- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
forum
Cycle Friendly, or not, workplace
I have been cycling to work for 3 years now and have never had a problem before. We have changing rooms with lockers and decent shower too, plus a radiator for drying towels. So sounds perfect right?
My workplace is situated on a massive Science Park, Loughborough. There is a blue cycle lane painted on the approach, shared path, to the security barriers. I do not need to use the barriers. The lane disappears for about 100 metres amd a sign is up saying to dismount. The blue cycle lane reappears within the site carpark, 10mph speed limit, and a cycle shed, sheffield stands, about 300 metres from the carpark entrance.
All well and good I hear you say.
Well until someone tried to run me off the road whilst approahing the science park, and as luck would have it, they worked on site too, but at a different company. They continued to harrass me, tailgate me and swerve at me within the sites carpark.
I put in a formal complaint and submitted a photograph of the vehicle and a request to view the video footage wss sent by the HR dept. Okay procedure being followed.
This morning I was approached by security and told that all cyclists have to dismount at the gate and walk their bikes to the bike shed! I managed to speak with someoneI know who also cycles and they were told that it was due to an incident on site!
So tell me, is this the most crazy way for site security to deal with this situation?
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
Latest Forum Topics
Latest Comments
- TheBillder 0 sec ago
If there’s anything in nominative determinism, Ken Skates should be great for active travel.
- TheBillder 13 min 22 sec ago
In that £1000 exactly scenario, beginners should probably be made aware that pedals will be extra.
- headingley 21 min 33 sec ago
..... God forgot to give me eyes in the back of my head.
- don simon fbpe 41 min ago
What's wrong with dropping down on to the Millenium Bridge, or the swing bridge, then the brief, but satisfying climb back up the hill? #training....
- chrisonabike 1 hour 21 min ago
The relatives might of course disagree, but in general I'd countenance a relatively light sentence* if only we could fix it so that those who...
- ktache 2 hours 1 min ago
Id forgotten that I got a second hand set of project two's for my getting to work bike over twenty years back.
- Veganpotter 2 hours 58 min ago
My bet is that all these tires popping off are from people with bad pressure gauges or they're simply just putting too much air in on purpose. ...
- Hirsute 3 hours 20 min ago
You have to add images via a reply to yourself after the topic is created. One at a time too.
- chrisonabike 4 hours 13 min ago
David9694 - you were right! These new autonomous vehicles really are conspiring to run out of control!...
- HoarseMann 4 hours 45 min ago
Decathlon have the Garmin Varia RTL515 on offer at the moment for £129.99: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/rearview-radar-varia-rtl515-65-lumens/_/R-...
Add new comment
27 comments
wretched. So is the moral here not to involve (create a problem for) site management? But if you go to the police, will it be spuriously pushed back because it's private land?
The moral seems to be pursue it via the police with video evidence, or at least look vulnerable enough so the asshole actually stops his vehicle to deal with me.
I don't trust the police to do the right thing, but the offender stopping to sort me out might force the issue.
Careless and dangerous driving laws apply to roads and "other public places". The other places can include car parks, even on private land, for example supermarket car parks; it depends on the level of public access, if the car park is open to anyone then road law applies, if it's controlled, for example by card or keypad entry, it doesn't.
The main incident occurred on public roads and if only they had stopped as they implied they were going to, then the matter would have been resolved without my workplace f'ing it up.
Unfortunately it is a secure barrier onto my worksite.
Personally, I would let it go. Yes, the guy is an arsehole but there are quite a few out there...and many lovely people as well. It doesn't mean this is a defeat, try not to look at it in those terms or you will continue to try and get a good outcome when the odds appear stacked against you. Life's too short and the only person that seems to be suffering here is you. So, deep breath, move on. Ride your bike and enjoy it.
It has nothing to do with the singular asshole, but how my employer has handled it.
Unfortunately I am not one to just let things go.
Like you, I would struggle to let it go. This incident might have only involved you, but if there is no consequence to the perpetrator, it will happen again and the next time there might be an injury.
