A London cyclist says he was “surprised” after a police officer who had pulled out in front of him in a van then executed a u-turn to follow the rider and give him a lecture about his use of the road.
The bizarre episode happened on Constitution Hill as the cyclist headed from Hyde Park Corner towards Buckingham Palace on the route of Cycleway 3 – keeping to the main carriageway, as he’s allowed to do, rather than the adjacent cycle path on the south side of Green Park.
It was filmed by road.cc user lukei1, who told us: “While certainly not a particularly ‘near’ miss, I was surprised at the Officer’s reaction to this whole incident.
“Coming down Constitution Hill in the rain, I could see the Met Police van slowly coming towards the road from the park and took the slow speed he was creeping behind the arches as recognition that he would stop for any traffic before pulling onto the road, especially when he nosed out into the road and came to an almost complete stop. Sadly this was incorrect.
“While using some blue language, I would describe it more as a lament, rather than directed at the driver with any sort of vitriol.
“So to say I was surprised when I turned around to see he was right behind me, having pulled a u-turn to chase me down would be an understatement.
“What followed was not a very fruitful chat, where a worrying amount of cyclist bingo items were ticked off. My personal favourites are:
– He is of course a cyclist as well (2x)
– Accelerating deliberately (downhill after an intersection on an empty road, what a surprise)
– Accusing me of going 30mph (on a steel framed Decathlon with Marathon Plus tyres …)
– Being belligerent (having turned around to chase me for half a mile …)
“All in all a strange experience,” he reflected.
“Here’s a clip on a slightly lighter note,” he added – sending us a link to this video taken last summer a few hundred yards further east along The Mall … if you’re going to ride through a red traffic light, it’s not the best idea to shoot past a stopped police car …
> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 – Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?
Over the years road.cc has reported on literally hundreds of close passes and near misses involving badly driven vehicles from every corner of the country – so many, in fact, that we’ve decided to turn the phenomenon into a regular feature on the site. 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.
If you’ve caught on camera a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind with another road user that you’d like to share with the wider cycling community please send it to us at info@road.cc or send us a message via the road.cc Facebook page.
If the video is on YouTube, please send us a link, if not we can add any footage you supply to our YouTube channel as an unlisted video (so it won’t show up on searches).
Please also let us know whether you contacted the police and if so what their reaction was, as well as the reaction of the vehicle operator if it was a bus, lorry or van with company markings etc.
> What to do if you capture a near miss or close pass (or worse) on camera while cycling
71 thoughts on “Near Miss of the Day 554: Cyclist “surprised” after police officer who pulled out in front of him does u-turn to lecture him (includes swearing)”
Pulling out from a Stop or
Pulling out from a Stop or Give Way road/entrance and causing someone to brake or swerve is an offence.The police’s own advice is to issue a summons – see last paragraph
https://www.npcc.police.uk/Publication/NPCC%20FOI/Operations/069%2015%20NPCC%20Response%20att%2002%20of%2002.pdf
What an absolute idiot
What an absolute idiot
Acelerated?? oh yeah, cos we just do that at the touch of a pedal, and there’s nothing we love better than accelerating into the side of a van
30mph??? that rozzer wasn’t “exaggerating” for effect, that was a flat out lie as evinced by his contradicting the rider when challenged.
What an utter dishonest, disingenuous, entitled, self-important, pompous little w*nksock
Well done for keeping your cool, and also well done for pedalling off when that twat was in midsentence
Captain Badger wrote:
My favourite line was his first ‘I made the decision that it was safe to go’
Oh, alrighty then. Dickhead.
1. The cyclist was easily
1. The cyclist was easily visible past the obstruction at the point the van stopped, before it then pulled out into the path of the cyclist.
2. “You were going 30 in a 20” and “I was having to do 30 to catch you up”. Relativity sneaking in here somewhere.
3. In any case, speed limits in red circles apply to motor vehicles only, therefore exceeding one on a bike is irrelevant. The police officer should know this, especially if he’s a cyclist himself.
