'Bike rage' highlighted as police target bad cyclists

[Matthames]

Just had a look at that junction on google earth, to be honest it looks a mess.

There is a cycle lane that turns into the road and seems to end at the junction, there is nothing to indicate that that section has a contraflow cycle lane in it. There is not enough information in that report to get a good picture of what exactly happened.

I suspect though that the lady did not see the cyclist as she was approaching the junction and may of cut across his path. She would have been oblivious to him as she was not expecting him to be there. If I was driving down that road I would be totally oblivious to the fact that there was a contraflow cycle lane there and would be surprised if I came across a cyclist riding the wrong way up the road. It is a complete farcility.
http://http//maps.google.co.uk/maps...X5JBM6yjatDn4OGXesN-uw&cbp=12,329.54,,0,12.71

 

[very-near]

Didn't Spindrift move to Cambridge last year ?

 

[Amanda P]

No. This is Cambridgeshire constabulary; you can turn up with video evidence like this and you STILL struggle to get them interested:

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx4GZIWbMtI


The reality is that the police here do not prioritise anything of benefit to cyclists.

Has no-one else mentioned that that taxi had your name on, Cab?

 

[Cab]

So you are ginger then?

Thankfully, no. But the auburn tint to my facial hair is why I never grow a beard...

 

[Cab]

Has no-one else mentioned that that taxi had your name on, Cab?

On the original footage you can see not just the numberplate, but the taxi licencing number and the face of the driver in the wing mirror. Plod who came to look at it decided that this was insufficient evidence to take action.

Take a report of being hit by a car in Cambridge to the station and they try hard to dissuade you from reporting it. Its shocking.

 

[Alien8]

Take a report of being hit by a car in Cambridge to the station and they try hard to dissuade you from reporting it. Its shocking.

To be fair, when a SMIDSY took me out last year the Cambridgeshire Constabulary were fine. A PC turned up at my home the next day to take a statement. They wrote to me to tell me what action they were taking (which in this case was to offer the driver the option of a retraining course at his expense or prosecution). And then they wrote to me again to tell me what the bloke had decided to do (surprise, surprise - he went for retraining).

The problem is that so many people generalise things - all cyclists are wan$ers, all motorists are wan$ers, all politicians (*) are scum of the earth etc.

(*) In the case of politicians this is obviously true.

 

[Cab]

Glad they helped you out Alien8.

I've experienced enough instances of Cambridge plod not giving a damn, and seen enough more, for it to be obvious that getting any kind of fair result for a cyclist is rare.

 

[BentMikey]

OTOH you're also rather good at hyperbole.

 

[Cab]

OTOH you're also rather good at hyperbole.

You think? I dunno. I'm excellent at counting.

I've heard of two occasions (Alien8 included) where Plod in Cambridge have handled incidents like this well. I've encountered dozens where they've handled them badly.

Its sad, but true, that Cambridgeshire Constabulary are not demonstrably any good at handling cyclist issues.

 

[GrasB]

It really does depend on the officers you get on the case. A friend of mine was knocked off their bike near a piece of traffic calming, in all fairness to the driver it was a case of look in 20 different directions at once. The first officer we were speaking to didn't really help much & tried to excuse the driver, however the next day we were seen by an officer from our local police station. The situation was a lot more positive from our point of view & resulted in the driver being charged with, & pleading guilty to, driving without due care & attention.

 

[ufkacbln]

Cambridge News 23 October

Yesterday, on a farm near Waterbeach, a donkey died.



Editor - "I hope you can get a better story on Monday, or you're fired"..

I've been to Waterbeach - that IS a big story!

 

[ComedyPilot]

They could run year round initiatives as far as I'm concerned, they wouldn't catch me doing anything wrong. I don't ride like a twerp, ride with no lights or RLJ.

 

[wafflycat]

No. This is Cambridgeshire constabulary; you can turn up with video evidence like this and you STILL struggle to get them interested:

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx4GZIWbMtI


The reality is that the police here do not prioritise anything of benefit to cyclists.

Speaking from personal experience on a non-cycling matter, Cambridgeshire Police are more useless than a chocolate teapot.

 

[purplepolly]

Speaking from personal experience on a non-cycling matter, Cambridgeshire Police are more useless than a chocolate teapot.

There's a chocolate shop near me that makes chocolate teacups and teaspoons. Very nice they are too. They haven't made any chocolate teapots yet, however I'm sure I would find one very useful

 

[semislickstick]

I liked the suggestion of confiscating cycles til you can nip along to the cop shop with your lights!

Is any one here going to be cycling in Cambridge on Wednesday when the tv crew will be about?