“I get a call telling me that I did something wrong”: Cyclists share Operation SNAP experiences; Could an EU ban prevent illegal bike battery kits coming to the UK? Leading body calls for action + more on the live blog
Operation SNAP falters
What feedback do you get from your local close-pass reporting portal? Mine always says “Thanks. Due to data protection blah blah, you’re never going to hear anything else”
by
u/aa599 in
ukbike
We do quite a bit of reporting on Operation SNAP, and the inactivity that seems to surround the operation in pockets of the country.
> Police receive record number of camera submissions in 2025… most of them from cyclists (again)
But our coverage tends to focus on one force at a time, meaning we don’t tend to get a sense of things across the country. Unfortunately, the above post has provided us with ample anecdotal evidence that all is not well…
“In Greater Manchester they will tell you if it’s no further action, a warning letter or sent to the ticket office, oh and don’t call me Shirley.”
“Thames Valley Police in my area. 95% of the time I never hear anything else. 4% of the time I get a paper letter telling me the driver completed a course. 1% of the time I get a call from a nice bloke called Eddie telling me that I did something wrong in the video and to please not do that.
“For example Eddie always calls me when I use the phrases ‘6 points and a fine’, or ‘we’ll see what the magistrates say’.
“I have never heard back on any mobile phone reports I have done except when Eddie mentions that his next job is to call them and tell them off or that they are getting a warning letter. I am disappointed that I have never heard directly from TVP about any FPNs, warning letters or convictions for mobile reports. I hope that is because TVP are so pressed for time they can’t send an email, but since they do take the trouble to send letters letting me know about lesser results for lesser crimes I can’t be sure. But I suspect that TVP only do warning letters for basically any phone reports. Sad.”
“Submitted one [to] Surrey Police. They responded the following day [saying] “we are satisfied that it is necessary to proceed with the matter. Please ensure that you keep the original footage of the incident for the next 12 months.”
“No reference number, no indication of what action they might take. That was over a year ago and I never heard anything more about it. So what actually happened is anybody’s guess.
“I later submitted video from my car dashcam via the same route. This showed some insane driving on the M25 by an allegedly “professional” driver (a taxi) I didn’t even receive an acknowledgement of that one.”
But for all of those failures of communication as much as action, some forces seem to be doing ok…
“In Lancashire I get a message saying whether or not action is being taken, and in one case where the driver ended up in court the police contacted me for a witness statement. Here at least “Operation Snap” seems to lead to actual enforcement.”
“West Mercia usually reply the next working day saying they’ve reviewed the footage and the driver will be paying for a place on a course or being given points. Before Operation Snap we also had a local constable who was against antisocial driving.”
“In Northants they send an email confirming the report and give you an ID number, you can then download the spreadsheet at the end of the month from and look up your report ID”
As ever, hit and miss…
DAS-Hutchinson to fold
Some unfortunate news to bring you regarding the British Continental scene. DAS-Hutchinson, a mainstay of the women’s domestic scene, are to fold at the end of 2026.
In a statement, the team said: “The landscape of international cycling continues to evolve and the cost of operating a competitive UCI Continental programme has risen significantly, particularly through the increasing costs associated with European racing and travel.
“Despite the fantastic backing of our partners, maintaining the programme at the standard we believe our riders and staff deserve has become increasingly difficult.”
Despite the Continental team’s closure, the team will continue its OnForm development programme to support young riders and provide opportunities for the next generation. The team say they are “extremely proud that this pathway will remain in place and continue the ethos on which the original team was founded.”
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Co-owner of DAS-Hutchinson Simon Howes said, “It’s been an incredible journey. When we first started Team OnForm, we never imagined where it would take us, the races we would compete in, the results we would achieve or the number of brilliant people we would meet along the way. Above all, I’m proud of the opportunities we have been able to give riders.
“Seeing athletes come through the programme, develop with us and go on to take the next steps in their careers has always meant more than any individual result. Teams like this are such an important part of the pathway in women’s cycling. They give riders the chance to learn, race internationally, gain experience and show what they are capable of.