4. Whether or not the cyclist was accelerating and, if he did so, whether or not he did so to ‘prove a point’ is irrelevant. There’s no rule against road users accelerating. But it’s clear from the video that the acceleration stopped well before the van pulled out.
5. Oh, and the good old “Why don’t you use the cycle path?” and “It’s you who will get hurt”. A bit (or a lot) of re-education is needed for this particular officer.
Look, I’m not saying ALL
Look, I’m not saying ALL police officers are ignorant of the law and base their actions on prejudice….
(mate of mine once got pulled over for ‘not cycling in the designated cycle lane’)
If you believe another road
If you believe another road user had sworn at you…
[I]Rule 147:
do not allow yourself to become agitated or involved if someone is behaving badly on the road. This will only make the situation worse. Pull over, calm down and, when you feel relaxed, continue your journey.[/i]
Can’t find the rule advising to chase them down the road and pull them over in a clear abuse of power just to satisfy one’s ego.
What a knobhead.
What a knobhead.
I like the way he was able to work out the cyclist was doing 30 but decided to pull out in front of him anyway.
There’s no greater feeling than accelerating into the side of van and smashing your head on it injuring your shoulder and hip.
Some retraining required in many departments.
hirsute wrote:
This officer’s next job could be as a Telegraph columnist.
(He just doesn’t know it yet)
and here’s me thinking the
and here’s me thinking the police are over-stretched.
He’s basically just admitted to breaking the speed limit by 10mph – was it really warranted for a slightly dented ego?
I’ve had this d1ckhead
I’ve had this d1ckhead attitude from Met police drivers as well – in my case receiving a stupidly close punishment pass by a police van (at speed with oncoming traffic) – it ended up with me apologising and them clearly being very aggressive rather than just apologising.
Aside from anything the officer’s ability to recall correctly what happened in today’s video is enough to warrant a complaint – if he can’t remember the actions he took a few minutes before there’s no way he could be a credible witness to a more serious offence.
My video, I think my
My video, I think my favourite line was the 30mph one. I wish I could crack that kind of speed on my heavy bike, thats before considering the driver would have had to be going about 45mph in order to catch up to me from a standing start.
I did report it to the Met online, more out of spite due to the reaction, not because I thought the driving was that bad. Predictably they did not pursue or send a warning letter
Where was he coming from? I
Where was he coming from? I could see a dropped kerb, so I guess it was legit rather than driving on the pavement !
There are wide paths through
There are wide paths through the park so either just a random patrol or coming from an incident perhaps
I’d drop a formal complaint
I’d drop a formal complaint in. Get Cycling UK involved if you are a member
Not miffed enough to be
Not miffed enough to be honest, maybe the video gets back to him, meaning the embarrassment is enough
As usual it’s all about Mr
As usual it’s all about Mr Oinker’s ego and nothing to do with safety or the law. “how dare you abject to my dangerous and poorly considered driving?”
Maybe this Officer should be
Maybe this Officer should be removed from driving duties until he learns the law and priorities at junctions.
If this officer thinks
If this officer thinks nothing of breaking the law in order to intimidate and bully someone, what else has he done where there was no camera involved? This does need to be followed up in order to protect innocent people from the potential harm this officer could do. Thankfully most police officers don’t routinely carry guns in the UK.
That looks to me like that
That looks to me like that policeman should offer an apology for their driving, but it’s not a great idea to swear at/near the police. If the cyclist hadn’t sworn, then the police wouldn’t have responded, but if the police hadn’t been driving carelessly then the cyclist wouldn’t have sworn.
Don’t think that this has
Don’t think that this has been overturned
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15816761
Pretty sure there was an earlier one where a man was stopped for no reason and asked what they were up to and replied ‘none of you effing business’ and that was ruled ok.
hirsute wrote:
I like the term “swearing consultant” – why was that never an option with career advisors?
I think the police should have every right to carry out their job without getting sworn at, but they should take into account whether the person is aggressive or not. I don’t think the cyclist was using it in an aggressive manner here.
