Every day, when riding through Pr*de P*rk in D*rby, I see drivers using hand-held mobiles.
This evening's commute was the scariest. Side road joins from left, then 30 yards later, a roundabout. The car approaching along the side road was being driven by a young lass looking exactly like the photo on P186 of Senor Ballantine's new "City Cycling" book. Phone in one hand, applying lippy with the other, steering with both elbows, and she wasn't looking as her car hurtled towards its Give Way line. She did stop though, but then her lane positioning behind me as she got to the roundabout made me really glad that I was going off-road a few metres later.
The really frustrating thing is this: I have just bought a helmet-cam, but I didn't have it with me today.
Should I have stopped across the nose of her car, laid the bike down to stop her driving forward, and gone to the driver's window to have a word?
Now that we have Speed Cameras and Stop-Light cameras, would it be possible for Police/Councils to put up cameras that take photos of cars from which Mobile Phone calls are being made?
Then the enforcers study the photo to see if it's the driver making the call on a hand-held. That, however, is the problem - it needs a human to look at the photo to exclude the possibility of it being a passenger making the call. Speed and red-light cameras are all totally automatic - no-one intervenes; the camera takes a picture, numberplate recognition software, DVLA records, and the bill is in the post.
Mobile Phones
Mobile Phones
"Little Green Men Are Everywhere... ...But Mostly On Traffic Lights."
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reohn2
reohn2 wrote:but its a silly idea,they would stop people breaking the law.
Not just that - employing policemen costs money, but Speed Cameras MAKE money!
Policemen in Panda cars can't stop drivers using their phones. By the time the squad car has clocked the driver, done a u-turn and caught up, the miscreant has hung up, and will claim "wasn't me officer". Whereas something static, with photos and all, will be much better proof. Otherwise it would take two groups of police - one on the roadside, radioing to a squad car a bit further ahead.
"Little Green Men Are Everywhere... ...But Mostly On Traffic Lights."
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mhara
No, no, far better - have policewomen and men on bicycles, wearing headcams. 
That way they learn what a sheer total hassle some driver behaviour is to us and they become super-keen to catch the miscreants. And the headcams stand up in court as evidence.
More police officers on bicycles. That's the solution.
That way they learn what a sheer total hassle some driver behaviour is to us and they become super-keen to catch the miscreants. And the headcams stand up in court as evidence.
More police officers on bicycles. That's the solution.
Deckie wrote:I know, here's a crazy idea...
Why don't we have some TRAFFIC POLICEMEN who can actually use their EYES rather than cameras?????
Or keep the camera's and have some traffic police.
Gazza
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And smile.
rower40 wrote:Policemen in Panda cars can't stop drivers using their phones.
Apparently they cannot keep to the speed limit either if the one I followed through a 30 zone doing 45 is anything to go by. Had I not been going to collect my daughter from her nursery I would have tried to get him to pull over, taken down his number and reported him.
Wow, I am becoming a grumpy old man!
Simon Wolf
DaveP wrote:WolfUK wrote:Wow, I am becoming a grumpy old man!
No, dont worry, you simply experienced a moment of pefectly normal jealousy! Knowing that they can go as fast as they like as long as they are familiarising themselves with an unfamiliar car could make anyone turn an interesting shade
Actually, I think that the reality around here is that some of them are just stupid. I remember having a set-to with one who was sitting in his car with the engine running and who kept waving me away rather than bothering to wind down his window so that I could tell him that there was a small river of petrol running under his car from the car crash that I had just called him out to!
Simon Wolf
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mhara
WolfUK wrote:DaveP wrote:WolfUK wrote:Wow, I am becoming a grumpy old man!
No, dont worry, you simply experienced a moment of pefectly normal jealousy! Knowing that they can go as fast as they like as long as they are familiarising themselves with an unfamiliar car could make anyone turn an interesting shade
Actually, I think that the reality around here is that some of them are just stupid. I remember having a set-to with one who was sitting in his car with the engine running and who kept waving me away rather than bothering to wind down his window so that I could tell him that there was a small river of petrol running under his car from the car crash that I had just called him out to!
What a hoot!
Or the one parked absolutely blocking the clearly marked (green paint and signs) designated cycle path I was using instead of being in the driveway of the house where he had "been urgently called".
Isn't it interesting how some police officers can tell you to "P*ss off you're beneath my superior notice" without actually saying the words?
2Tubs wrote:Deckie wrote:I know, here's a crazy idea...
Why don't we have some TRAFFIC POLICEMEN who can actually use their EYES rather than cameras?????
Or keep the camera's and have some traffic police.
Gazza
I have a pet plan.......................
Whack up the fines for speeding, parking, yellow box offences and all the others suitable for automated detection to several hundred pounds.
This would give from speeding fines alone sufficient income to fund a dedicated "road traffic police force" larger than most county constabularies.
The real beauty being of course that it is self financing!
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gordonedenuk
Saw a good one the other day. A person came out of a car park onto the road and whilst waiting in slow moving traffic (edging slowly forward) using TWO phones, one in each hand at the same time. I use a phone just for making phone calls - unusual, I know, maybe I should see my phone supplier to see if I can acquire one of these latest gizmos - what was she doing? Was it a game? A party line? The mind boggles. I wanna scream!
I've thought about standing at a local roundabout taking snaps of drivers using their phones. I'm too frightened to do it as I'm sure I'd be assaulted by a driver. The Police won't do it, so we have yet another meaningless law. The only prosecutions seem to be after a fatality when the driver's phone records are checked.