I would certainly "mark" your employers cards. You've learnt a valuable lesson about what they think of you and your safety. Don't forget it. Even if they suffer no direct consequences from this, I take solace in knowing that businesses who treat people like this, eventually lose good people and suffer.
I am already working on leaving the company. This incident is the main factor tbh.
It sounds like it has come to that for you - it bloody well shouldn't, though.
Is there any mileage in getting together with other cyclists to push back on the ban?
Is there any mileage in getting together with other cyclists to push back on the ban?
[/quote]
Unfortunately not. Car is king here like most other places.
"There are people firing machine guns at random across the park every morning, Sarge."
"Well we can't have that level of risk now can we? Put up some signs saying it's compulsory for pedestrians to go on their hands and knees."
Ridiculous but totally unsurprising. I knew someone who worked in a block in the Midlands some years ago where a cyclist was hit entering the underground car park by a car exiting too fast. The management solution was that cyclists were no longer allowed to cross the car park, even pushing, they had to push round the back to the service elevator and take their bikes down to the rack in the car park that way.
Utterly depressing.
What's the new descriptor for this behaviour? Motor normativity?
Update.
An email was sent to all employees informing them that if they cycled they had to push their biked from the gate to the carpark.
This p*ssed me off.
I kept contacting HR about my complaint with the response that they would get back to me.
I eventually got a response that;
The person was interviewed and was shown my statement (this really annoyed me), and after the video evidence was discussed, the matter was dealt with.
This took well over a month.
I requested a meeting with HR and explained to them that the actual incident hasn't been addressed. They haven't sent an email stating that people driving had to drive with consideration and below the 10mph limit.
Most people exceed this.
I was also prehonest about the impact on my mental health. My work and home life.
I got an apology and a promise that they would address the anomaly which they agreed that they hadn't addressed.
This was over a month ago.
Unfortunately I am like a dog with a bone but I know it is essentially pointless.
The site has burned all the cycle symbols off the pavements so they are willing to put that effort in. Obviously to the detriment of anyone cycling.
Have you asked HR for an explanation for the change in policy around cycling on site?
Why is it now deemed inappropriate to cycle, when you can walk / drive as you like?
I think you are well within your rights to kick up a fuss here... this person is still at large, and could potentially get you anytime he likes. If someone threatened violence in the workplace, they wouldn't be able to just crack on without any mediation... what's the difference just because they were in a car?
I'd be interested to know who this person was, if they had influence and were quietly pulling strings.
I'd also look to get some proper external advice on this. If you have raised an issue with HR and not received a satisfactory response, you need to see what options there are for escalating.
Or let it go.
I did point out that people who cycle seem to be victimised when they are the vulnerable ones.
I am going to escalate it just because it needs to be done. The evidence already shows that they dgas.
A couple of people have suggested that your driver assailant was in some kind of privileged position organisationally.
Perhaps, but I don't see conclusive evidence of that from what's been described - simply, I think it's (I) that he's a driver (motornormativity) and that (ii) you (as a victim) are the one seen as "making a fuss, creating problems" that no-one else wants to be bothered with.
Is it one organisation, your science park, or several? Is the site management separate? I think if it's been dealt with across different orgs, it may make a difference. Clearly someone has decided to close the problem down with the cycling ban.
Employee Relations can become a massive drain on time and energy. It can be hard to spot with differing accounts of an incident who truly is the victim and who is the perpetrator, as you've already seen from Mr "What Did I Do Wrong?" - bullies are very good at this stuff, they get a lot of practice.
They've got this badly wrong, although I'm not clear what you were hoping might happen. How the heck do they think you are feeling now??
Take care not to leave in a huff - other interviewers may pick up on it. If you are decided to leave, then do so for positive reasons (bias - I don't want you to reward a bully driver's bad behaviour or disadvantage yourself - he'll do it again) and put this episode behind you.
Will you be able to cycle to another place? Don't let him take that away.
It would be unfortunate were he to return to his car on Friday afternoon to find it had four flat tyres.
