West Midlands Police say they are to develop a training package so that other forces can easily adopt their much-lauded close pass initiative.
Announced last month, the scheme involves a traffic officer riding the most vulnerable locations for cyclists looking to instantly act upon close passes, distracted driving and other offences. When passed too close, the cycling officer lets a colleague up the road know and the motorist is stopped.
Camden police have already said that they will copy the initiative and the Camden New Journal reports that unlike officers in the West Midlands, their operation has been given no additional funding by the Met. Instead, it is being fitted in around the Safer Neighbourhoods Team’s other commitments.
The Camden operation, which lasts for around two hours, is being run once a week at the tail end of the morning rush hour.
The two forces have been in touch and West Midlands Police have said that they are keen for others to follow suit and will be doing everything they can to help out.
@beztweets @MPSCamden @MPSCamdenTnSgt We're going to develop a training type package hopefully so other forces can just "pick it up & go"
— CMPG – Road Policing (@Trafficwmp) October 6, 2016
12 thoughts on “West Midlands Police to offer “training package” to other forces looking to run close pass operation”
Yeah, seems like spreading
Yeah, seems like spreading best practice to me. I do hope other forces might start caring about cyclist safety.
FFS can we please stop this
FFS can we please stop this common sense /fact based approach to policing?
We are in danger of making the road safer!!!!!
WMP really stepping up to the
WMP really stepping up to the plate. Impressive have to admit
I hope Avon & Somerset police
I hope Avon & Somerset police will join in with this.
I’ve just submitted a crime report for a close/punishment pass from a White Audi KP63 DHO – wonder if they’ll be able to use my video evidence.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Ha! I doubt it. I’ve been trying for two years now to get them to do something about the boy racers on their scooters and the fat dockers on their *big* motorcycles who think they’re allowed to use the cycle path over the Avonmouth motorway bridge…
Have I died and gone to
Have I died and gone to heaven?
Any news on how many they’ve
Any news on how many they’ve caught yet?
I really like the sound of what they are doing, but it needs to not be a one-off exercise
Hoping Surrey Police book themselves in for a training session.
Dunno. This says 38 over the
Dunno. This says 38 over the summer, by mid Sept.
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/west-midlands-police-prosecute-drivers-11902272
Think road.cc reported a figure recently too.
I’m all for the program to
I’m all for the program to educate drivers about safe passing distances.
I will comment that the graphic showing 0.75 meters distance from the centerline of the bicycle is misleading and the notion behind it is part of the problem. Cyclists are always weaving back and forth to avoid the many obstacles in the road, from potholes and broken pavement to shattered glass. Everyone needs to be educated that the cyclist needs space to mauever – that any overtaking vehicle (or bicycle for that matter) has to give the cyclist being overtaken enough room to avoid normal road hazards.
I popped into the centre of
I popped into the centre of Glasgow this afternoon and wished I was one of these bike cops.
I was nearly hit twice, had a further two close passes plus a deliberate punishment pass from a private hire that 10 seconds earlier only just missed me when he raced me to the junction joining the road I was already on. The junction is followed immediately by a pinch point so my combined evasive action/taking primary was obviously seen as a red rag to a bull.
I ride this route every day and I’ve never had this level of fuckwittery to deal with in such a short space of time.
I have to admit I was very close to completely losing my shit and doing someone or something significant damage.
As the princess sang… let
As the princess sang… let it go. Sail merrily on your way, enjoy the sunshine, feel good about yourself, think of them sat at home gradually dying of heart disease.
And when you manage to do this tell me how. This morning in London was “I’m stuck in traffic so I’ll drive along in the gutter” day. Apparently I’m a batty boy. How quaint. 😀
jollygoodvelo wrote:
You should have reported them because, that, right there, is definitely counted as a hate crime.