ADVICE FOR CYCLISTS (from an employer)

[jollytiddlywink]

Hmm......my last three employers

1. 2011 Local Government; I was forced to buy a car for the second time in 15 years, rather than use the bus / bike to get to work and around (I had a 1.5 mile cycle journey while at work, on a flat road with near perfect visibility, which was considered too far and unsafe to cycle, a car had to be used). There was shock, when as a senior officer I used a "scrap" car for five years I.e. cheaper than my £500 bike

...

Do you mind if I ask how a local government compelled you to buy a car? Did they refuse to let you on site each day if you arrived on a bike/carrying a bus ticket? Or have I mis-read this, and the 1.5 mile journey was undertaken during the working day?

[Vorpal]

Hmm......my last three employers

1. 2011 Local Government; I was forced to buy a car for the second time in 15 years, rather than use the bus / bike to get to work and around (I had a 1.5 mile cycle journey while at work, on a flat road with near perfect visibility, which was considered too far and unsafe to cycle, a car had to be used). There was shock, when as a senior officer I used a "scrap" car for five years I.e. cheaper than my £500 bike

...

Do you mind if I ask how a local government compelled you to buy a car? Did they refuse to let you on site each day if you arrived on a bike/carrying a bus ticket? Or have I mis-read this, and the 1.5 mile journey was undertaken during the working day?

As I understand it, he had to make the journey during working hours, for business, and they did not permit him to use a pedal cycle.

[Cyril Haearn]

No need to spend money encouraging cycling

Better to discourage motoring

Enforcing the traffic law for motons makes money, plenty will lose their licences

Less motoring is not the same as more cycling mind, I do not want even more people cycling

Gawd! He's 'aving a go at the motorists!! (I honestly can't see the Govt ever actively discouraging motoring, because certain media outlets would go after them like ... I don't know: some really vicious bitey thing in a bad mood ("war on ythe motorists" and all that)).

I am sure I have seen headlines about a war against motorists, +99! Not sure in which newspaper, mind, but if it is printed black on white, must there be some truth there?

Heard my colleagues talking about safety cameras a few times. One said
- the first thing I do when I wake up is to check in the www where the cameras are today..

I am wondering how I could join in the conversation (I love safety cameras!)

[brooksby]

No need to spend money encouraging cycling

Better to discourage motoring

Enforcing the traffic law for motons makes money, plenty will lose their licences

Less motoring is not the same as more cycling mind, I do not want even more people cycling

Gawd! He's 'aving a go at the motorists!! (I honestly can't see the Govt ever actively discouraging motoring, because certain media outlets would go after them like ... I don't know: some really vicious bitey thing in a bad mood ("war on ythe motorists" and all that)).

I am sure I have seen headlines about a war against motorists, +99! Not sure in which newspaper, mind, but if it is printed black on white, must there be some truth there?

Heard my colleagues talking about safety cameras a few times. One said
- the first thing I do when I wake up is to check in the www where the cameras are today..

I am wondering how I could join in the conversation (I love safety cameras!)

My local paper (the Bristol Post) always publishes - on a Monday - where all the mobile speed cameras are going to be sited for the next week. Apparently the police decided to release that information so as to be seen to be "fair".

(Can you imagine if the police published a notice to burglars and muggers, of where any and all patrols were going to be at any time, so as not to be too hard on the "burglarising community"?)

[Phil Fouracre]

That's ridiculous, you couldn't make it up!!!

[thirdcrank]

Publishing the sites of mobile radar isn't new. I think the rationale is that this equipment is used at places where speed needs to be reduced and that's more important than catching offenders. What I've termed "policing by media release" isn't restricted to radar.

[nez]

Publishing the sites of mobile radar isn't new. I think the rationale is that this equipment is used at places where speed needs to be reduced and that's more important than catching offenders. What I've termed "policing by media release" isn't restricted to radar.

our local police have to do the job by press release because - as far as I can see - they are not allowed to leave the station. When I congratulated a PC of mature years on being the 2nd to visit my street in 10 years he replied 'we often drive round in the small hours.' You may imagine my reply.


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly bog brush using hovercraft full of eels

[mjr]

My local paper (the Bristol Post) always publishes - on a Monday - where all the mobile speed cameras are going to be sited for the next week. Apparently the police decided to release that information so as to be seen to be "fair".

It's not a police decision and it's nothing to do with being seen to be fair! It was a decision taken by (IIRC) the Blair government on the basis that the purpose of the cameras is to reduce speeding at locations where it's dangerous, so for maximum effect, you should tell motorists what those locations are. Here's that reasoning repeated in point 5 of a 2007 document: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... r-0107.pdf

Of course, the obvious rebuttal is that if motorists don't know where the speeding fines (aka idiot tax) will be collected, then they'll not speed anywhere. I'm not sure why that hasn't won out.