“It has been an incredibly difficult decision to bring the Continental programme to an end, but now feels like the right time. I’m enormously proud of what we have built and hugely grateful to every rider, member of staff, volunteer, sponsor, partner and supporter who has played a part in it.”
The team’s closure also mimics wider struggles the British domestic scene has faced in recent years, with several men’s teams also closing and pivoting towards junior development. We covered this trend on the latest episode of the road.cc podcast…
Regulation regulation regulation
Boardman spotted
Lovely bit of footage of the active travel supremo out championing walking, wheeling and cycling.
The Abbey Road scheme in Cumbria sees new active travel lanes created within existing wide pavements, providing cyclists and pedestrians their own safe space separate from motorists. The cycle lanes run behind the bus stops, with mini ‘zebra crossings’ provided for pedestrians to access public transport.
All junctions along the route have also been upgraded, with more convenient crossing points for pedestrians and cyclists included and improved lighting installed along route.
Here’s the Olympic blokes words of endorsement, describing the Abbey Road scheme as “a great example of quality active travel schemes serving as a catalyst for regeneration. Giving people the option to walk, wheel or cycle to the places they need to be is central to developing healthier, better-connected communities.
“This scheme shows exactly what’s possible when local voices help shape the design from the outset. It’s brilliant to see this kind of investment sitting alongside the wider ambitions of Team Barrow, and it will play a huge role in allowing more people in the town to make walking, wheeling and cycling part of their everyday journeys.”
Lovely stuff…
A legal fightback?
The story of illegal bikes isn’t going away. Every day, our social media feeds show us footage of riders using dangerously modified machines, sometimes acting illegally. In fact, as per the law, unless they’re on private land and have the permission of the landowner, they almost certainly are riding them illegally.
Illegal e-motorbikes seized by Merseyside Police (Image Credit: Merseyside Police)
For many months, public concern over illegal bikes has led to a conflation in the minds of the public between these bikes and legal e-bikes. It’s led to all manner of confusion among local authorities and has been starting to irritate the industry.
In the UK, industry efforts in recent months have focused on helping the public identify when an e-bike is legal, with ‘E-Bike Positive’ trust tags used by legal, trustworthy retailers.
That’s good, but it has certain limitations. If you don’t buy a bike in-person, you might not see the tags or posters. It’s also hard to say if many people not in the know about the tags are aware about what these tags actually mean. Do people need to be told that one product is not road legal as well as that another product is?
The ideal solution would be to ban the sale of non-road legal bikes, which is a rather difficult circle to square, what with many bikes being imported from all over the world, in particular China. Still, the bike industry are calling on the European Union to give it a go…
The European Cycling Industres (ECI) business association has this week launched a “Manifesto for a Safe and Compliant European E-bike Market”. I suspect Henry will go into a little more detail on the manifesto in his e-bike round-up a little later today. But to summarise, they are calling for the EU to ban the sale of e-bike tampering kits and beef up its present legal action against non-road legal bikes. They also want a database to examine the link between these machines and road safety.
The elephant in the room from our perspective is that the UK is no longer in the EU, without a say in this matter. However, the EU has been historically vigilant in the areas of consumer protection, and many of the key stakeholders within the ECI also operate in the UK, such as Amazon, Bosch, Dott, Giant, Shimano and Trek. There are also some UK-specific signatories to the proposal including the Bicycle Association and Bike Innovation Scotland, likely hoping for some regulatory alignment with the EU in this area.
Could this be the start of some legal fightback? I’m afraid we’ll have to wait and see…
Killed without consequence
Tight border controls? In America?
As my fellow journalist from another place, Lukas Knöfler, has observed, EU citizens don’t know how good they’ve got it in the Schengen zone.
View this post on Instagram
Out on a training ride for the world championships, Tiesj Benoot and Quentin Hermans ended up riding towards the US border, where they were unexpectedly stopped for several hours, due to not having the relevant travel authorisation to cross the border.
“They were stopped because they hadn’t filled in an ESTA beforehand,” teammate Alec Segaert explained on the Vals Plat podcast. “You need one even when you cross by bike.”
“The customs officers weren’t exactly amused. “It was a really small crossing. During the two or three hours they were there, hardly any cars came through.
