Cycling UK Forum

Si wrote:surely the print would be too small to read with all that on your back?

I got my hi-vis winter jacket from hivis.net (as linked above) printed with this in the smallest print available: "If you can read this, you may be too close to me." I never wear it, because I keep thinking it's too confrontational-- even the smallest font size is fairly easy to read.

Edited to add-- the service and everything from hivis.net was very good.

horizon wrote:

ericonabike wrote:Anyone going to join me in the messaging department?

Yes, if you give us the link to your supplier, I will get thinking about a suitable slogan.

So far it's:

You need how big an engine to get up this hill?

You paid how much for diesel??

You've been waiting how long in this traffic?

You're late, aren't you.

You ought to get a convertible

Too fast? Too close?

Driving two abreast again?

Hmmmm, what about

"I Pay as much Road tax as you" Could take them a while to understand that.

or

"I don't pay any ROAD TAX, nahnahanahhh! :-p"


Personally I like the stroppy mare one.

How about this:

"WARNING!
PYSCHO ONBOARD"

Do people really really think we'd be likely to get done for "Impersonating a Police Officer" in, say, a hi-viz with a strip of chequered black and white on it? Does anyone know anyone this has ever happened to? Surely trying to keep yourself safe on your bike would be good enough defence against stupid charges like that?

Obviously it'd be a bit different if someone dressed in full uniform and went around gaining entry to people's homes or something by pretending to be a police officer, but there's no way a casual "reference" to police dress isn't going to be laughed out of court, is there?

May soon find out - I'm awaiting delivery of a new hi-vis with 'POLITE CYCLIST' on the back, with the letters in fluorescent grey against a light blue background. Anr resembalcne to any member of the emergency services is purely coincidental. Will report back on consequences, assuming they let me use a computer in hokey...

It seems wearing a uniform similar to the police does count as impersonation. Of course if you're only wearing a jacket or waistcoat then it's not a uniform? (which suggests the whole package).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_impersonation

gilesjuk wrote:It seems wearing a uniform similar to the police does count as impersonation. Of course if you're only wearing a jacket or waistcoat then it's not a uniform? (which suggests the whole package).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_impersonation

anyone can write on wiki.

The act is this...
90.
Impersonation, etc.— (1) Any person who with intent to deceive impersonates a member of a police force or special constable, or makes any statement or does any act calculated falsely to suggest that he is such a member or constable, shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or to both.
(2) Any person who, not being a constable, wears any article of police uniform in circumstances where it gives him an appearance so nearly resembling that of a member of a police force as to be calculated to deceive shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.
(3) Any person who, not being a member of a police force or special constable, has in his possession any article of police uniform shall, unless he proves that he obtained possession of that article lawfully and has possession of it for a lawful purpose, be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale.
(4) In this section—
(a)
“article of police uniform” means any article of uniform or any distinctive badge or mark or document of identification usually issued to members of police forces or special constables, or anything having the appearance of such an article, badge, mark or document,
[F1 (aa)
“member of a police force” includes a member of the British Transport Police Force,] and
(b)
“special constable” means a special constable appointed for a police area.

Are PCSO's impersonating police officers?

Remember: from time to time a police strippagram gets done for impersonation - the case I recall reading about had an obviously fake police costume with some obvious not-police wording on it, but including the word police. They seem to suffer a serious sense of humour failure over this kind of thing. Indeed they don't seem to have a sense of humour at all (see recent reports on twitter joke trial, appeal failed).

Ivor Tingting wrote:"WARNING!
PYSCHO ONBOARD

Probably to near the truth in my case.

I do have one of the jacket types with the sleeves and never had any problems wearing it. I just want to avoid the ones with the longer sleeves that do up funny.