Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

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Cowsham
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Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by Cowsham »

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of- ... tain-road/

My own opinion is that's a very dangerous thing to do. You're not allowed on any of the TT course at any time during TT or Manxgp fortnight with a bicycle. It wasn't during a race meeting but in thick fog where there are idiots race round in cars. Also prospective TT racers drive round doing many laps to familiarize themselves with the course. I wouldn't be up there on a good day.
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mattheus
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by mattheus »

Cowsham wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 10:24am . I wouldn't be up there on a good day.
Then don't ride there.

Same as some people stay out of town centres for their leisure rides, or avoid riding below '5c in case of ice. No-ones making you.

HOWEVER:
the police response suggests they were only trying to help the guy, offering a lift back to civilisation. They didn't prevent him from riding on a perfectly legal road.
Pebble
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by Pebble »

The police should be dealing with those driving inappropriately on that road, Not warning cyclists that there are a lot of poor drivers about.
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by Vorpal »

Pebble wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 12:14pm The police should be dealing with those driving inappropriately on that road, Not warning cyclists that there are a lot of poor drivers about.
This. Why didn't the police have a word with the callers who said they had nearly struck the cyclist? They must have been driving too fast for conditions.
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mattheus
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by mattheus »

I'm sure when terrorists phone-in bomb threats, the authorities just give them a strong telling off.

No point in notifying potential victims!
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Cowsham
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by Cowsham »

Vorpal wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 12:20pm
Pebble wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 12:14pm The police should be dealing with those driving inappropriately on that road, Not warning cyclists that there are a lot of poor drivers about.
This. Why didn't the police have a word with the callers who said they had nearly struck the cyclist? They must have been driving too fast for conditions.
Had the drivers been driving too fast ? How do you know ?
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Carlton green
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by Carlton green »

Cowsham wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 10:24am https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of- ... tain-road/

My own opinion is that's a very dangerous thing to do. You're not allowed on any of the TT course at any time during TT or Manxgp fortnight with a bicycle. It wasn't during a race meeting but in thick fog where there are idiots race round in cars. Also prospective TT racers drive round doing many laps to familiarize themselves with the course. I wouldn't be up there on a good day.
It’s six of one and half a dozen of another. From general experience I know that there are some idiots on the road and that whilst they shouldn’t do something stupid I’m going to be the one who suffers when one of them does; whether we like it or not that’s life so consider realities and risk assess when you plan your actions. The fog was light enough to drive quickly in but unfortunately you’d be onto a walker or slow moving cyclist before you knew it … and the road might have oncoming traffic. The situation is, in effect, an accident waiting to happen and hence the voice of concerned motorists - virtually nobody likes to be involved in an accident.

Yes, cyclists should be able to cycle along virtually any road - I'm not impressed that we have motorways but no equivalent routes for long distance cycling - but, as they say, discretion is the better part of valour. Surprise trips to either the Hospital or the Undertakers do not appeal.
Last edited by Carlton green on 20 Mar 2023, 7:03pm, edited 1 time in total.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
DaveReading
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by DaveReading »

Cowsham wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 12:47pm
Vorpal wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 12:20pm
Pebble wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 12:14pm The police should be dealing with those driving inappropriately on that road, Not warning cyclists that there are a lot of poor drivers about.
This. Why didn't the police have a word with the callers who said they had nearly struck the cyclist? They must have been driving too fast for conditions.
Had the drivers been driving too fast ? How do you know ?
It's a reasonable inference from the linked article, which says "The Isle of Man Constabulary says they had received a number of calls from concerned people, several of which said they had nearly hit him due to the adverse weather conditions."

Fog does not cause drivers to hit cyclists, provided of course that they are driving appropriately for the conditions.
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Cowsham
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by Cowsham »

DaveReading wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 1:55pm
Cowsham wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 12:47pm
Vorpal wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 12:20pm

This. Why didn't the police have a word with the callers who said they had nearly struck the cyclist? They must have been driving too fast for conditions.
Had the drivers been driving too fast ? How do you know ?
It's a reasonable inference from the linked article, which says "The Isle of Man Constabulary says they had received a number of calls from concerned people, several of which said they had nearly hit him due to the adverse weather conditions."

