Impatient driver - punishment pass

[campbellab]

Someone needs retraining and/or sacking.

 

[Black Country Ste]

The officer is a keen cyclist himself and says that he will be ringing Bikeability to explain to them that teaching Primary is a silly idea. I'd love to be there for that conversation. According to the officer, I should be riding a foot from the kerb, where drivers expect cyclists to be, or in the case of that roundabout, the left side of my lane, by the dotted white line.

As Gaz said, this needs escalating. Plod's 'advice' there is wrong and dangerous.

 

[Kookas]

Surely it's not the job of the Police to enforce their idea of the law but the Law as it's written in books? They might think taking primary is a silly idea (even though it isn't), but that's none of their business and not something they should be dealing with in an official manner. If the cop wants to, he can campaign against it in his spare time (but he won't get anywhere because he's talking crap). :\

 

[glenn forger]

The copper's plain wrong. That's yet more ignorance about safe cycling, refer him to the IAM instructions about road positioning.

 

[CopperCyclist]

The coppers wrong, for all the reasons given already. That said, no one ever teaches us about 'primary' and the reasons behind it. I only learnt about it as a result of visiting here, after becoming a 'keen cyclist'.

 

[gambatte]

Last ‘keen cyclist’ copper I saw riding on their own time was pedalling towards me, past a red light, on the nearside pavement, past peds.
Personally, I’d pass this higher up the food chain. Ask his management if they’re happy that an officer is misinterpreting not only the law as regards your vocal reaction but also, due to his own opinion that nationally approved cycling standards are wrong, he’s giving out dangerous advice as to cycling.
(As he says thats how he cycles, suggest he’s put on a plod cycling course to save him from future injury?)

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Was left a bit bemused and angry after the phonecall, apparently Bikeability are silly for teaching primary etc.

So that cop thinks the guy's driving was acceptable?!

It's entirely your decision but I'd be bypassing that cop and asking to speak to someone who's prepared to deal with the dangerous behaviour of a motorist shaving past at speed. Ask to speak to his supervisor or to a real traffic cop, he's obviously an impostor.


GC

 

[benb]

Atrocious roundabout and junction, atrocious driving, and atrocious attitude from the police.

Would definitely escalate it if I were you.

 

[DWiggy]

Scary bit of road mate!

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

On what planet are cyclists taught to ride a foot from the kerb?
I was taught by Cycling Proficiency 35 years ago that three feet was normal.
This copper must have some seriously buckled wheels.

 

[Monkreadusuk]

(As he says thats how he cycles, suggest he’s put on a plod cycling course to save him from future injury?)

He's the plod cycling instructor :O

 

[glasgowcyclist]

He's the plod cycling instructor :O

Just when I thought nothing else about this idot would surprise me, this last one takes the biscuit.

Without doubt you have to bring this to the attention of senior management (but do so as a separate issue to your problem with the close pass). This cop is making serious errors of cycling judgement and will be putting people in dangerous situations until he is corrected or, preferably, removed as a cycling instructor.

GC

 

[Origamist]

As others have said, I think you need to flag this up at a more senior level. I'd couch it in terms of a "training and development" opportunity for the officer as he needs to understand the rationale behind taking a central lane position and by tackling a Bikeability course he will learn more about assertive riding. Whether anything happens, is another matter though...

He also needs to be made aware that riding one foot from the kerb is foolish and impractical. I'm not even sure I could safely cycle 12" from the kerb without coming a cropper - particularly if it's windy or you don't want to ride over drains, or slippery line markings when it's wet etc.

Oh, did he even mention the poor driving in the video?

Given the multi-lane layout and the speed of the traffic, I think you're going to have problems along that stretch from time to time, and no amount of primary position, 25mph+ riding and shoudler checks are going to stop idiots being idiots when confronted with a slower moving cyclist in the centre of the lane.

 

[gambatte]

REALLY makes me wonder where he got his qualifications to teach cycling? Was he taught or was it just a case of “Who gets on a bike?”

 

[glenn forger]

It's like a copper saying it's not illegal to park on a zebra if your hazards are on.