“They were kept there for a few hours and had to fill in all kinds of documents. In the end they weren’t allowed to ride another metre and had to turn back to Canada. They weren’t smuggling anything. But apparently they had to check they weren’t part of a cartel or something like that.”
A rather unfortunate, though also maybe unsurprising outcome. Mind you, as Laurens ten Dam and Thomas Dekker discovered, the US maybe doesn’t have the best legal environment for cyclists to navigate…
A rubbish manoeuvre
Kudos to Mr Blackbird for the best comment on this whole shebang…
British transfer news!
Wow! Mark Donovan, after a few years at Pinarello-Q36.5, has signed for Visma Lease a bike. Congrats to him, a fantastic move!
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The 27-year-old Penrith man came through the WIGGINS team before signing for Sunweb in 2020. After moving to Q36.5 in 2023, he took his first pro win at the Sibiu Cycling Tour in Romania and also racked up several top-10s in stage races, including 4th at the Tour of Britain in 2024.
The one downside of the move is that, like soon-to-be teammate Owain Doull, a move to Visma makes an appearance at next year’s Tour de France significantly less likely. The race heads through Lancashire on Stage 2, but Donovan and Doull might have a challenge competing for a spot with a team that could already be juggling the GC ambitions of Jonas Vingegaard and the sprinting hopes of Matty Brennan.
Thankfully for them, both men have ridden and completed the Tour de France before.
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Brandon gets his flowers...
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Pleasingly, Colnago have not just rebadged Tadej Pogacar’s rainbow-striped bike and have put their own special touches on McNulty’s machine…
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I can't remember too many reviews of their bikes from their home country's well known media/channels. Yet they flood timelines with yet another WT race bike for £10K........The British cycling media don't do enough to support home businesses - yet lap up the big companies. Not good enough.......
I quite enjoyed the article, not too weighed down with' technological advances' that are imo ruining the road riding scene, making it all about the cash. The best line is there are no rules....just enjoy it, or stick with what you know. Personally its taken me back to the early 90s xc trails I rode as a teenager, just fantastic.
Carefully setting a low bar for yourselves to clear there, I see. 😉
This seems a little unfair Jo! You clearly ripped off AI and didn't give it any credit ;) You can't have your cake and eat it.
⁴I know this is ROAD cc but a huge shout out for Cam Mason for pure dogged determination. ( and enormous skill of course)Well done!!
Without much bias......this is a great jacket. Much....
Good effort by all concerned! But for entertaining and evocative mental images of barmy events it can't exceed one of a competitor battling on in the Netherlands Headwind Cycling Championship
Class, love the joy. Hope you beat Lisa Simpson
Top tip. If you are racing cyclo-cross at night, it is better to dress as a tawny or barn owl, or if you need to get more aero, a nightjar.
"tree routes"? or "three roots"? Both in an Irish accent...
11 thoughts on ““I get a call telling me that I did something wrong”: Cyclists share Operation SNAP experiences; Could an EU ban prevent illegal bike battery kits coming to the UK? Leading body calls for action + more on the live blog”
Belgium team lucky ICE didn’t detain them indefinitely
@lesterama Belgium team lucky ICE didn’t shoot them
Re : Operation Snap.
The State treats cyclists suffering a nearmiss as the witness to an offence, the State being the victim. IMO this is one of the main issues that cyclists need to campaign against. Remember when indecent exposure was seen as a victimless crime ; you’d witnessed bad behaviour. Now I can use this comparison because as a 13 year-old boy living right next to Cliffe Castle Park , in Keighley, I was regularly flashed at . I ran away and was deeply distressed/disturbed by the behaviour witnessed. I’d say I was the victim of a crime but that’s not how it was back then (>40 years ago) and that’s how it is now for cyclists. Only concerted effort will change things. Let’s start a letter writing campaign to our MPs. We could post the answers on the forum. A bet it’s already happened.