Fog does not cause drivers to hit cyclists, provided of course that they are driving appropriately for the conditions.
The drivers did not hit the cyclist. Don't make wild accusations.
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Nearholmer
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by Nearholmer »

Some people thought a person was putting themself in danger and was going to get killed; they phoned the police to ask them to intervene to prevent a tragedy; the police did.

Isn’t that a good news story?
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by Bonefishblues »

Vorpal wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 12:20pm
Pebble wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 12:14pm The police should be dealing with those driving inappropriately on that road, Not warning cyclists that there are a lot of poor drivers about.
This. Why didn't the police have a word with the callers who said they had nearly struck the cyclist? They must have been driving too fast for conditions.
I expect they did VP, but they wouldn't be the issue, since they were the ones that missed the cyclist...
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by fastpedaller »

Vorpal wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 12:20pm
Pebble wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 12:14pm The police should be dealing with those driving inappropriately on that road, Not warning cyclists that there are a lot of poor drivers about.
This. Why didn't the police have a word with the callers who said they had nearly struck the cyclist? They must have been driving too fast for conditions.
Some 40 years ago myself and a friend cycling 2 abreast at a crawling speed behind traffic approaching a roundabout were told by a Police officer to single up because it was 2 in the afternoon and 'some motorists out there have been drinking'.
Any faith I had in the police was lost at that time.
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by slowster »

Nearholmer wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 8:00pm Some people thought a person was putting themself in danger and was going to get killed; they phoned the police to ask them to intervene to prevent a tragedy; the police did.

Isn’t that a good news story?
No, it isn't. It indicates that the police on the Isle of Man are not properly enforcing traffic law, and are turning a blind eye to unsafe driving.

Rule 235 of the Highway Code is essentially the same on the IoM as in the UK, i.e. "When driving in fog you should...be able to pull up well within the distance you can see clearly". Whereas the UK emphasises the importance of this on motorways and dual carriageways due to faster vehicle speeds, the IoM emphasises its importance for roads with no speed limits, e.g. the road in question in this case.

https://www.gov.im/media/1349469/highway-code.pdf

https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/fog.html

If the IoM police had a better grasp of road safety and its responsibility to uphold the law and maintain road safety, it would use an incident like this one as an opportunity to raise awareness among drivers generally on the IoM of the fundamental requirement to drive appropriately according to the conditions.

I am not suggesting that they threaten to prosecute those drivers who reported that they nearly hit hit the cyclist, but it would have been a good 'awareness raising opportunity' for the IoM to have put out a statement making it absolutely clear that if a driver nearly hits a cyclist 'due to the adverse weather conditions', then by definition the driver is committing an offence, and they need to change their driving behaviour.

Even better would be if the IoM police publicly warned that they would be occasionally deploying a traffic team with a mobile speed camera on the mountain road in poor visibility conditions, and that anyone caught driving at an excessive speed would be prosecuted.
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Cowsham
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by Cowsham »

Nearholmer wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 8:00pm Some people thought a person was putting themself in danger and was going to get killed; they phoned the police to ask them to intervene to prevent a tragedy; the police did.

Isn’t that a good news story?
Yes a good news story -- people trying to prevent a tragedy and the fact that he got to carry on his quest and that he wasn't hit by a car. The fog can be like pea soup up there. I think lady luck was riding with him. Don't know if he had lights or not but they might not have been much use up there.
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DaveReading
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Re: Cyclist stopped 3 times by police

Post by DaveReading »

Cowsham wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 6:51pm
DaveReading wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 1:55pm
Cowsham wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 12:47pm

Had the drivers been driving too fast ? How do you know ?
It's a reasonable inference from the linked article, which says "The Isle of Man Constabulary says they had received a number of calls from concerned people, several of which said they had nearly hit him due to the adverse weather conditions."

Fog does not cause drivers to hit cyclists, provided of course that they are driving appropriately for the conditions.
The drivers did not hit the cyclist. Don't make wild accusations.
I didn't say they had. Don't make stuff up.

Nor does fog cause drivers to almost hit cyclists.
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