Not Near Miss of the Day; That’s not Mathieu van der Poel; Steve Bray berates Sajid Javid…but look at the driver; All the new Tour kits; Tour de Cheese; Crime of the century; Startlist confirmed ahead of team presentation + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray berates Sajid Javid... whose driver ignores cyclists' advanced stop line
Perhaps Steve Bray will have to start shouting: “Stop Brexit (and ministers’ drivers ignoring cyclists’ advanced stop lines)” from now on…
The prominent anti-Brexit activist, ever-present outside the Houses of Parliament, had an eventful day yesterday, so we’ll forgive him for not giving the driver both barrels too. Bray’s amplifiers were seized by police officers, who told him of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which came into effect on Tuesday, restricting where he can protest noisily.
All very interesting, important and newsworthy, but not very cycling-related…that was until this happened…
Sajid Javid just now in the car with armed escort behind. I’m not relenting or stopping. Nothing has changed. Up yours Priti Patel #ToryFascists pic.twitter.com/EuGzWCWD8X
— Steve Bray Activist Against Brexit +Corrupt Tories (@snb19692) June 28, 2022
This Range Rover, apparently transporting health minister Sajid Javid to the Commons, took a verbal bashing from Bray…but look where it’s stopped…
Advanced police driver sitting happily in the advanced cyclist stop box -great example @theJeremyVine
— leicestercyclist (@leicestercylist) June 28, 2022
Stopped in the bike zone, very lawful.
— Andrew Hemmens Huninga van Oostwold (@llanelliscar) June 28, 2022
As per Rule 178 of the Highway Code, informed by Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD Schedule 14 part 1…
Advanced stop lines. Some signal-controlled junctions have advanced stop lines to allow cyclists to be positioned ahead of other traffic. Motorists, including motorcyclists, MUST stop at the first white line reached if the lights are amber or red and should avoid blocking the way or encroaching on the marked area at other times, e.g. if the junction ahead is blocked. If your vehicle has proceeded over the first white line at the time that the signal goes red, you should stop as soon as possible and MUST stop at the second white line. Allow cyclists, including any moving or waiting alongside you, enough time and space to move off when the green signal shows.
Drivers of large vehicles should stop sufficiently far behind the first white line so that they can see the whole area where cyclists may be waiting, allowing for any blind spot in front of the vehicle.
Crime of the century
.@roadcc taking a hardline approach on Cav not making the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Le Tour roster posting the news under “Crime and Legal”
I mean it is fairly “criminal” to exclude him given last years results and his form this year. Just take Cav AND Fabio and chase stages. https://t.co/o4qOqWi2Tn pic.twitter.com/Yu9I7MMTgb
— Richard (@teaathalftime) June 27, 2022
Tour de France fans must "stick to their place" to avoid crashes
Tour de France general director Christian Prudhomme has urged spectators to keep their distance and “stick to their place” to avoid a crash like last year’s stage one disaster.
Dubbed ‘Allez Opi-Omi’ due to the message on the spectator’s sign, the crash marred the opening stage of last year’s race, and saw the woman responsible fined €1,200. Four riders retired injured due to their injuries, and Prudhomme has asked the “very enthusiastic” roadside following to give the riders space.
“Of course [the race] is 3,500 kilometres long and what we really need is for the media to pass on the message and keep on reminding the public to be careful,” he told Insidethegames.
“We will have on the Tour de France 29,000 police and fireman. It is difficult to have one policeman behind each person so we also have security guards to give information to the public that they should not cross and hold their children’s hand and stay on one side of the road. The public can move their hands, but they have to stick to their place.”
We shall be sticking to our place too…not leaving the sofa for the entire three weeks…
Tour de Cheese
The Cheese Wanker (their name, not mine) has created a cheese lover’s guide to the Tour, detailing a local artisanal cheese suggestion for each stage…
One week to go and it’s time to go cheese shopping. #couchpeloton #tdf2022
The Cheese Lover’s Guide to the Tour de France 2022 https://t.co/VEvBNmAgE7
— Jonah (@TheCheeseWanker) June 24, 2022
Get your Havarti in for Friday’s TT, Mimolette for the Roubaix stage, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage in Huez, Tomme de Chèvre des Pyrénées for Hautacam and Brie de Meaux for stage 21…
Hot or not? Rapha + Palace are back!
We asked, you told us…
You didn’t hold back…
Vomit looks nicer.
