Hooray for PC Doyle

[Tinnishill]

BBC Scotland report

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-e ... e-39692147

[ChrisOntLancs]

this is the only solution imho and i applaud all the constabularies that have taken it up.

[Cyril Haearn]

It is earnestly to be hoped that the action will go a bit beyond *advice*

[thirdcrank]

With my emphasis provided, this is from the link in the OP.

Operation Close Pass is a welcome new initiative by Police Scotland to improve road safety.

Is that just coincidence, or a kind of "one man and his mat?"

For anybody thinking "What's he on about now?"
viewtopic.php?p=1107414#p1107414

[ChrisOntLancs]

the key is the cop's anonymity. after a big fuss the idea is that drivers will be more careful because there's always the chance it's the po-leese. the fuss (no puns) has to be big though.

[Cunobelin]

Is this the real answer?


In Portsmouth the Police warned 16 drivers in a 2 hour operation.

That is an incident every 7.5 minutes

That is the main issue.

Every 7 minutes a cyclist will suffer an overtake serious enough to require Police intervention

IT is that level of appalling driving that is the problem that needs to be identified and these drivers dealt with

[ian s]

No Cunobelin, it is not the real answer, but if it helps at all, then it will be useful. Anything that stops the drivers of some four (and more) wheeled vehicles treating cyclists as annoying dirt on the road must be useful

[thirdcrank]

AFAIK, the law in Scotland is different (as compared with England and Wales) in that there's a greater requirement for corroboration. Perhaps someone like irc can tell us whether it would need Bodie as well to achieve a conviction.

[ChrisButch]

Interesting to see that the Scots have their own mat design, which manages to do without the notorious '0.75m' bit on the nearside.

[thirdcrank]

Interesting to see that the Scots have their own mat design, which manages to do without the notorious '0.75m' bit on the nearside.

In case anyone didn't bother with the link, here's the mat. Can anybody explain for a simpleton like me the significance of the parentheses? (Which I see are called "curly brackets" on character map.) There's nothing to indicate scale, so does anybody know how much clearance is being specified?

[ChrisButch]

The mathematical use of curly brackets indicates a set. Does that get us any further? No - but possibly some devilish clever message that the cyclist and the cyclist's surrounding space are an inviolable unity, not to be penetrated...?
It's probably a good idea to dispense with WMP's measured distance of 1.5m, since I guess the average driver has only a hazy idea of how far 1.5m actually is. Indicating the space visually by reference to the (presumably) life-size bike symbol is perhaps more helpful in giving the driver a sense of scale, and perhaps works better with the actual mat than a photo of the mat. Just guessing...

[Lance Dopestrong]

Precious little information in the article with which to gauge the manner in which the operation is being run, and hence any potential effect on offending levels. A cautious welcome, but some more info would be nice.

[Tinnishill]

If you look at the BBC Scotland John Beattie radio show website for 24/04/2017, which you can find at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08m9151 and scroll through it to minute 9, you will find an interview with PC Doyle followed by a studio chat. Among his many talents, John Beattie is well known as a cycle commuter.

[thirdcrank]

If you look at the BBC Scotland John Beattie radio show website for 24/04/2017, which you can find at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08m9151 and scroll through it to minute 9, you will find an interview with PC Doyle followed by a studio chat. Among his many talents, John Beattie is well known as a cycle commuter.

Thanks for the link. I've just listened to the relevant bit. Congratulations to John Beattie for pressing PC Doyle on the details but keeping to the point. (Eg I think at one point the officer was a bit tongue-tied and got it the wrong way round and said something about reducing the distance between drivers and riders but it was obvious what he really meant was the opposite. ) I was pleased he pressed for detail rather than waffle. One thing that confused me a bit was several references to "today" as though this was a one-off, media-friendly thing.

From his accent, would anybody like to guess where PC Doyle originates? He doesn't sound like a local.

[MikeF]

From his accent, would anybody like to guess where PC Doyle originates? He doesn't sound like a local.

With apologies to anyone living there and as a complete southerner I would hazard a guess as slightly north of Manchester eg Bolton. I'm probably completely wrong, of course.