Motornormativity. See Ian Walker's new paper, precis here: https://twitter.com/ianwalker/status/1615248156186247169?ref_src=twsrc%5...
I used to cycle off site at the end of my shift through the lorry exit as my bike was locked up next to it and there was a give way sign for drivers leaving the car park so lorries (and me) had right of way. The cars leaving the car park would drive at about 10mph in a long line completely ignoring the give way (for me and the lorries) so I would just cycle straight out and merge into whatever gap was closest.
A couple of car drivers complained to me so I pointed out that there was a give way sign which they didn't even know was there. They then complained to the health and safety manager who decided cyclists had to use the heavy card controlled security gate which is the pedestrian entrance in future. I pointed out the give way sign and the fact that you can't reach the pedestrian entry easily from the road (high kerb and bushes) and when leaving you join the road on the wrong side of the entrance with cars and lorries turning both ways and he said I should ride onto the industrial estate on the pavement.
I gave up and now leave site through the ped gate but still ride onto site through the lorry entrance which doesn't bother any car drivers so no one cares.
Our ex colleague who died after being knocked off his bicycle in a hit and run last week has certainly hit home with a lot of drivers though which is a tiny positive in an otherwise thoroughly depressing situation.
I think you'll find someone in security or HR either knows this driver, or is particularly hateful towards cyclists.
I would probably go with the latter tbh
What about the actual incident? Any feed back on the driver behaviour?
The incident occurred on a dead straight road about 750 metres long, and delivers anyone striaght to my workplace. There's a pinch point and it was here were the driver decided to try and barrel their way past me forcing me to take evasive action and brake sharply. I called out 'What the hell are you doing' which obviously hurt the driver who was obviously urgently needed at work to even consider my life as being important.
What followed was the driver brake checking me, swerving around the lane, and driving extrtemely slowly. I told him to f off and leave me alone. He put his left indicator on to apparently scare me. Tbh it would have been nice to have had a word with him but unfortunately his urgent matter sprung back into his mind. I continued to follow him and was surprised when he drove straight onto the site and I think it surprised him too when I passed him on the cycle lane and entered the carpark before him.
This is where it got interesting. He decided to tailgate me and swerve at me as I cycled through the carpark on the cycle lane. Again I told him to f off at which point he drove beside me and asked 'what have I done wrong'? You couldn't make it up.
He parked in full view of the cycle shed so I took a photo of his car with him inside on his mobile, probably trying to complain. I called out to him that he is getting reported.
Because of this people cycling on site have to push their bikes which will obviously keep them safe from nutters. I will of course push my bike, but on the road because I want to be visible to drivers who all obey the 10mph instruction of course.
Also, I haven't had any feedback whatsoever from the reported incident. I have contacted HR agan though and did mention that the site was no longer cycle friendly, which it purports to be, and also it makes a mockery of the companies cycle-to-work scheme if people can't actually cycle to work without having to walk their bikes.
Probably a Very Important Person. Doesn't correlate exactly with their actual position / rank of course. But their time is precious! Almost as precious as their status which is why your guy proceeded to waste his own time giving you grief.
Good luck with HR...
I'd be careful with HR. It's unlikely they'll see a driver using his car as a weapon for what it really is. Had they brandished a knife at you or even said something naughty on social media, I'm sure HR would be all over it. But when cars are involved, there's not the same level of enthusiasm to discipline the employee. In fact, you might end up being labelled a trouble maker and unfairly targeted yourself, just for wanting a safe environment to cycle to work.
You could try your luck obtaining CCTV, but for allegations of careless/dangerous driving, there is a 14-day time limit. Generally, the police need your statement and the evidence within 10 days of the incident.
I suggest you arm yourself with a bike camera, so should this happen again, you can go straight to the police and not involve the employer. In my experience, most employers are primarily concerned about the business, the safety and wellbeing of staff plays second fiddle.
> "I'd be careful with HR."
Another approach, would be to be clear with HR that he was assaulted, and report the matter to the police.