— carterhartbeat (@cattahhaart) June 28, 2022
Annemiek van Vleuten to retire at the end of 2023
On the eve of the Giro Donne, Annemiek van Vleuten has announced she is extending her contract with Movistar until the end of 2023, at which point she will retire from racing.
“I didn’t feel like stopping right now — I’m still super motivated, while also aware that there will be a moment when I’ll have to stop. And it suits me better to stop when I’m still at my highest level, playing the game at the front in the biggest events. I just want to finish on a high, and doing it with this wonderful group of people feels like the right thing to do.
“I’m sure I’ll stop with a little tear in my eye, because I love this sport so much, but I’d like to leave cycling, the ‘professional athlete’ part of it, at the top.”
The startlist is complete
Better late than never…Jonathan Vaughters said the team was waiting for the result of Covid tests before announcing the team, we suspect waiting until after their new kit dropped might be the real reason…
Eight riders, eight nationalities.
This is us. We can’t wait to see what this squad has in store for the Tour de France.
Head to the link below for more from each rider.https://t.co/PL3zNBukyx pic.twitter.com/yz8maygLk6
— EF Pro Cycling (@EFprocycling) June 29, 2022
Eight riders from eight nationalities, including an unexpected call up for Owain Doull, who was forced out of the Giro ill but is back for his Tour de France debut, making it eight British riders (one more round of Covid tests dependent) rolling down the start ramp on Friday.
Official Danish Tour de France magazine prints wrong Van der Poel (+ Stefan Küng's looking awfully like Dylan van Baarle)
BREAKING NEWS: Alpecin-Fenix have swapped out Mathieu van der Poel for his brother David…oh, sorry, I’ve been reading too much of my Danish official Tour de France guide…
The official Danish Tour de France magazine has a picture of David van der Poel instead of Mathieu 🤣 #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/C1UstdJjBF
— Frederik Bohé (@FreddyB_HS) June 29, 2022
Stefan Küng’s changed…maybe he feels his best shot at winning the Roubaix stage is to impersonate this year’s winner to slip up the road unnoticed by Ineos Grenadiers? Genius…
You should see what they’ve done to Cav’s profile too. They seem to have spelt him name F-l-o-r-i-a-n S-é-n-é-c-h-a-l…
Kudos to Frederik Bohé for spotting the snaps, and doing the honourable thing…spreading them all over Twitter so we can live blog them…
Number of people killed on London’s roads in 2021 fell by 22 per cent to the lowest level on record — BUT serious injuries to people cycling increased by 54 per cent + vulnerable road users make up 81 per cent of deaths and serious injuries
Transport for London (TfL) has published casualty statistics for 2021, which show the number of people killed while cycling was down by 40 per cent on the 2005-09 baseline, from 17 to 10 people. However, serious injuries to people cycling increased by 54 per cent, something TfL says may be explained by a near doubling in the share of road journeys by bike.
The total number of people killed on London’s roads in 2021 fell by 22 per cent to the lowest level on record, although vulnerable road users — pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists — continue to be most at risk, making up 81 per cent of all people killed or seriously injured.
TfL stressed “continued action is needed to achieve the Mayor’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating death and serious injury from the transport network.”
Cars continued to be the main vehicle type involved in collisions in 2021, involved in 64 per cent of all collisions resulting in death or injury.
“Although last year saw the lowest number of road deaths in London on record, the latest casualty stats show that it is more important than ever to double down on our Vision Zero goal of eliminating deaths and serious injury from London’s roads,” Stuart Reid, Head of Insights and Direction for TfL, said.
Four new team kits for the Tour... which is best?
So, four teams will be sporting new limited-edition kits for the #TDF2022 – Bora-Hansgrohe, Israel-Premier Tech, EF Education-EastPost and Jumbo Visma. Any more that I’ve missed? And which is your favourite? pic.twitter.com/GyYkzvl7sA
— Felix Lowe (@saddleblaze) June 29, 2022
1. Israel – Premier Tech
2. EF Education-EasyPost
3. Bora-hansgrohe
4. Jumbo Visma
Tell me I’m wrong…
Oh, and those are just the ones we know about. Lotto Soudal are teasing something…and we all know Alpecin-Fenix will have something eye-catching to mark the end of their Alpecin-Fenix era…
Do you know what these are? The end of an epic 2,5 years as #AlpecinFenix! 💙❤️
After their last training ride in our AFC kit, our 8️⃣ riders at @LeTour signed their jersey. And you can win one! 🥳
Head over to our Facebook or Instagram account to participate. Good luck! 🍀 pic.twitter.com/DWzUQmXif1
— Alpecin-Fenix Cycling Team (@AlpecinDCK) June 29, 2022
Right on cue
NEW KIT DAY! 🤩
Something new for the #TDF2022 and… for the rest of the season! 🙌
Read all about it here: https://t.co/mHTOSJuq5V pic.twitter.com/rLawxwlZPx
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) June 29, 2022
That little blue sleeve touch is very Bahrain McLaren/Victorious 2020/2021…but what are those helmets?!
