Increased police presence.

[Leodis]

What does their "general safety advice" consist of I wonder? Ride in the gutter? Be nice to your superiors, who can afford cars? Seriously, who provided the script? Any input from cycling organisation? Or is it made up as they go along? I'm not convinced PC's are expert in safety. PR exercise only. Although it would be nice to have comment from those who have now been "advised"!

Most have said it was very patronising.

 

[Davidsw8]

What does their "general safety advice" consist of I wonder? Ride in the gutter? Be nice to your superiors, who can afford cars? Seriously, who provided the script? Any input from cycling organisation? Or is it made up as they go along? I'm not convinced PC's are expert in safety. PR exercise only. Although it would be nice to have comment from those who have now been "advised"!

Oh dear, they can't win can they.

Tbh I think them just being here makes a difference regardless of who they speak to or what they say. Here's an example from yesterday...

Cycling up to Parliament Sq and I've had some nobber cyclist ride alongside all the way down Millbank cutting in, riding through peds on zebra crossings etc. Anyway, we both reach the red light at the same time, I stop at the line, he goes past the point where the peds cross and he stops. Why? Because a police van comes round the square on a green. 5 seconds after the van has passed and he's taken off with our light still red and he's mixing with the traffic that's still going round on green.

 

[Davidsw8]

Give over, they could have spent their time doing more of the same rather than patronising cyclists about what to wear. If a plod pulled me over and told me to wear HiViz I'd tell him to jog on.

So, you want them to focus solely on drivers and ignore every cyclist?

 

[Leodis]

So, you want them to focus solely on drivers and ignore every cyclist?

No, I want law breakers stopped, I don't want yet more victim blaming like good ol' Boris is doing right now. Passing blame on to cyclist for... Yep you guessed it wearing earphones... Nay god I give up.

I want anyone who breaks the law to be held liable, I don't want to be stopped and given a school lesson on how to make myself seen, isn't the point of a licence you have to observe other road users? Like I mentioned above, why don't they ban and remove car stereos, I am sure more people due each year from them than cyclists wearing earphones.

Its all smoke and mirrors, the real problem throughout the UK is that they are short sighted and lack the will to make real changes .

 

[Davidsw8]

No, I want law breakers stopped, I don't want yet more victim blaming like good ol' Boris is doing right now. Passing blame on to cyclist for... Yep you guessed it wearing earphones... Nay god I give up.

I want anyone who breaks the law to be held liable, I don't want to be stopped and given a school lesson on how to make myself seen, isn't the point of a licence you have to observe other road users? Like I mentioned above, why don't they ban and remove car stereos, I am sure more people due each year from them than cyclists wearing earphones.

Its all smoke and mirrors, the real problem throughout the UK is that they are short sighted and lack the will to make real changes .

Totally agree with you re: the law breakers but I think to ride around wearing black with no lights on is pretty dumb and I think the police are right to advise against the former and ticket the latter. You don't have to wear hi-viz but wearing black at night is beyond moronic.

 

[Leodis]

Totally agree with you re: the law breakers but I think to ride around wearing black with no lights on is pretty dumb and I think the police are right to advise against the former and ticket the latter. You don't have to wear hi-viz but wearing black at night is beyond moronic.

Yes I agree but there is a difference between a ped on a bike and a cyclist, the majority of peds on bikes wear dark clothes at night and use no lights, quite the opposite for cyclists.

 

[Davidsw8]

Yes I agree but there is a difference between a ped on a bike and a cyclist, the majority of peds on bikes wear dark clothes at night and use no lights, quite the opposite for cyclists.

Interesting distinction, hmmm....

I get the point re: Boris' comments on the headphones tho, what a berk! The amount of cabbies I see wearing headphone is mental, seems to be more wearing them than not.

 

[MichaelO]

Totally agree with you re: the law breakers but I think to ride around wearing black with no lights on is pretty dumb and I think the police are right to advise against the former and ticket the latter. You don't have to wear hi-viz but wearing black at night is beyond moronic.

My cycle wear today is predominantly black (granted, my bike is lit up like a Christmas tree). Not sure I fully understand why that's moronic.

 

[Davidsw8]

My cycle wear today is predominantly black (granted, my bike is lit up like a Christmas tree). Not sure I fully understand why that's moronic.

If your bike is lit up, then it isn't moronic, did I not mention lights AND clothing? The point is about being seen, if you're invisible, the chances of you getting hit are exponentially greater, no?

 

[ianrauk]

They're not focussing on helmets and hi-viz, they're giving general safety advice to everyone and clamping down on traffic offences when they see them. If you choose to ignore the advice, that's entirely your choice but the intention is good.

Actually they were....

When one of the coopers stopped me yesterday on my commute, the 2 things he did focus on was 1: Me not wearing a helmet 2: Me not wearing Hi-Viz.

..

 

[Davidsw8]

Actually they were....

When one of the coopers stopped me yesterday on my commute, the 2 things he did focus on was 1: Me not wearing a helmet 2: Me not wearing Hi-Viz.

..

lol that's very specifically about you though. Had you been driving an un-roadworthy HGV, they would have focused on that.

 

[Davidsw8]

[QUOTE 2777678, member: 259"]Oh yes it is![/quote]

By 'wrong' I mean illegal. It's not illegal to not wear a helmet (or did the law change?)

 

[ianrauk]

lol that's very specifically about you though. Had you been driving an un-roadworthy HGV, they would have focused on that.

They weren't focusing on HGV's they were focusing on cyclists not wearing helmets or in dark clothing...the copper told me so.

 

[Davidsw8]

They weren't focusing on HGV's they were focusing on cyclists not wearing helmets or in dark clothing...the copper told me so.

I cycled past a HGV being stopped and inspected by the Met on Albert Embankment about 9.10 yesterday morning.

Also, the Met website says:

"Over 70 lorries were stopped and checked by MPS Traffic Command officers on Vauxhall Bridge Road, Whitechapel Road and Albert Embankment in a road safety operation today (18 November).

In addition around 100 cyclists were stopped and given safety advice by officers from the MPS Safer Transport Command"

http://content.met.police.uk/News/Road-safety-operation-across-London/1400021177206/1257246745756

Maybe you were talking to someone from the MPS Safer Transport Command and he/she was just telling you about what their section was specifically doing. Bit silly of him/her not to give you the bigger picture though.

 

[Davidsw8]

[QUOTE 2777698, member: 259"]I meant it's wrong for the police to be wasting their valuable time telling people they should wear a helmet.[/quote]

Fair enough, I personally think it's advisable to wear a helmet but I accept not everyone feels the same.