As Alan Partridge put it “if
As Alan Partridge put it “if you hang around with criminals you’re going to get lied to”.
If police get upset at people swearing at them (or, heaven forbid, committing a crime) they may be in the wrong job. Or perhaps it’s just that many of them are on a power trip and expect deference and respect from everyone, and can’t cope with not getting it.
I’ve had absolutely appalling passes from police drivers and always call them what they deserve to be called. Never had one stop though, shame really.
Cops that think they are
Cops that think they are special because of their job need to be drummed out of the job; I would definitely report any cop that throws his weight around just to flex his ego on someone.. it’s plain bullying and harrassment.
hawkinspeter wrote:
The offence in question, which is of using
has two relevant defences if the accused can prove either that
for which there is already a precedent that officers hear such language too frequently to be offended by it; or
Even if the first defence failed, I’d argue that exclaiming in shock at the prospect of imminent injury, or injury narrowly avoided, qualifies as reasonable.
Send the footage to the Met
Send the footage to the Met with a complaint that the officer’s driving does not meet required standards.
More worried about his
More worried about his temperament than his driving skill. Police should not be so easily triggered. Nothing much happened here, except his overblown reaction. But yeah, it might be better all round if he were driving a desk for a while.
Deciding on footage submitted
Deciding on footage submitted by cyclists?
Rejected – cycling in a built up area in a loud stolen goat top.
Loitering with intent to use a cycle path.
“if you’re going to ride
“if you’re going to ride through a red traffic light, it’s not the best idea to shoot past a stopped police car”
I’m shocked, shocked I tell you, that the Daily Mail didn’t spot this one and run 3 articles about it.
“if you’re going to ride
“if you’re going to ride through a red traffic light, it’s not the best idea to shoot past a stopped police car”
To be fair, on multiple occasions I have seen cyclists jumping lights right infront of police waiting next to me at a set of lights. I looked at the police officer and made a “look at this guy!” hand gesture and the copper behind the wheel just shrugged and couldnt care enough to put one the blues and twos when the lights changed.
I spoke to another copper about what i had seen/experienced and his explination to me was that sometimes they are needed elsewhere so have to prioritise what sort of cases they deal with or they may be on standby awaiting a call for assistance from another police unit. — I fully understand that they have to proritise the cases they deal with. But this police officer didnt even slowly down and roll the window down to give the other cyclist a verbal warning when he caught up to him.
The standard/level of policing is very inconsistent and it seems based upon if the individuals themselves can be arsed to deal with it or not. And its not just officers on the beat that are like that, The ones that pick up online reports do that too. How many times have we seen submitted video footage of behaviour that is in clear violation of the law (even multiple laws) and the police have come back with not enough evidence to prosecute or decided to take no action because he or she thought the behaviour they witnessed on the video was perfectly acceptable despite having broken or violated road safety laws???
At the same time I have seen coppers pull cyclists and drivers over for jumping a red light or riding/driving around like a dick so its not as if they are all that lazy.
Very inconsistent.
Police discretion is very
Police discretion is very much personality driven.. many cops will judge a situation on its merits and if a cyclist doesn’t cause a danger to others or himself running a red, they will ignore it, while other cops that would book their own mother, will enforce any and every law on the books.
Policing is supposed to be
Policing is supposed to be consent. Nobbers like that do no favours for the ones who are not self important idiots who lie and make up their own rules. A simple, “I am sorry for my driving” would have meant a totally different impression to anyone that sees this video.
Might be an idea next time to
Might be an idea next time to read out his number from his shoulder tags, ask his name and station if you think you’re getting the shit end of the stick. If they are soft spoken, repeat it back so the camera mics can pick it up clearly.
According to various online sources, a police officer cannot refuse to give you these details, and should you wish to make a complaint, then you’ve recorded the information you need.
That is certainly a great
That is certainly a great example of someone reacting badly to having their poor driving called to attention.
Not a great example of policing or how to use the special powers conferred to an Officer in their authority over ordinary members of the public.