Apparently it’s the unique green-blue colour of newly-announced sponsor Dstny, who will become a title sponsor in 2023… great for commentators and sports directors looking at a packed peloton, not so great for my eyes…
Scott Foil RC Pro First Ride Review 🤯
"We’re sleeping like babies and working like horses": Bahrain Victorious respond to raids
Bahrain Victorious performance manager Vladimir Miholjević has hit back at the police raids on the team’s riders ahead of their departure for the Tour de France.
“The searches passed well. Everything was said in our press release and we’re here more confident than ever. It’s really difficult to say what to expect. We’d like to know why they are doing this,” he told VeloNews.
Before dropping one of the mic drop line…”We’re sleeping like babies and working like horses.” That gave me the shivers…
“We’re showing everything through our results and we are 100 percent transparent,” Miholjević expanded. “Someone who is interested to see how we are working can join our team for a period of time and maybe these people will understand the effort that staff and riders are putting in their jobs to achieve their results.”
When will it end?
At least it’s one of the better ones…
One kit. One team. Two races. ❤️💙
Introducing our new kit from @SANTINI_SMS for @LeTour and @LeTourFemmes 🤝 pic.twitter.com/xBB3OxauHZ
— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) June 29, 2022
Not Near Miss of the Day
Our Near Miss of the Day series has attracted more eyeballs than usual recently due to a string of high-profile episodes, some of which were picked up by the national press…
One day hopefully we will run out of close passes and near misses to report on, but until that happy day arrives, Near Miss of the Day will keep rolling on, hopefully hitting its aim of holding the authorities to account when they fail to protect vulnerable road users…(see Near Miss of the Day 763)…or at least receiving questionable police explanations…
We thought we’d mix it up this afternoon, with Not Near Miss of the Day (probably) for one day only…
Big 👍 to this @hurtplant driver looking out for me this morning. Shame muck on the lens spoils the footage #Cycling pic.twitter.com/piQ1Zd1E2f
— PassPixi (@PassPixi) June 29, 2022
As discussed in the comments under this…”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 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.”
Not sarcasm at all. I was slogging up the hill just under 10mph there so no problem at all with them passing me safely
— PassPixi (@PassPixi) June 29, 2022
"Hi mate, you got a 2004 Saeco bottle?"
There is a MAD Cycling Jersey Collector, who once thought that Perhaps there is a possible way to Collect Water Bottles “AKA” Bidons
Impossible to Count, Store and even Number each one, as From Pro Teams, TDF, Giro’s and more they just keep on coming#cycling #TDF2022 #Bidons pic.twitter.com/mdRMzOVYBE
— Vintage Cycling Jerseys 🚴🚴🚴 / #Cycling (@ColPhilip1) June 29, 2022
New Shimano 105 Di2 - Mechanical is DEAD
"Sad times": Your thoughts on Shimano 105 going 12-speed, Di2 and disc brake only
A few early thoughts…
On Twitter, a reader told us: “This is disgusting. Shimano 105 groupsets were between €500 and €750 depending on certain factors, up to 2 years ago. This new one is ~€1800”
Jimmy Ray Will said: “Now, this is not exactly bringing electric gears to the masses is it? More like forcing the masses into premium price purchases via a lack of alternative. Sad times.”
To which Rendel Harris replied: “Apart from Tiagra rim brake groupsets which are less than half the price (if you exclude wheels from the 105) and with a negligible weight difference. I have Tiagra on my commuter and honestly, if I was forced to swap the Ultegra Di2 groupset on my road bike for it I wouldn’t be that bothered, the quality is that good. Good alternatives are available as long as you don’t care about the name/number on the parts.”
