lockdown
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/15/road-congestion-levels-in-outer-london-higher-than-before-lockdown
45-year-old sets new British
45-year-old sets new British everesting record. Chapeau to Phil Stonelake. Crowecombe Hill is pretty hardcore – even riding it once is quite a challenge for most, but this dude did it 58 (FIFTY EIGHT) times!! And at some pace by the sound of it…
7 hours 44 is quite
7 hours 44 is quite incredible, especially for an amateur with a full-time job, family etc.
Phil is raising money for author Michael Morpurgo’s charity Farms for City Children.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/phil-stonelakeeveresting