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Near Miss of the Day 187: Cyclist persuades police to launch close pass operation - then has his close pass video rejected

Our regular feature highlighting close passes caught on camera from around the country – today it’s Northamptonshire

When police in Northamptonshire announced recently that they would run a close pass operation targeting drivers who overtake cyclists too closely, it was thanks in part to the efforts of one road.cc reader who lives in the county.

Back in May the cyclist, Dave, met with the force’s chief constable and showed him a video compilation of close passes he had experienced on the county’s roads, which ultimately led to its safer roads team devising Operation ClosePass, launched last week.

So you can imagine Dave’s frustration when he was told that no action would be taken against the driver of the van in the video above who made a very close pass on him.

He told us: “A week after Northamptonshire Police finally run Op ClosePass with TV and press coverage, the reviewing officer commented that he felt I (the cyclist) was riding too far into the road, and was satisfied that the driver gave enough room.

“Not a great start to the campaign if this is considered to be a safe passing distance,” he added.

> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?

Over the years road.cc has reported on literally hundreds of close passes and near misses involving badly driven vehicles from every corner of the country – so many, in fact, that we’ve decided to turn the phenomenon into a regular feature on the site. One day hopefully we will run out of close passes and near misses to report on, but until that happy day arrives, Near Miss of the Day will keep rolling on.

If you’ve caught on camera a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind with another road user that you’d like to share with the wider cycling community please send it to us at info [at] road.cc or send us a message via the road.cc Facebook page.

If the video is on YouTube, please send us a link, if not we can add any footage you supply to our YouTube channel as an unlisted video (so it won't show up on searches).

Please also let us know whether you contacted the police and if so what their reaction was, as well as the reaction of the vehicle operator if it was a bus, lorry or van with company markings etc.

> What to do if you capture a near miss or close pass (or worse) on camera while cycling

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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17 comments

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
0 likes

Thank you ChairRDRF, keep up the good work.

Always good to hear what WMP are up to.

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ChairRDRF | 5 years ago
4 likes

This was the state of play in Police Services in he UK in mid-2018 

https://rdrf.org.uk/2018/07/04/policing-close-passing-of-cyclists-update...

and this is what the gold standard of close pasing and related policing is : 

https://rdrf.org.uk/2018/09/29/west-midlands-police-road-harm-reduction-...

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giff77 replied to ChairRDRF | 5 years ago
0 likes

ChairRDRF wrote:

This was the state of play in Police Services in he UK in mid-2018 

https://rdrf.org.uk/2018/07/04/policing-close-passing-of-cyclists-update...

and this is what the gold standard of close pasing and related policing is : 

https://rdrf.org.uk/2018/09/29/west-midlands-police-road-harm-reduction-...

 

I would very much question the stance of Police Scotland. I feel very much unprotected and unsupported by them. More so in the old Strathclyde region. Basically the attitude is nothing can be done as I have not been injured and the most they can do is have a chat and issue a warning. More often than not I’ve had officers suggest that it was a misjudgement by  individual driving. rather than carelessness 

  I’ve also had the you weren’t harmed so there’s no problem then

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BehindTheBikesheds | 5 years ago
0 likes

More plod breaching their sworn oaths, corrupt as fuck!

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Fenson | 5 years ago
0 likes

As far as I can tell, Northamptonshire Police are at it themselves and covering up for their own:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuElQ0C3OTg&list=UUr6hMUOJdVujPT_GSNPKIyg&t=0s&index=42

 

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dassie | 5 years ago
4 likes

On my commute out of town on a relatively narrow road, the incoming cars are queuing, so I take the lane and maintain a decent pace.  A few days ago I had a mini-bus champing  at the bit behind, but they just had to wait.   If I'd have been riding secondary he would most probably have close-passed, as happened a few weeks ago.

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Fishpastesarnie | 5 years ago
0 likes

It doesn’t help when the police give this kind of legal guidance to drivers.

 

https://sussex.police.uk/ask-the-police/cycling/is-it-an-offence-to-fail...

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grumpyoldcyclist replied to Fishpastesarnie | 5 years ago
1 like

Fishpastesarnie wrote:

It doesn’t help when the police give this kind of legal guidance to drivers.

 

https://sussex.police.uk/ask-the-police/cycling/is-it-an-offence-to-fail...

I read that bit from Sussex Police and its reference to section 3 of the Road Traffic Act. Sussex Police need to read section 3 themselves, as it states 

'If a person drives a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or other public place without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or place, he is guilty of an offence.'

So reasonable consideration might be taken as observing section 163 of the Highway Code, and section 125 as well actually.

As for 'no action' by the force on the footage above, just beggars belief to be honest. Sign up for Twitter and post it on there if you can

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Kendalred | 5 years ago
4 likes

Running a close-pass operation is one thing, it seems actually enforcing it is another.

If I were Dave I'd be dropping his mate the Chief Cop a little missive.

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Nick W | 5 years ago
7 likes

That has got be close by reasonable persons standards.

The reviewing officers should be made to ride a bike and then be close passed by various vehicles so they can get an understanding of what they are assessing. If they still think it's acceptable, then they need moving into another less demanding role - like early retirement.

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workhard | 5 years ago
1 like

Chief Constable and senior officers regard "Operation Closepass" as a good thing for all manner of reasons, some of which may even have something today with improving the safety of, and reducing the sense of danger felt by, vulnerable road users.

Rank and file officer reviewing the footage at thier desk, almost certainly not a cyclist almost certainly a driver, maybe not even a traffic cop, rarely feels vulnerable on the roads, has little empathy, like most of their civilian counterparts, with Johnny Pushbike and thinks "the van didn't actually hit you, did it?" and "grow a pair!" and sends the standard brush off response intended for the majority of those who submit footage.

None of that could actually happen could it?

Thank God for Surrey Road Cops.

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EddyBerckx | 5 years ago
3 likes

Jesus wept...

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KINGHORN | 5 years ago
8 likes

I always share these to twitter if the police doesn't do anything, shaming said police force as I do!

Plus, the idiot only had to wait for one car in the opposite direction! If I were you Dave, ride even further out lol.

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bikes replied to KINGHORN | 5 years ago
1 like

KINGHORN wrote:

I always share these to twitter if the police doesn't do anything, shaming said police force as I do!

Plus, the idiot only had to wait for one car in the opposite direction! If I were you Dave, ride even further out lol.

Exactly. If he'd waited three seconds he would have had the whole right hand lane to overtake in (to reach the queue up ahead that bit quicker, ha ha...).

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Carior | 5 years ago
5 likes

Translation - "we acknowledge that there is public pressure to do something, so we'll pretend but ultimately the reviewing office is wilfully ignorant of the highway code to the point that he hasn't even read the force's guidance on legal cyclist behaviour and passing safely so, fortunately, we won't actually have to take steps against any precious motorists who don't deserve to be persecuted for endager silly cyclists!"

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PRSboy | 5 years ago
15 likes

From northhants police's 'closepass' website as linked above

"Cyclists sometimes need to ride in the centre of the lane. This is called primary position, or taking the lane. They do this for several reasons:

Riding in the middle of the lane helps cyclists to see and be seen better
There may be insufficient room for drivers to overtake safely, such as at a pinch point or traffic island
Cyclists may take the central position on the approach to a bend, junction or when they are making a right turn"

I fail to see how this is not a close pass according to their own definition.

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brooksby | 5 years ago
1 like

So even the police are of the opinion that if they didn't hit you they gave you enough room...?  Seems a bit rubbish, given that legally you could ride down the middle of the f-ing  lane if you wanted to! 

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