Almost exactly the same final sentence as editor Jack told me a few minutes earlier…
Watch the Tour de France team presentation from 5:30pm BST
29 June 2022, 08:14
29 June 2022, 08:14
29 June 2022, 08:14
29 June 2022, 08:14
29 June 2022, 08:14
29 June 2022, 08:14
29 June 2022, 08:14
29 June 2022, 08:14
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Latest Comments
What was that about induced demand?
The defence may well have argued that, and the magistrate may have accepted it, but that's not what the law says. It says that you have only driven without reasonable consideration for others if someone is inconvenienced. But the offence is committed if you drive without due care and attention, OR without reasonable consideration for other person. You have done the first if the driving falls below what would be expected of a careful and competent driver, regardless of whether anyone was inconvenienced. And CPS guidance specifically cites driving too close to another vehicle as an example.
Some years ago (before there was a cycle lane) I used to commute on Sidmouth St. But only because I worked on the London Road campus, from anywhere else there are better alternatives. As a cycle route it runs from between two busy roads, neither of which are exactly cycle friendly. So it's hardly surprising that no cyclists use it.
The officer's comments unfortunately reflect the reality of UK law. While the Highway Code guidance indeed refers to 1.5m, that is not anywhere in the law. And the criteria in law for proving a charge of careless driving does in fact rest on whether the rider is being "inconvenienced", as the discovered several years ago when the Met prosecuted a taxi driver who nearly hit me when cutting into my lane from the left near Marylebone. The prosecution lawyer was a barely competent newbie who fumbled over his words. The court computer was barely capable of playing the video footage, which kept freezing and crashing. The cabbie had an highly assertive defence lawyer who immediately seized on this point, and argued to the magistraite that I clearly hadn't been "inconvenienced" because I had not stopped or swerved, and had carried on my journey. Never mind that didn't have time to do either of those things, or that I was centimetres from being hit - the magistraite acquitted him on those grounds. That is unfortunately the outrageous reality of actually prosecuting a close pass incident. I know it's popular to blame the police and the CPS for not prosecuting enough close passes ... but the fact is the law is inadequate, and if the driver has a good lawyer then they can likely get off most close pass prosecutions.
Let's not forget the protruding "side" mirror...
HTML rules are clearly only partially implemented
please can we have the ability to use bold and italics for emphasis back as well?
As a Reading resident and cyclist, I can say I cannot think of a single occasion when I have seen a cyclist using the Sidmouth St cycle lane, nor can I think of any reason I'd use it myself. It doesn't connect to any other useful cycle routes. I don't rejoice that some of it is going back to motor traffic but I can see why the council is proposing to do that. Reading could really do with a cycleway to cross the town centre west to east and east to west but I'm not holding my breath on that.
Giant are one of the most trustworthy brands out there when it comes to manufacturing components given that they actually own their own production facilities. None of that matters though when it comes to road hookless, I and most other people won't touch it with a barge pole. We're surely at a stage now where it's toxic amongst consumers and it's only a matter of time before the UCI ban it for racing.
Filling the road with one person per car is using the road space more efficiently, amazing, I never realised that.
70 thoughts on “Not Near Miss of the Day; That’s not Mathieu van der Poel; Steve Bray berates Sajid Javid…but look at the driver; All the new Tour kits; Tour de Cheese; Crime of the century; Startlist confirmed ahead of team presentation + more on the live blog”
Double arrogance. Met police
Double arrogance. Met police who are welll known as being ok with failing to uphold the law themselves and driving a Range Rover, also terrible for following the rules of the road.
And judging by today’s news
And judging by today’s news about being in special measures not great at doing things all round.
Ah, it’s the notorious
Ah, it’s the notorious motorcade-happy mayor of London, Sajid Javid again! Out for a “walk” in several SUVs at the taxpayer’s expense while stopping honest cabbies earning a living by filling the place with empty polluting cycle lanes! (Is this right?)
Isn’t Sadiq Khan the mayor of
Isn’t Sadiq Khan the mayor of London?
I think Chris is being a bit
I think Chris is being a bit fruity.
No it’s not right
No it’s not right
If we were to rejoin the EU
If we were to rejoin the EU tomorrow, which Brexit benefit would you miss the most?
Phew, so many to choose from.
Phew, so many to choose from…. maybe the right to have a slightly more powerful vaccuum cleaner? Err, and…..
The FREEDOM to choose my own
The FREEDOM to choose my own phone charger… even though I don’t own a smartphone. I just want to make sure that it’s not compatible with any other smartphone in my household/office.
