The Lawless Streets of Swindon

[BSRU]

After correspondence with the local Police and the local council taxi licensing department I have surmised that Swindon roads are basically lawless.

The local Police will not do anything unless a collision occurs or the event is actually witnessed by a Police officer, unlikely in Swindon as I very rarely see standard Police, let alone traffic Police. It does not matter how dangerous or how reckless the driver is, they do not have to fear any reprisals from the law. Helmet camera footage is useless apparently because I could have edited the footage with my "Steven Spielberg Home Movie Evidence Faker version 8" program to make a taxi driver, I do not know, look bad, although it will have good production values with lots of T-Rex's and Terminators to make it visually more interesting.

Now the local council taxi licensing authority have told me they will not do anything unless the Police prosecute. They haven't even bothered to view the video's and if the taxi driver states nothing happened, they will take his word for it, at face value.

Hold the phone, but that means no-one will do anything until a large, heavy metal box driven by a so called "professional" driver collides with me and potentially causes serious injury or death.

It has seriously made me reconsider taking the risk of commuting on two wheels.

 

[magnatom]

Have you published the video for this? It would be worth seeing what the police aren't interested in.

 

[mark barker]

Swindon does have its fair share of muppet drivers, especially the pros! I'd be tempted to drop the Adver a line, they seem keen to represent the people of Swindon at the moment, and it'd be nice to see the police & taxi folks responses to the paper.

 

[BSRU]

Have you published the video for this? It would be worth seeing what the police aren't interested in.

The three I reported to the council, which they haven't watched:-

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxrnORI98Ug

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHq6M_9BJmc

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNAAiR9c-F8

 

[BSRU]

Swindon does have its fair share of muppet drivers, especially the pros! I'd be tempted to drop the Adver a line, they seem keen to represent the people of Swindon at the moment, and it'd be nice to see the police & taxi folks responses to the paper.

I did think about it but I am not sure I would want that sort of publicity, I have already had one nutter from Swindon on YouTube threaten to kill me. Also after the article about bus lanes, it is obvious there are people who vehemently hate cyclists.

I actually had the guy in charge of Swindon's traffic unit come to my house to explain why my helmet videos were apparently no good and why they were not going to waste Police time unless a collision actually occurs.

 

[AndyCarolan]

I did think about it but I am not sure I would want that sort of publicity, I have already had one nutter from Swindon on YouTube threaten to kill me. Also after the article about bus lanes, it is obvious there are people who vehemently hate cyclists.

I actually had the guy in charge of Swindon's traffic unit come to my house to explain why my helmet videos were apparently no good and why they were not going to waste Police time unless a collision actually occurs.

So using that mentality, any CCTV or camera footage is "no good" then?

 

[BSRU]

So using that mentality, any CCTV or camera footage is "no good" then?

I did ask about that but he sort of glossed over it indicating that professional installed CCTV was not the same as footage captured by the general public.

 

[magnatom]

I must admit looking at the 3 videos, I wouldn't have reported any of them If I reported incidents like that I would be on drinking terms with the duty Sergents!

In saying that, the comments made by the police are very poor. My video evidence (of a much more serious incident, mind you), had resulted in the driver being charged. That charge is based solely on my word and the video evidence. Basically they don't think the incidents are serious enough to follow up. I have to say I tend to agree with that.

As for the death threats on youtube, I wouldn't worry about them I get them on a near daily basis. Internet hard men, that's all. Quite a few times I have offered to meet them. Funnily enough no-one has taken me up on that offer!

 

[AndyCarolan]

I did ask about that but he sort of glossed over it indicating that professional installed CCTV was not the same as footage captured by the general public.

sounds like nothing more than a poor excuse doesn't it lol

Also begs the question that when an accident occurs and the poilice ask for (and put signs up requesting) witnesses... why is that testimony acceptable but camera footage isnt?

 

[BSRU]

sounds like nothing more than a poor excuse doesn't it lol

Also begs the question that when an accident occurs and the police ask for (and put signs up requesting) witnesses... why is that testimony acceptable but camera footage isnt?

It's a mystery to me as it is well documented that eye witness testimony can be very different to what actually happened.

 

[upsidedown]

Take some comfort from the fact that it's not just in Swindon that the police won't do anything. West Midlands and West Mercia are similarly inept.

 

[nigelb]

Also begs the question that when an accident occurs and the poilice ask for (and put signs up requesting) witnesses... why is that testimony acceptable but camera footage isnt?

Well, the rules change once someone has actually died ...

 

[BSRU]

I must admit looking at the 3 videos, I wouldn't have reported any of them If I reported incidents like that I would be on drinking terms with the duty Sergents!

In saying that, the comments made by the police are very poor. My video evidence (of a much more serious incident, mind you), had resulted in the driver being charged. That charge is based solely on my word and the video evidence. Basically they don't think the incidents are serious enough to follow up. I have to say I tend to agree with that.

As for the death threats on youtube, I wouldn't worry about them I get them on a near daily basis. Internet hard men, that's all. Quite a few times I have offered to meet them. Funnily enough no-one has taken me up on that offer!

I only reported one of them to the Police but all three to the council. The one I reported to the Police definitely put me in severe danger but maybe it does not look as bad in the video. I reported them to the council not hoping for any sort of prosecution just a telling off or being told to be more considerate, they could have been alot worse if I did not have the experience to handle them. To be honest I did not expect any prosecution from the Police, just to log it as a statistic to show the roads are not as safe as they assume

The death threat on YouTube turned out OK in the end as the numpty used his real name as login name, a little bit of Google and I found his address, rode past to see the company van in the video parked outside his house. He went away once I posted his address in my reply.

 

[BSRU]

Take some comfort from the fact that it's not just in Swindon that the police won't do anything. West Midlands and West Mercia are similarly inept.

It's probably a U.K. wide ineptness.

Made worse by the instances of drivers getting a slapped wrist when they actually do manage to kill someone.

 

[4F]

The death threat on YouTube turned out OK in the end as the numpty used his real name as login name, a little bit of Google and I found his address, rode past to see the company van in the video parked outside his house. He went away once I posted his address in my reply.

hahaha what a div