I remember being surprised in my Milestone #1 post last week about not being shouted/beeped at until Wed morning. Of course this occurs only from a tiny minority of drivers when you consider the many thousands of vehicles I pass on the daily commute. However, it is still unpleasant at best to say the least.
Well, for some reason this week managed to pass entirely without a single incident of someone abusing me! Traffic was quieter on Mon/Tue due to school holidays but it was very busy after that. Maybe the sun coming out has cheered everybody else up as well. It certainly has been nice out there and some of the sunrises have been breathtaking:
Forth Valley Police: Operation Close Pass
Perhaps it’s a strange coincidence that driver’s seemed so polite this week, but it coincided with Forth Valley Police undertaking a close pass initiative. This is a program that was begun by West Midlands Police in Sep 2015. It has proven to be very successful and subsequently adopted by other police forces around the UK.
It works by a police officer cycling along a road and notifying a colleague waiting ahead of any close pass or other incidents. They choose a road to focus on each day of the program. It is as much an educational exercise for motorists as anything else. However, some drivers do not seem to want to be educated 🙁
The police cyclist seems to have found some of the abusive drivers as here are a couple of the first day results:
- One driver warned for shouting at the cyclists to use the cycle lane/pavement (this driver was driving a large road sweeper vehicle).
- One driver was given a Formal Adult Warning for shouting abuse and swearing at the cyclists as he passed them in his car.
Social media can make for pretty depressing reading at times. It’s always best to guard yourself and prepare for the low life to vent their prejudicial views. Sadly anything to do with race, religion, football and cycling seem to top the list. Here is a list of some of the comments from the Forth Valley Police Facebook page:
“This post angers me so much!!! 🙄 cyclists are the biggest hazards on the roads!!”
“Time for them to pay road tax and insurance”
“have every cycle registered with a number plate – see if the arrogance level drops”
“If there’s a cycle lane provided cyclists should use it not block the road for other road users”
“What about the cyclists who hog the road with 2 and 3 riding together rules for some”
This is just a small sample from the 300 odd posts on the page and it’s the same old tired arguments that get rehashed again and again. I’m not even going to bother arguing their points as this has been done on innumerable other sites. What really annoys me is the implication that somehow not adhering to their made up rules negates any right I have as a cyclist to use the road safely. So what if I don’t wear a helmet (I do), don’t wear hi-viz (I do), ride 3 abreast (I don’t), run read lights (I don’t). Does any of this mean it is ok to use a powerful lump of metal to endanger or intimidate me?
Respect should start with the individual and not rely on some other group ticking all the boxes. I have utmost respect for all road users whether they are motorised, 4+ wheels, 2 wheels, 4 legged or whatever. Everyone is a human life and precious so please remember that, pay attention and use the roads safely.
Well done to Forth Valley Police for running this. I hope it happens again and throughout other forces in the country.
As for me, I will continue navigating my way through the roads, appreciating the respect from 99.9% of drivers and shrugging off the 0.1% that don’t.
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