I see Javid was driving (or being driven) to work in a humungous, inappropriate vehicle. I bet they’re sat there moaning about the traffic, narrow lanes, pesky cyclists etc.
But does he really need an armed escort (that we pay for)? Would anyone really make the effort to take him out? He and so many other Tory ministers and MPs are so incredibly shit at doing their jobs that even a terrorist wouldn’t see the point replacing them with someone that is even remotely competent.
Simon E wrote:
A strict utilitarian might: greatest good for the greatest number and all that.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Being able to select a phone with its own unique charger?
Getting my passport stamped
Getting my passport stamped every time I enter and leave Mallorca (after queuing for ages). That smudge of black ink is so satisfying.
Good one. European travel
Good one. European travel feeling like more of an adventure again because there’s a more than solely mental border?
Maybe the thrill of knowing that my passport cover will change colour when I renew it?
Bike parts from abroad feeling more valuable because they’re more expensive / take more time to get here / are unavailable. (Not solely a Brexit bonus, I know).
You may have noticed a “back to the happily more limited times of my youth” vibe here.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Being able to drink pints of beer again with a crown on the glass after all those decades of the ruthless tyranny of being forced to drink litres out of glasses branded with the EU flag.
Think yourself luck you didn
Think yourself luck you didn’t have to pay in euros! And if you had a chaser in England you’d be forced to drink an extra 1.3 ml beyond the more moderate gill.
Being able to re-position the
Being able to re-position the emergency exit signs in the Dartford tunnel.
Of course, no change is
Of course, no change is necessary as it is up to 25m .
hawkinspeter wrote:
Where do you start?! Leavers might stop saying “You lost, get over it”.
My daughter’s passport renewal would not take 12 weeks (and still running)? Despite Boris telling us they are all done in 6 weeks.
Maybe Boris would quit?
Daveyraveygravey wrote:
I think you’re stating benefits of re-joining the EU
20% inflation and interest
20% inflation and interest rates through the roof.
I’m of the generation where inflation turned my mortgage into chickenfeed over a few years, and then had several percent interest on my current account, let alone other stuff.
I live in hope of the return of interest rates as a useful thing.
Sajid Javid parking in ASL; I
Sajid Javid parking in ASL; I’m not sure how, but I’m sure it’s Corbyn’s fault.
This may have something to do
This may have something to do with close protection security.
For defensive driving it’s likely they will occupy the stop box to ensure that obstructions in front wouldn’t prevent an emergency getaway. Pulling up behind the box potentially means that with cyclists in front the car / occupants are then “boxed” in and can’t move if the need arises.
I used to regularly see the same when the royal motorcade would come from Northolt airfield through the busy streets of West London. When the motorcade was going to do ick ups (en-route to the airfield – so with no royalty inside) they would stop before the ASL.
On a related point, Steve Bray is a prize willing bellend – his megaphone ranting has been going on for years and is very intimidating for pedestrians / other road users.
Maybe but it stinks of more
Maybe but it stinks of more “one rule for you and rule for us” bullshit.
Agree but for people at this
Agree but for people at this level that’s how it is now and it’s naive to think otherwise. You – and your life if it came to it – are not as important as these people. I’m probably worth about 1/20th of a corgi for example or 30 seconds at a Downing Street
partywork event.I can see why it might be
I can see why it might be preferable from a security point of view, but AFAIK that doesn’t actually change anything legally (there are various legal exemptions to certain traffic laws for emergency vehicles etc. but none that I can find apply here).
On the other hand, with my “Mr Loophole” hat on we didn’t actually see how the vehicle got into that position. As the excerpt from the Highway Code states, if the vehicle had already crossed (or was unable to stop safely before) the first white line when the lights changed, but the vehicle was able to safely stop before the second white line, then the driver MUST do so and will therefore perfectly legally end up occupying the box.
As the excerpt from the
As the excerpt from the Highway Code states, if the vehicle had already crossed (or was unable to stop safely before) the first white line when the lights changed, but the vehicle was able to safely stop before the second white line, then the driver MUST do so and will therefore perfectly legally end up occupying the box
You have to sympathise somewhat with the police over the legislation concerning ASLs because it contains a couple of paragraphs and quite a few words which most officers can’t cope with. It’s a moot point whether Lancashire Traffic Officers are both very, very thick and very, very bent or are perhaps very, very, very thick and not at all bent or very, very, very bent and not at all thick. This is the complete exact quotation from the anonymous (they always are) OpSnapLancs officer letter dated 23.3.22 referring to the red-light offence at 40mph dated 21.3.22 by the driver of WS Transport 6-axle Scania 44-tonne articulated lorry PN22 DTX:
Thank you for your submission APL 103264.
