[Andrewbanshee]

I have been cycling to work for 3 years now and have never had a problem before. We have changing rooms with lockers and decent shower too, plus a radiator for drying towels. So sounds perfect right?

My workplace is situated on a massive Science Park, Loughborough. There is a blue cycle lane painted on the approach, shared path, to the security barriers. I do not need to use the barriers. The lane disappears for about 100 metres amd a sign is up saying to dismount. The blue cycle lane reappears within the site carpark, 10mph speed limit, and a cycle shed, sheffield stands, about 300 metres from the carpark entrance.

All well and good I hear you say.

Well until someone tried to run me off the road whilst approahing the science park,  and as luck would have it, they worked on site too, but at a different company. They continued to harrass me, tailgate me and swerve at me within the sites carpark.

I put in a formal complaint and submitted a photograph of the vehicle and a request to view the video footage wss sent by the HR dept. Okay procedure being followed.

This morning I was approached by security and told that all cyclists have to dismount at the gate and walk their bikes to the bike shed! I managed to speak with someoneI know who also cycles and they were told that it was due to an incident on site!

So tell me, is this the most crazy way for site security to deal with this situation?

Topic

[Andrewbanshee]

Update.
Update.
An email was sent to all employees informing them that if they cycled they had to push their biked from the gate to the carpark.
This p*ssed me off.
I kept contacting HR about my complaint with the response that they would get back to me.
I eventually got a response that;
The person was interviewed and was shown my statement (this really annoyed me), and after the video evidence was discussed, the matter was dealt with.
This took well over a month.
I requested a meeting with HR and explained to them that the actual incident hasn’t been addressed. They haven’t sent an email stating that people driving had to drive with consideration and below the 10mph limit.
Most people exceed this.
I was also prehonest about the impact on my mental health. My work and home life.
I got an apology and a promise that they would address the anomaly which they agreed that they hadn’t addressed.
This was over a month ago.

Unfortunately I am like a dog with a bone but I know it is essentially pointless.

The site has burned all the cycle symbols off the pavements so they are willing to put that effort in. Obviously to the detriment of anyone cycling.

[PRSboy]

It would be unfortunate were

It would be unfortunate were he to return to his car on Friday afternoon to find it had four flat tyres.

[jh2727]

> “I’d be careful with HR.”

> “I’d be careful with HR.”

Another approach, would be to be clear with HR that he was assaulted, and report the matter to the police.

[HoarseMann]

I’d be careful with HR. It’s

I’d be careful with HR. It’s unlikely they’ll see a driver using his car as a weapon for what it really is. Had they brandished a knife at you or even said something naughty on social media, I’m sure HR would be all over it. But when cars are involved, there’s not the same level of enthusiasm to discipline the employee. In fact, you might end up being labelled a trouble maker and unfairly targeted yourself, just for wanting a safe environment to cycle to work.

You could try your luck obtaining CCTV, but for allegations of careless/dangerous driving, there is a 14-day time limit. Generally, the police need your statement and the evidence within 10 days of the incident.

I suggest you arm yourself with a bike camera, so should this happen again, you can go straight to the police and not involve the employer. In my experience, most employers are primarily concerned about the business, the safety and wellbeing of staff plays second fiddle.

[chrisonabike]

Probably a Very Important

Probably a Very Important Person.  Doesn’t correlate exactly with their actual position / rank of course.  But their time is precious!  Almost as precious as their status which is why your guy proceeded to waste his own time giving you grief.

Good luck with HR…

[Andrewbanshee]

HoarseMann wrote:

I think you’ll find someone in security or HR either knows this driver, or is particularly hateful towards cyclists.

I would probably go with the latter tbh

[Andrewbanshee]

Also, I haven’t had any

Also, I haven’t had any feedback whatsoever from the reported incident. I have contacted HR agan though and did mention that the site was no longer cycle friendly, which it purports to be, and also it makes a mockery of the companies cycle-to-work scheme if people can’t actually cycle to work without having to walk their bikes. 

[Andrewbanshee]

The incident occurred on a

The incident occurred on a dead straight road about 750 metres long, and delivers anyone striaght to my workplace. There’s a pinch point and it was here were the driver decided to try and barrel their way past me forcing me to take evasive action and brake sharply. I called out ‘What the hell are you doing’ which obviously hurt the driver who was obviously urgently needed at work to even consider my life as being important.

What followed was the driver brake checking me, swerving around the lane, and driving extrtemely slowly. I told him to f off and leave me alone. He put his left indicator on to apparently scare me. Tbh it would have been nice to have had a word with him but unfortunately his urgent matter sprung back into his mind. I continued to follow him and was surprised when he drove straight onto the site and I think it surprised him too when I passed him on the cycle lane and entered the carpark before him.

This is where it got interesting. He decided to tailgate me and swerve at me as I cycled through the carpark on the cycle lane. Again I told him to f off at which point he drove beside me and asked ‘what have I done wrong’? You couldn’t make it up.

He parked in full view of the cycle shed so I took a photo of his car with him inside on his mobile, probably trying to complain. I called out to him that he is getting reported.

Because of this people cycling on site have to push their bikes which will obviously keep them safe from nutters. I will of course push my bike, but on the road because I want to be visible to drivers who all obey the 10mph instruction of course.

 

[matthewn5]

Motornormativity. See Ian

Motornormativity. See Ian Walker’s new paper, precis here: https://twitter.com/ianwalker/status/1615248156186247169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1615248156186247169%7Ctwgr%5E4f832039a7affb05ecda16ddad28d2c6e3e13d38%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencetimes.com%2Farticles%2F42160%2F20230201%2Fbreaking-down-motornormativity-uncovering-bias-behind-car-culture-driving-study.htm

[NOtotheEU]

I used to cycle off site at

I used to cycle off site at the end of my shift through the lorry exit as my bike was locked up next to it and there was a give way sign for drivers leaving the car park so lorries (and me) had right of way. The cars leaving the car park would drive at about 10mph in a long line completely ignoring the give way (for me and the lorries) so I would just cycle straight out and merge into whatever gap was closest.

A couple of car drivers complained to me so I pointed out that there was a give way sign which they didn’t even know was there. They then complained to the health and safety manager who decided cyclists had to use the heavy card controlled security gate which is the pedestrian entrance in future. I pointed out the give way sign and the fact that you can’t reach the pedestrian entry easily from the road (high kerb and bushes) and when leaving you join the road on the wrong side of the entrance with cars and lorries turning both ways and he said I should ride onto the industrial estate on the pavement.

I gave up and now leave site through the ped gate but still ride onto site through the lorry entrance which doesn’t bother any car drivers so no one cares.

Our ex colleague who died after being knocked off his bicycle in a hit and run last week has certainly hit home with a lot of drivers though which is a tiny positive in an otherwise thoroughly depressing situation.

[HoarseMann]

I think you’ll find someone

I think you’ll find someone in security or HR either knows this driver, or is particularly hateful towards cyclists.

[Secret_squirrel]

What about the actual

What about the actual incident?  Any feed back on the driver behaviour?

[Author]

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