Unfortunately swearing, or sometimes just looking at someone in a slightly funny way, seems to be a get out of jail free card for any escalation to the initial incident.
Well done for making the effort to report, it may be a first incident and effectively left on file, it may be the one that breaks the camel’s back with respect to some action being taken.
“Youe were doing thirty…I
“You were doing thirty…I had to do thirty to catch up with you.” A paradox of relative motion worthy of Zeno himself! As the copper is “a cyclist myself” (prepared to bet some of his best friends are black too) he really ought to go in for racing, being able to catch people up whilst doing the same speed as them is a really useful trick.
The OP should consider racing
The OP should consider racing too, 30mph is not a bad lick, in the wet.
Sriracha wrote:
True, though Constitution Hill is a nice little descent to build up a good speed on, especially on Sundays when it’s closed to traffic, perfect tarmac and a 3-4% gradient at the top. Shame the officer is unaware of the law as it applies to cyclists and speed limits though.
23 you mean
23 you mean
Time is not consistent inside
Time and distance is not consistent inside the black hole that serves as this policeman’s mind…
Rendel Harris wrote:
Was the cyclist black? If so, definitely make a formal complaint – no way a white cyclist would be treated like that and another example of systemic racism.
It’s high risk but next time
It’s high risk but next time you get the ‘I’m a cyclist too’ from a police officer you could try the ‘What if I told you I was a police officer too?’ line. Note you aren’t claiming to be a police officer just asking what would happen if you were. I bet the tone of the conversation would change rather rapidly…
I wonder what would have
I wonder what would have happened if the cyclist had simply remained schtum throughout. Let the copper vent until he ran out of air, and then cycle off. I don’t suppose there would be anything the copper could do beyond deciding when to stop making a pratt of himself.
I’d have just said if you
I’d have just said if you cycle like you drive it’s no wonder so many people hate cyclists…
All added to the list of
All added to the list of things I wish I’d been quick-witted enough to say at the time but only came to me later. My slow-witted existence is probably safer, less black eye, trips in police cars filled than the quick-witted existence would be!
Again, as an American, I’m
Again, as an American, I’m confused here. Are English road rules different than those in the rest of the world where a vehicle going straight in the traffic lane has the right-of-way over a vehicle pulling into the lane at an uncontrolled intersection?
Doesn’t English law dictate the police vehicle in this case is obligated to yield to the oncoming traffic whether it is “accelerating” or not?
And I thought that Americans
And I thought that Americans didn’t do irony…
or sarcasm..
or sarcasm..
Indeed, but at least this
Indeed, but at least this copper on an ego trip didn’t have a gun to back up his ridiculous posturing.
wycombewheeler wrote:
“I am the law!”
Complete tosspot. Another
Complete tosspot. Another reason why I have zero respect for the police now, (and I used to be a police volunteer). I wouldnt give them the steam from my shit these days. Lazy, overpaid bullies.
Complete tosspot. Another
Complete tosspot. Another reason why I have zero respect for the police now, (and I used to be a police volunteer). I wouldnt give them the steam from my shit these days. Lazy, overpaid bullies
That’s the problem with biker phil- he’s too mealy mouthed! I mention this because I have just replied to a criticism of me for spouting bile about Lancashire Constabulary. Hint: bp sports a Red Rose.
Disclaimer: I haven’t been bullied by LC, just ignored.
What an arrogant piece of
What an arrogant piece of shit! Doesn’t deserve to wear that uniform. I wonder how many times he’s done that.
Reminds me of a similar
Reminds me of a similar cockwomble in uniform that overstepped his authority just to flex his ego on me while I was out walking.. unfortunately for him, I was a motorcycle cop off duty and the look on his face when I showed him my ID and asked for his Sergeants name, quite made my day.
Its another police clickbait
Its another police clickbait video from roadcc .
Admittedly the PC could get over himself but the roadcc video judges have decided that this represents everything about how this officer in his career and the entire metropolitan police operate.
So far what we can learn from these videos is that our roads are virtually constant anti cyclist warfare and police forces all ver the country are out of control hooligans (at least thats what the commenters tell me).
