How to open a car door

[thirdcrank]

The difference to me seems to be that the West Midlands operation is enforcement-based in that drivers observed to overtake a cyclist too closely are stopped and interviewed about their bad driving. While prosecution isn't necessarily the intention, it's an option in cases where drivers refuse advice (in the form of a course?)or presumably, if it's a really bad bit of driving. Other offences have also been detected during these stops. Crucially, the officers involved are operational traffic police. Based only on how the first day of this project - I hesitate to refer to it as an operation - is described here, some 73 people have apparently been stopped for no better reason than that they were riding a bike and then advised about "road safety." You're not going do detect many pedal cycling lighting offences in daylight. What I'm saying is that this doesn't seem to be enforcement based: it's measured simply on the total number of people stopped and advised. I think it's important to know what form the second day took because if it was, as I suspect, dishing out leaflets to anybody who showed an interest and perhaps explaining what the lines on the mat were supposed to represent, it may not make much difference to the way drivers overtake cyclists. I really hope I'm wrong.

[mjr]

On this being pointed out to them that the CPI was about educating drivers to give other road users appropriate space and consideration the response was that fosusing on cyclist as well was to provide a'balanced' approach that road safety was everyone's concern. You can sort of see the logic as the reality is that when many drivers are 'lectured' on giving vulnerable road users more consideration the stick reply is to complain about 'Lycra louts', RLJs and cyclist on pavements. They have stated they spoke with 73 cyclists on day one but have yet to say how many drivers were pulled over when they ran the CPI on day two. We have been assured they will publish idc and will update when that happens. The police have also promised to run the CPI again before End of 2017. They were actually quite willing to run the event once gently prompted - I don't think it would have happened though without the nudge question being asked.

Run what event? It sounds nothing like Operation Close Pass. I understand that Norfolk Constabulary will soon launch its Close Pass Initiative and we (the three or four cycling campaigns still engaged) have kept asking and I think been assured that it will be the full monty with unmarked police spotters cycling along known problem roads.

On the note of "balanced"... how much can you argue against it? I believe that Norfolk's Close Pass catchers will also be pulling over anyone cycling past on a dodgy-looking bike (no lights during darkness, defective brakes and so on) for bike checks, as well as the motorists who drive badly near the spotter. While I'm not entirely happy about that because past cycling crackdowns haven't also stopped motorists, it feels wrong to object to it too strenuously - rather, I've tried to stress that the priority must be on the mode more often to blame for cycling collisions yet suffering the lesser injuries: motorists. Also, I hope that cycling stops will be reduced by the operation being on a road that most cyclists avoid because of the bad driving.

[Barks]

Hey mjr back off - they run the full monty on day two with camera mounted police cyclist and spt personnel and vehicles. We have been assured that numbers pulled over, 'educated' and/ or prosecuted are due to be published idc. This is one small town in a vast police authority area and TVP have already said they will come back and run the CPI again in Marlow in a few months time.

Don't be so quick to raise criticism, CPI is now part of Roads Policing in the Thames Valley area, it is an improvement from doing nothing, we shall see what momentum gets behind it. It is certainly attracting much local interest and while there is the inevitable affronted motorist spouting off, the majority of feedback I have seen and heard has been very encouraging.

[thirdcrank]

Hey mjr back off - they run the full monty on day two with camera mounted police cyclist and spt personnel and vehicles. We have been assured that numbers pulled over, 'educated' and/ or prosecuted are due to be published idc. This is one small town in a vast police authority area and TVP have already said they will come back and run the CPI again in Marlow in a few months time.

Don't be so quick to raise criticism, CPI is now part of Roads Policing in the Thames Valley area, it is an improvement from doing nothing, we shall see what momentum gets behind it. It is certainly attracting much local interest and while there is the inevitable affronted motorist spouting off, the majority of feedback I have seen and heard has been very encouraging.

Thanks for this, which covers the doubts I raised. One important thing for me as that there are local campaigners on the case.

(We've now got Close Pass on the door opening thread and 1.5 metre overtaking signs on the Close Pass thread. )

[mjr]

Hey mjr back off - they run the full monty on day two with camera mounted police cyclist and spt personnel and vehicles. We have been assured that numbers pulled over, 'educated' and/ or prosecuted are due to be published idc.

OK, it wasn't clear that that actually happened. I await numbers with interest, although I don't understand the delay in publishing motorist numbers when they seem to produce the cyclist numbers readily.

Don't be so quick to raise criticism, CPI is now part of Roads Policing in the Thames Valley area, it is an improvement from doing nothing, [...]

It sure is an improvement... but we have to be fairly quick to raise criticism, else what becomes part of roads policing might be CPI through a funhouse mirror rather than real CPI. I'm sure everyone can think of their favourite examples of terms and concepts which we should have kicked into touch hard much sooner than we did, such as "share the road" and "traffic-free" to name two of my least favourites.