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Essex Police to launch close pass operation

Force is already accepting helmet cam footage from cyclists

Details are relatively scant, but Essex Police have confirmed that they will be introducing a close pass operation later this year.

Gazette News reports that 46 people died in road traffic collisions in Essex in 2017, down from 64 deaths the year before, while 861 were left seriously injured, compared to 970 in 2016.

Adam Pipe, the force’s Casualty Reduction Manager, omitted cyclists when listing those most at risk: “Our most vulnerable road users are drivers and passengers aged between 17 and 25, motorcyclists, older drivers, and pedestrians and we will be focussing our engagement, enforcement and education work towards them."

However, he did say that 2018 would see the introduction of a close pass scheme, “to help protect cyclists and identify drivers putting cyclists in danger.”

Near Miss of the Day: Essex cyclist is squeezed by close-passing bus driver

The Extra Eyes initiative, from the Safer Essex Roads Partnership, also provides a simple method for all road users – including cyclists – to upload footage showing dangerous or illegal behaviour.

Most forces operating close pass operations have based their initiatives on the one pioneered by West Midlands Police.

The scheme involves plain clothes officers on bikes radioing ahead to uniformed colleagues to inform them of instances of poor driving.

When it was first announced, Cycling UK described it as “the best cyclist road safety initiative ever” and the charity has since crowdfunded a number of close pass mats for other forces with which officers can demonstrate safe passing distances to drivers.

The number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on West Midlands Roads fell by a fifth in the year after Operation Close Pass was introduced.

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9 comments

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cidermart | 6 years ago
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Going on past experience with reporting being assaulted and close passed whilst cycling in Essex, despite video evidence, I'll definitely not be holding my breath for the week at some point in 2018 that they run their initiative.

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fretters | 6 years ago
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according to rospa there were 102 cyclist killed in the uk in 2016 and the article above states 64 deaths in Essex alone!!!!

i think if 1 county is responsible for over 60% of the deaths of the country they need to prioritise the cyclists saftey a bit quicker  than that

Don't want to stereotype a county either, but, if the figures above are correct, then it shows a shocking state of driving and attitude towards cyclists it that area of the country. 

Avatar
Sniffer replied to fretters | 6 years ago
2 likes

fretters wrote:

according to rospa there were 102 cyclist killed in the uk in 2016 and the article above states 64 deaths in Essex alone!!!!

i think if 1 county is responsible for over 60% of the deaths of the country they need to prioritise the cyclists saftey a bit quicker  than that

Don't want to stereotype a county either, but, if the figures above are correct, then it shows a shocking state of driving and attitude towards cyclists it that area of the country. 

I think you have compared ROSPA cycling deaths with Essex all road traffic deaths.  That will be why the data looks odd.

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jollygoodvelo | 6 years ago
1 like

Later this year?  Ah well.  No rush, boys.  Take your time.

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aegisdesign | 6 years ago
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Ok, but what will they actually *do* with the footage given that this is how they performed recently...

 

http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/local/15781788.Driver_rapped_after_pu...

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A2thaJ | 6 years ago
1 like

There is a police force in Essex?

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Grahamd replied to A2thaJ | 6 years ago
1 like

A2thaJ wrote:

There is a police force in Essex?

Courtesy of Hot Fuzz

“We’re actually supposed to call it the service now, official vocab guidelines state that force is too aggressive”

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Grahamd | 6 years ago
0 likes

Hope they have plenty of blank tickets in readiness...

 

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scouser_andy | 6 years ago
1 like

They could fill their time just going up and down Epping New Road.

 

Close passes are nothing less than a sport for drivers on that strech of road.

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