The footage, including still, shows the HGV crossing the first solid white stop line whilst the traffic signal is amber. The further solid white stop line is for bicycles, as is clearly marked. There are no offences disclosed from this footage and therefore no further action will be taken.
I pointed out how simple it was to demonstrate that this statement was completely wrong and Inspector Jones of OSL was stated to be writing to me about it. Unsurprisingly, he never did.
open_roads wrote:
His bellendedness or otherwise is a matter of opinion and, one suspects, probably depends on one’s stance on the B word. However, I cycle through Parliament Square several times a week and walk through it occasionally, he’s not in the slightest bit intimidating to either pedestrians or other road users, people stop and chat, have photos taken with him, some stop to argue with him…he doesn’t intimidate anyone. If he could be charged with intimidation you can bet the government would have asked the police to pinch him years ago. He irritates some people, but that’s not quite the same – if being an irritating bellend was a crime that building outside which he protests would be standing empty.
Same here – whether or not
Same here – whether or not Bray is found irritating is up to the reader, but I travel through the square (and past the area next to the Jewel Tower) up to ten times a week – most weeks – and haven’t once seen any sign of intimidation.
.
.
There ya go again, Trendy – saying that ‘no-one is….’ when someone has just stated that they ARE!
.
As I said last time – QED you are clearly incorrect.
.
Why do you persist?
.
The poster didn’t say they
The poster didn’t say they were intimidated, they said other people were. My experience and that of others is that this is untrue. I know you of the alt-right are specialists in believing in whatever lies suit, but it doesn’t mean the rest of us have to accept them.
The more interesting question is why are you so obsessed with following my comments? Are you hoping that there will be a second coming of Nige so you can try your sad little tag-team bully act again? As I’ve told you, I can’t afford to pay rent on that space I seem to occupy in your head. It’s not healthy, you really should take up a hobby of some sort to use your energies for some constructive purpose. Try cycling, you might even find you like it!
Get well soon xxxx
Flintshire Boy wrote:
Well that took an unexpectedly metaphysical turn.
It sounds like they’re
It sounds like they’re incompossible.
Yes it is exactly that,
Yes it is exactly that, safety in case in of emergency attack, not that cyclists don’t even exist for such guys.
Imagine that this poor guy was attacked by Bin Laden’s unknown daughter with a .50 caliber and he had to be blocked by a 70 year deaf old cyclist lady, all that the driver would be able to do is to wait patiently for the magazine to empty, or the light go green. No other options.
It’s the old ethics questions
It’s the old ethics questions again – how many 70 year old deaf cyclists would you be prepared to run over to save Sir Chris Boardman? What if they were scooterists instead, or a couple of cycle-stealing scrotes on a moped…?
But what are the chances that
But what are the chances that he’s going to be at the front of the queue? If he was second car back he’d be blocked in anyway.
Police drivers are trained to
Police drivers are trained to stop in traffic queues ensuring that the bottom of the rear wheels/tyres of the car in front are visible, this means that if they need to make a quick exit, they can do so withough reversing or being boxed in.
Yh, I didn’t think it through
Yh, I didn’t think it through. I was thinking he would still be blocked in by the cars on his right but he would just bulldoze his way through those. Presumably another excuse for the oversize vehicle. The issue is bulldozing through cyclists……
I remember being taught
I remember being taught exactly this when I learnt to drive (not as a police officer). It wasn’t about making a quick escape, more about leaving room if you were shunted from behind. (Unless my old man had a secret life as a close protection bodyguard and couldn’t help passing on the benefit of his spycraft training.)
mark1a wrote:
I learnt to do the same thing…. for the purpose of leaving a refuge for any filtering cyclists and motorcylists.
T&T; tyres and tarmac…..as
T&T; tyres and tarmac…..as seen on many of Reg Local’s videos….
open_roads wrote:
I thought this, but not sure how effective that is. It hasn’t happened in this example, but in London if the bike box is blocked by something that shouldn’t be there, it’s common for cyclists (and motorcyclists, scooterists) just to pull in front of it anyway.
quiff wrote:
Surely they’ll look in the vehicle to make sure there’s not an Important Person in there before doing so.
