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Re: EU high-viz jacket regulations
Posted: 6 Oct 2011, 10:31am
by stewartpratt
The French can be a funny lot. There's no coincidence that we use french terms for both
laissez-faire and
bureaucracy. Essentially, if you want to try and get away with it you might do; but if
le plod isn't feeling amiable then rules is rules. (Though I forget what the punishment is in this case - I suspect an on-the-spot fine...?)
We recently did a ride through the night in France and bought one of these each:
http://bike-parts.at-cost.org/catalogse ... visiolightThey were the only EN-certified products I could find which had a cycling-oriented cut and were made from a decent fabric (they're windproof, breathable and water-repellent). They're very reflective and pretty comfortable - proper cycling gear rather than workmen's tabards.
Audax67 wrote:Tu n'as rien d'autre à foutre? Learn it well, it will get you out of all kinds of awkward situations.
T'es méchant, monsieur
(If you say
tu n'as rien d'autre à foutre? to a gendarme I suspect you may as well just turn round and moon him into the bargain.)
Re: EU high-viz jacket regulations
Posted: 6 Oct 2011, 11:48am
by NUKe
its probably not french Police you need to worry about . I managed to get away without wearing a motorcycle helmet, when stopped by the Police. But the problem comes should there be an accident, I suspect that french insurance cmpanies aren't laid back. Which is why we should all be wary of it becoming law over here
Re: EU high-viz jacket regulations
Posted: 6 Oct 2011, 2:40pm
by thirdcrank
This thread prompted me to read up a bit about the present day French Police. I see that Maigret's lot -
La Sûreté Nationale -has been renamed
La Police Nationale.
I found this in Wiki -
the municipal policemen can notice all the breaches but cannot investigate. There are also local polices in the rural zones, as for the rural policemen the " rural police " as such does not exist. Note the heterogeneousness of local polices both in means and in equipment.
With a job description like that, anything might happen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Police_(France)
Re: EU high-viz jacket regulations
Posted: 6 Oct 2011, 2:46pm
by nez
stewartpratt wrote:The French can be a funny lot. There's no coincidence that we use french terms for both
laissez-faire and
bureaucracy. Essentially, if you want to try and get away with it you might do; but if
le plod isn't feeling amiable then rules is rules. (Though I forget what the punishment is in this case - I suspect an on-the-spot fine...?)
We recently did a ride through the night in France and bought one of these each:
http://bike-parts.at-cost.org/catalogse ... visiolightThey were the only EN-certified products I could find which had a cycling-oriented cut and were made from a decent fabric (they're windproof, breathable and water-repellent). They're very reflective and pretty comfortable - proper cycling gear rather than workmen's tabards.
Audax67 wrote:Tu n'as rien d'autre à foutre? Learn it well, it will get you out of all kinds of awkward situations.
T'es méchant, monsieur
(If you say
tu n'as rien d'autre à foutre? to a gendarme I suspect you may as well just turn round and moon him into the bargain.)
I agree. I always begin conversations with coppers by calling them Monsieur l'agent. Mind you when I did it to a black policeman in Paris he nearly passed out!
Re: EU high-viz jacket regulations
Posted: 6 Oct 2011, 2:58pm
by stewartpratt
some plum on Wikipedia wrote:heterogeneousness
Tsk.
Heterogeneity.
Re: EU high-viz jacket regulations
Posted: 6 Oct 2011, 7:25pm
by mr riff raff
nez dans le guidon wrote:
I always begin conversations with coppers by calling them Monsieur l'agent.
What, even in the UK?
I'll give it a shot, if I see one.
Re: EU high-viz jacket regulations
Posted: 6 Oct 2011, 7:40pm
by nez
Always 'Constable' or whatever their rank is. There is no point in aggravating them even if they are rude to you - which in my experience is rare. If you meet a grumpy copper it's always worth asking yourself what he or she has had to do that day. The same goes for all officials. The last time a council official was short with me I told her 'it's very important we are polite to each other.' We parted on good terms.
Re: EU high-viz jacket regulations
Posted: 6 Oct 2011, 8:12pm
by mr riff raff
nez dans le guidon wrote:Always 'Constable' or whatever their rank is. There is no point in aggravating them even if they are rude to you - which in my experience is rare. If you meet a grumpy copper it's always worth asking yourself what he or she has had to do that day. The same goes for all officials. The last time a council official was short with me I told her 'it's very important we are polite to each other.' We parted on good terms.
A council official? I'm sorry I'd just turn around as I doubt I'd be able to control myself!!
Can't even remember the last time I spoke to a Police Officer. Apart from when they turn up at work trying to buy stuff when they're on duty and want a deal. Not that they'd be abusing their position and not that they get a deal anyway!!
Re: EU high-viz jacket regulations
Posted: 6 Oct 2011, 9:57pm
by Audax67
stewartpratt wrote:Audax67 wrote:Tu n'as rien d'autre à foutre? Learn it well, it will get you out of all kinds of awkward situations.
T'es méchant, monsieur
Re: EU high-viz jacket regulations
Posted: 8 Oct 2011, 8:14am
by farnorth
Why quite such a negative approach to hi-viz, other than the difficulty of acquiring a hi-viz cycling jacket in UK?
I cycle to work in the dark 5 months of the year, and wish to take reasonable precautions to avoid being SMIDSYd.
I'm also required to wear hi-viz when I get off my bike at work, and we have armed police with the power to deny me access to my job. It behoves me to be polite to them!
Re: EU high-viz jacket regulations
Posted: 8 Oct 2011, 8:53am
by thirdcrank
I'll say this before anybody else does. Perhaps camo would give you a better chance of avoiding being shot........
