I have the opportunity to meet with the “Boss” policeman, the subject being driving standards.
Have any of you learned folk any points you would like me to make on behalf of bike users?
Ta
Phil

Yeah – nick all the useless drivers and get them off the road!

Police drivers should drive very well at all times to set a good example. I’m thinking simple/basic things like indicating etc as well as specifically when passing cyclists. The police drivers round my way are all pretty shocking.

I want to start an advertising campaign. There’ll be billboards, TV and radio slots, and they’ll say two things side by side:

Drivers – respect cyclists!
Cyclists – respect the rules!

I reckon a lot of drivers would agree with the second message and then feel more disposed towards the first message.

Or did you mean the driving standards of policemen in particular?

nick all the useless drivers and get them off the road!

Good idea. Round here, that would lead to loads of fat lazy coppers having to actually walk the beat again. Might actually do something useful in helping to prevent crime…

assuming you mean driving standards of the gen public ?

points: driving standards are poor in general and life-endangering on occasion. But it’s solutions you need, as the above is bleedin obvious

how about getting a copper to ride around with a vid camera or two and stop anyone who cuts them up (radio to another copper on a motorbike). Proper bollockings/prosecutions as appropriate…

could rotate around towns in your area every now & then ?

Actually do something about drivers using their phones whilst driving.

Yes – a few coppers in plain clothes on bikes would be cheap, and catch LOADS of crap driving!

It’d only take a morning! And once word got out that there were plain clothes coppers on bikes nicking people, they’d soon smarten up their driving.

Allthepies, they do round my way. A few days a month they have spotters who see people who are driving whilst on the phone or not wearing a seat belt etc and they radio a head to have them booked. Best way to do it as when the driver sees a marked vehicle they pop their seat belt on or pop the phone down. They could also do this with bikes I’m sure. My pet hate at the minute are those who drive around with the passenger side wing mirror tucked in? WTF this just shows how little the driver uses it!

2hottie – lets ’em get closer on overtaking, dunnit ?

My comment would be to ask if there was any guidance on where the “tolerance” is set. ie, just how much bad driving are officers allowed to ignore before they have to act?

Second question, is he happy with that level or would he agree that more road side “chats” with bad drivers would be useful?

Molgrips, good idea that.

Easy to fit a video camera to the undercover bike. Have a Motorbike cop travel ahead or just put a traffic car further up the road and stop the offenders.

That said, the worst bit in Glasgow for cyclists is a junction near Central Station where only bikes can travel in one of the directions. Lemming pedestrians anyone ?

Unmarked video bikes are used and have been for years – mainly to catch motorcyclists. A lot of plain video cars out there as well

Edit – ah you guys mean bicycles – I was thinking motorcycle

Of course we mean bicycles.. two wheels good, but some two wheels better than others 🙂

(sorry George)

Sorry for the misleading OP, I meant general Police driving standards.

Thanks for the replies so far.

I intend to allow the discussion to move from general police driving standards to the same police drivers driving on response i.e. Blues and Twos/dispatch etc.
Any more thoughts?

Police drivers could look at improving their roundabout negotiating ability (when not on blue and twos). I appreciate that they may not have the same level of confidence as to what exit they are taking as people doing a daily commute, but it’s a bit hair raising when they change their minds at the last moment as to if they’re going to exit or not.
On the grand scale of things it’s a fairly minor gripe though 🙂