@VIPcyclist The State treats cyclists suffering a nearmiss as the witness to an offence, the State being the victim. IMO this is one of the main issues that cyclists need to campaign against
Too right! But for ‘State’ read ‘police’
ttps://upride.cc/incident/4148vz_travellerschoicecoach_closepass/
The police have fought for 4 1/2 years to prevent me finding out what they did about this incident, after they claimed they were taking action. They’re presently fighting against me finding out as a ‘victim’, and it’s presently at the determinedly anti-freedom-of-information Information Commissioner, which is on a go-slow dodge at the moment. It’s obvious from the time and expense the police are desperate to expend in denying the information that they did either nothing at all, or sent the joke advice letter for the public service vehicle driver to ignore. My worry was ‘what do I do if the police just lie about it?’
Up until about 5 years ago, I had very mixed information from Warwickshire Police’s OpSnap. Then it changed. I now get a response to every submission. I have had follow up calls asking if I am available should a prosecution go to court. I have had feedback on some of my interactions with the drivers. (Do not engage)
Best though is that the reviewing officer has said that it is his job to update me on any cases I wish to follow up.
I even started keeping a record of NFAs, warning letters and NIPs.
If I had to fill in one of those annoying surveys, I would recommend Warwickshire Police’s OpSnap.
@ttudge I now get a response to every submission. I have had follow up calls asking if I am available should a prosecution go to court
Excellent. Well done Warwickshire Police, from somebody in Lancashire where where there is never any response to any submission and nobody has ever been prosecuted for any non-contact offence against a cyclist. Do you have any example of an offence where there’s an online video and it went to prosecution, and what the outcome was? Or even one where there was a proper penalty and the ‘Reviewing Officer’ told you the outcome by email or letter. This is the sort of incident I mean for online video (insert ‘h’ at the beginning of URL)
ttps://upride.cc/incident/sk19evu_stagecoach42_closepass/
@wtjs
I don’t have any online at the moment, I do have them kept for if they were required for prosecution. I also do have some feedback regarding outcomes, but will need some time to find this and put the relevant videos on YT.
The email I received has embedded images, so I shall only be able to share a screenshot of that. (How do I add a photo?)
There are 3 cases in the email, I have uploaded them.
URLs sans h are:
ttps://youtu.be/sY9Fn22WT6o – KS15GUC
ttps://youtu.be/wn5JSCBm3u8 – BT23SGX
ttps://youtu.be/gGrU-csLTMw – KY23FZC
“In Lancashire I get a message saying whether or not action is being taken, and in one case where the driver ended up in court the police contacted me for a witness statement. Here at least “Operation Snap” seems to lead to actual enforcement.”
This statement has definitely been chosen to wind up a certain, Lancashire based cyclist.
@NotNigel This statement has definitely been chosen to wind up a certain, Lancashire based cyclist
Doesn’t wind me up, as it’s clearly fiction from either a contributor, or from road.cc staff having a laugh. It’s easy to prove a positive- the successful Lancashire (or anywhere else, I’m always asking but they never reply} submitter sends the link to the online offence video and the letter from the police stating the penalty that’s more than the joke letter or course, or the result of the court case. I’m still waiting. Conversely, its very difficult to prove the negative that the police have done sod all. But, they haven’t
I only report on Avon & Somerset now, as they at least respond 90% of time, so I feel like it is worth it.
I might see something outrageous in Wiltshire or TVP, but have learned it is a waste of my time.
The general vibe is third party reporting is very under resourced.
I actually got to chat with an officer (metropolitan police) just a few weeks ago about reporting near misses. He was chatty so told me loads as he used to work on the road safety unit in London. Unfortunately I didn’t make notes or record the conversation – but he may have stopped talking at that point. Anyway, no surprise, it’s all to do with resources. I.e. there are none – it’s been stripped to the bone. As we were chatting illegal e-motorbikes were zipping past. What about those? I asked. Unless they are committing another offence – like going through a red light or stealing a phone we are told to ignore them. Otherwise, in London, we would never get further than 10 meters from the station before having to return to file a report.
Other ‘horror stories’ he told me were things like the RSU having 6 officers to cover the whole of London! These are the officers who check for illegal private vehicles (no tax, insurance etc) Although he did say that ANPR does a lot of checking and prosecution. But only if they can find the legal owner, I pointed out. A real officer could make an arrest.