It’s not defensive driving
It’s not defensive driving per se, if the car in front stalls, you can get around them, if they roll back, they have space to do so, so nothing to do with evasive tactics, just basic safe driving skills that every driver out to follow (like the 2 second rule, completing braking before changing gear and before entering a corner etc).
Cav at the tour:
Cav at the tour:
Heart says Cav, head says Jakobsen. I hate Cav missing out, but Jakobsen is Quick Step’s strongest sprinter.
Cav playing second fiddle to Bennet never worked: they lost sprints that one of them would have won. Cav and Jakobsen are similar in many ways: incredibly powerful in the sprint, punchy acceleration, both get dropped on inclines.
Quick Step have gone all-in for Jakobsen. That means giving him a full sprint train. If they took Cav, he would have to either protect Jakobsen’s wheel or go freelance while Jakobsen took the train. Either way Quickstep would have one less lead-out man.
Morkov is an exceptional final man: great positioning and perfect acceleration to follow. Cav is not: he accelerates too hard and doesn’t take enough air.
I find it slightly strange
I find it slightly strange that the ASL thing is noteworthy – around here (Greater Manchester/Lancs), they are routinely ignored. It is noteworthy if a vehicle doesn’t drive into them ?♂️
I suppose it depends on the
I suppose it depends on the Police force. I know from CycleGaz videos that the MET will issue FPNs for crossing into the ASL. But for me living in Gloucestershire, where plod have a policy of only taking action if the cyclist is actually knocked off their bike (and I’m assuming only then to do the cyclist for a public order offence if they swear in pain/fright), ASLs might as well not exist – I don’t think I’ve ever seen one without a van in it.
BalladOfStruth wrote:
That’s partly true but I recently found out from the Met (after enquiring as to why several completely obvious cycle box offences hadn’t been FPNd, even though they filled all the criteria of quite clearly showing the driver proceeding into them on red (rather than being caught in them by a light change)) that they have a somewhat lenient policy, which is they only FPN if the driver is right up to the stop line on a single-lane carriageway, i.e., completely filling the box. If it’s a two-lane carriageway and they are only occupying one side of the box, or a single-lane carriageway but they are only halfway forward into the box they’ll get a warning letter at best or most likely NFA. My enquiry in reply as to whether I wouldn’t be arrested for stealing if I just pinched half a loaf of bread and left the other half behind has gone unanswered.
I’m curious to see if these
I’m curious to see if these internal “policies” that each police force has for deciding whether to deal with road offences extend to any other categories of offences? Would my local force have a higher threshold for, say and assault or a burgluary to meet before they persued, compared to, say, the MET?
I suppose it depends on the
I suppose it depends on the Police force. I know from CycleGaz videos that the MET will issue FPNs for crossing into the ASL
It certainly does. In Lancashire, where they don’t even bother about crossing lights at red and continuing right across the junction, it would be unjust to criticise people for stopping in the cyclist box or across the stop line. No response or action by LC over this of course, where Golf T90 RWT crossed the lights at red but then halted beyond the stop line
ASLs in Bristol usually have
ASLs in Bristol usually have half a car and a couple of food delivery motorbikes in them (as an average).
And you often find yourself following, or being followed by, a food delivery motorbike when using cycle lanes.
brooksby wrote:
I had many “discussions” with motorcyclists who felt entitled to use the ASLs and cycle lanes when I lived in Bristol, usually along the lines of responses like this:
“Eff off, you useless pr*ck, you ain’t the effing police.”
Along with occasional threats of violence.
The ASLs in Coventry/North
The ASLs in Coventry/North Warks are usually ignored, tbh. If a vehicle is occupying all or part of the space, I usually pull up in front of them at angle, dependent on how close I am to the front of the space. The further forward they are, the more of an angle I’m at and the more they can see my expression of sheer annoyance!
EDIT: This latter approach has never proven to be of any real impact.
I wonder how this particular
I wonder how this particular guardian of the public and upholder of the Road Traffic Act would treat an ASL:
https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/20239115.bradford-court-hears-police-officers-120mph-speeding/
Quote:
What?!
Ridiculous isn’t it!
Ridiculous isn’t it!
120mph! That’s class-A speeding, I should hope this effects his job. Surely be struck off for gross-misconduct and bringing the police force into disrepute.