So you’re happy with that
So you’re happy with that policeman’s behaviour?
You don’t think behaviour like that ought to be shown up because “Its another police clickbait video from roadcc“?
Well alrighty then…
brooksby wrote:
I’m saying the whoe series is clickbait. It tells you nothing and gives a distorted sense of our roads. The fact this one us about police gives a distorted sense of policing.
Maybe you should file it
Maybe you should file it under just another ‘..ism’ that should be swept under the carpet as it disturbs your world view.
[/quote]
[/quote]
I’m saying the whoe series is clickbait. It tells you nothing and gives a distorted sense of our roads. The fact this one us about police gives a distorted sense of policing.
[/quote]
Actually, it is you that is distorted.
And,.so. If it is “clickbait” why did you click on it and read?
And you can’t deny that you didn’t because you responded.
No one has made a claim about
No one has made a claim about the met.
alexls summed up the problem with the officer – do you disagree with any of the 5 points made ?
hirsute wrote:
I dont need to .
You don’t need to what?
You don’t need to what?
Although you are not keen on answering questions about posts and claims you have made.
I dont need to agree or
I dont need to agree or disagree with any point made by someone else.
Erm – but you already have,
Erm – but you already have, by diving in and claiming NMOTD is mere clickbait.
(It is, technically, but IMO it’s more than that…).
Then why are you here? To
Then why are you here? To troll?
As much as I don’t agree with
As much as I don’t agree with some of his opinions, I don’t consider him a troll. Although he uses terms like ‘dog whistle’, ‘clickbait’ and ‘group think’ incorrectly, his opinions do seem to be genuine and consistent.
He’s always taken a minority
He’s always taken a minority stand and sometimes I have agreed with his view. When it comes to the police, I can only assume he has a vested interest.
Yeah, the way I see it, the
Yeah, the way I see it, the only thing that we should all be 100% agreed on is that cycling is great.
nicmason wrote:
One presumes you are/were a police officer, given your continual and rather desperate attempts to defend poor police behaviour in these pages?
We all know the police have a difficult and often thankless task to perform, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that far too many behave in the way shown in this video, wasting their time and that of others acting like school prefects drunk on power and abusing their authority to lord it over others. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the driver/cyclist behaviour (and I think any fair-minded person would agree the police driver was in the wrong), to chase and pull over the cyclist, using emergency lights, for no other reason than that the officer’s ego was bruised by being shouted at for his poor driving, is an abuse of public office and the powers invested in the police by the public. That’s rather a serious issue and should rightly be drawn to public attention, however much you might like to characterise it as “clickbait.”
Can you explain what you mean
Can you explain what you mean by ‘clickbait’ in this context?
Generally I see that term as applying to headlines or links – stories misleadingly described to seem more exciting than they are, so as to encourage someone to click on them. In this case you are applying it to actual content, which doesn’t make any sense to me, other than meaning “something people want to read/watch”.
Also, this doesn’t seem to be the best moment to start defending the behaviour of Metropolitan police officers.
Hey, you’re back, Fluffy!
Hey, you’re back, Fluffy! Welcome back 😀
That was poor driving and
That was poor driving and poor policing.
Has the footage been sent to the Standards & Complaints team? They ought to review both the officer’s driving (okay, I’ve seen worse – but I’ve shouted at less too), and the officer’s attitude. He was clearly up for arguing with the cyclist, despite being in the wrong.
Does that 20mph limit apply to cyclists at all? The vast majority of posted speed limits do not; it would be a pity if the police officer was wrong both in fact (as to the cyclist’s actual speed – although pulling out in front of a bike travelling at 30mph in the wet makes his actions even more questionable) AND in law (the 20mph limit not applying to bikes).
“Would you like to charge me with wanton & furious cycling, officer? Because I’ll bring a private prosection for driving without due care and attention, show the court the video from my cameras (didn’t you notice them?), and await the result with interest.”
Richard D wrote:
No. It’s a standard public road.