[Cyril Haearn]

Could be that the cops are cleverly lying and publishing places where the cameras will NOT be, that would be good I think

Many of the cameras (or empty camera boxes?) one does see are very prominent or at places where it would be difficult to exceed the maximum speed limit

[brooksby]

My local paper (the Bristol Post) always publishes - on a Monday - where all the mobile speed cameras are going to be sited for the next week. Apparently the police decided to release that information so as to be seen to be "fair".

It's not a police decision and it's nothing to do with being seen to be fair! It was a decision taken by (IIRC) the Blair government on the basis that the purpose of the cameras is to reduce speeding at locations where it's dangerous, so for maximum effect, you should tell motorists what those locations are. Here's that reasoning repeated in point 5 of a 2007 document: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... r-0107.pdf

Of course, the obvious rebuttal is that if motorists don't know where the speeding fines (aka idiot tax) will be collected, then they'll not speed anywhere. I'm not sure why that hasn't won out.

Oh, OK: I did not know that. I agree with your second point, though

[Vorpal]

My local paper (the Bristol Post) always publishes - on a Monday - where all the mobile speed cameras are going to be sited for the next week. Apparently the police decided to release that information so as to be seen to be "fair".

(Can you imagine if the police published a notice to burglars and muggers, of where any and all patrols were going to be at any time, so as not to be too hard on the "burglarising community"?)

The theoretical reason for this is to allow the mobile camera operation to be as safe as possible http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov. ... fo4581.pdf has guidance about placement and visibility of cameras, including mobile ones.

The police are permitted to do covert operations, within some limitations. That is not included in guidance, as it is considered a police matter.

I'm certain however, that all this stuff about visibility has little to do with safety, and lots to do with lobbying by motoring groups.

[rmurphy195]

Why can't the cyclist gain access? If it's the usual car park barrier for employees only, then we had to present our pass to a sensor to get the pole to go up. So did the motorcyclists. Why not the cyclists? And why ist it such a big problem anyway?

[IanW]

Why can't the cyclist gain access? If it's the usual car park barrier for employees only, then we had to present our pass to a sensor to get the pole to go up. So did the motorcyclists. Why not the cyclists? And why ist it such a big problem anyway?

You'd be amazed what "the planners" can manage to construct to obstruct cyclists and motorcyclists.

1) Install a set of front-wheel-bender bicycle racks on the face of a building and then paint car park spaces so close that there is insufficient room for the length of a bicycle perpendicularly out from said wall.

2) As a motorcyclist I was only informally allowed to park in the un-usable-by-a-car corner of an "executive" underground car park.
I discovered that they had decided to install and then make operational a set of entry and exit barriers to this car park
without giving me a key-fob transmitter to operate the barriers because I was designated as being one of the "unwashed" plebs.
This occurred during the working day so I was effectively trapped.
Fortunately the plastic barrier was only bolted into a metal socket on the opener mechanism / controller.
And I had a spanner with me.
I handed the plastic barrier + bolts into "Security" the next day (I had stowed them in the un-usable-by-a-car corner overnight.

3) I was allocated a space in another underground car park which was accessed via a steep and narrow downhill ramp
with a sharp 90-degree turn at the bottom and secured by an automatic-opening roller-shutter garage door
that was operated by an induction loop in the slope.
Needless to say, my motorcycle was not detected by the induction loop (which I had failed to ride over exactly correctly).
So I was stuck on a steep slope with no way to proceed, no way to turn round, sat on a 250kg lump of motorcycle at the bottom of a steep slope
which also happened to prevent another vehicle (car) from driving over the induction loop.
Next day "Security" were very curious about why I was spraying grey paint lines on top of a grey concrete car park access ramp precisely along the induction loop embedding lines.

4) Absolutely nowhere to lock a bicycle up, for the day, outside at work, but I could be allowed to bring my bicycle inside and stow it under the stairs ... up 2 flights of external fire escape stair case.

[[XAP]Bob]

I'd just cycle up to the barrier before the MD leaves and wait until the barrier opens - blocking the exit for anyone.

After ten minutes or so your point will have been made.

If there are a group of cyclists then all go and do the same, then there is no chance of the anpr peeking past you....

[Cunobelin]

That's ridiculous, you couldn't make it up!!!

I like these as you can use them to your advantage!

There are a fe sites like "Waze" that allow real time updating of Police presence, speed cameras etc by the "User Community", this then feeds other sites until most SatNavs with live updates

If you want to traffic calm your local streets or the local rat run, just stick a Police presence, or a speed camera at that point and each the traffic numbers decrease and the speeds drop