At the very least, he’s
At the very least, he’s arguably established a bias that makes him incapable of effectively/fairly doing his job. If he’s happy to commit these offences himself, he must be happy for others to do the same? Can he be trusted to take action when needed?
HoarseMann wrote:
Getting points on his licence will result in a disciplinary hearing – he has to report these to his supervisor – and given the nature of the offences could actually result in demotion or the sack.
Quote:
No. Just no. We need to draw line in the sand, here.
A f-ing road traffic police officer is speeding that far over the limit and gets off with a fine and six points??? Un-f-ing-believable.
EDIT:
I notice that there’s a link to another article:
https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/20239038.bradford-road-casualties-30-per-cent-higher-pre-pandemic/
Given the story about Jelani, does that count as irony in a non-Morrissette way?
BalladOfStruth wrote:
— BalladOfStruthMaybe they could transfer him to some job where he doesn’t need a driving licence, like walking the beat.
Interesting thread and claim
Interesting thread and claim on close passes
https://twitter.com/clumpytree/status/1539880641575194626
“Got an reply to my complain to the Thames Valley Police standards commission. Result: dashcam reports of close passes should be resulting in a driver education course. Only in exceptional circumstances should a warning letter be send instead.
I wrote to the police and crime commissioner (PCC) first, who told me he wasn’t responsible for the policies of the police and told me I could complain with the standards commission. Which I did.”
hirsute wrote:
I wrote to the police and crime commissioner (PCC) first, who told me he wasn’t responsible for the policies of the police— hirsute
But I’m not the final arbiter, that cannot be denied
And I can’t be held responsible for what I don’t decide
My last two submissions to
My last two submissions to TVP have apparently resulted in notice of intended prosecution. We’re still in the 28day ‘let us know who was driving’ stage so no idea of the real outcome but it was a step up from ‘we sent them a letter’.
My last two submissions to
My last two submissions to TVP have apparently resulted in notice of intended prosecution
In many forces, including Lancashire previously, NIPs were just a dodge. Since they then wouldn’t tell you what happened it was obvious they did nothing or next to nothing. Lancashire now doesn’t respond to reports to OpSnapLancs at all, so it’s just an automatic route to the bin.
https://www.roadpeace.org
https://www.roadpeace.org/roadpeace-welcomes-overdue-announcement-of-first-road-safety-investigation-branch-press-release/
“RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims, has welcomed the Government’s announcement of a Road Safety Investigation Branch (RSIB), to investigate and provide insight into collisions on England’s roads.”
This is definitely news (govt
This is definitely news (govt. press release here). It should be very good news (it would be if this was part of an actual sustainable-safety-type framework). The key points which will show if this is useful?
Will the staff aim beyond “the status quo as we see it but with a few rule tweaks to make driving a bit safer, plus self-driving cars”?
How will they deal with the fragmented responsibilities around roads, driving and vehicles? The existing bodies – MAIB / RAIB / AAIB – also have to deal with that situation and it seems to “work” fairly well. However much of where we are with transport is much bigger and concerns “development” in general (zoning restrictions, building codes, where we encourage workplaces, schools, shops …).
Finally will any more challenging recommendations be met with “but cars” or “but expensive” or “not us guv, the government didn’t give us the wherewithal”?
They’ve also been tasked with looking at self-driving car stuff too. So they may initially be busy with that.
I think you’re being rather
I think you’re being rather generous to the Jumbo Visma ‘found it trodden in the mud near the Glastonbury loos’ kit there.
Last time I went, I was so
Last time I went, I was so glad I camped uphill from the toilets. Sunday was interesting if you were downhill.
Came here crossing my fingers
Came here crossing my fingers for news of further Covid 19 retirements in the Quickstep TdF team*. Disappointed.
* Not actually wishing anyone harm.
I realise that we are past
I realise that we are past the solstice and Friday is the month of July (you are missed Paul) but yesterday I got the hint that summer was truly here, as I rode down the canal towpath, on not a particularly warm morning I got a whiff of the tree that smells if jizz. On two separate occasions. Stronger today, but not the cloyingness that the heat brings, yet.
Noticed something a couple of weeks back, when it was proper hot, riding over heathland, thought it was stones pinging out from under my tyres, but it would seem to have been seed pods on the gorse bushes popping.
Know what you mean. Out
Know what you mean. Out round the paths this evening, people moved thickly, cats didn’t trot aside and even the birds seemed lazy.