A mate of mine got knocked off of his week old bike in the Mall in central London today, busted forks and front wheel.

A taxi was about 2 metres from the kerb and his passenger got out and ‘doored’ (nearside door) my mate. Police turned up and were more interested in whether he gave the cabbie any lip, rather than the ‘dooring’. Things went downhill from there.

I’ve said he should complain about the attitude of the two police officers, it sounded remarkably like the police response to the Ducati rider deliberately colliding with a cyclist outside Buckingham Palace which is just down the road, Ducati dickhead. Both incidents involved a woman officer, I don’t know if it was the same one.

Is it worth it, and will it all get brushed under the carpet as they always seem to protect each other?

Make a complant. If nothing is done on this occasion, when the same officer has several complaints something will be done.
Be prepared that there are two sides to every story tho.

If someone thought you did a shit job, would you expect them to complain?

If so, yes.

Don’t waste your time, no one in the police give a @@@@ what the public think of them personally or as a professionally

Is it worth it, and will it all get brushed under the carpet as they always seem to protect each other?

Your mate’s word against theirs with no witness? It isn’t going anywhere. But if he does complain it will stay on her record. If the same officer gets a number of similar complaints it will help paint the picture.

What is he hoping to achieve with the complaint? Apology? Action against the passenger for the criminal offence of causing danger by opening the door? Though if going down that route is there any risk of a careless cycling charge for undertaking a taxi which if stopped could be assumed to be dropping a fare?

Not that I’m saying there was any fault on the part of cyclist just playing devil’s advocate.

S your mate was undertaking then? Was the taxi stationary? Doesn’t look good if so. And you and us are only hearing your mate’s side of things, aren’twe?

Asfor compaling about the police constables’ ‘attitude’, I think you’ve answered you r won question really.

Is it worth it, and will it all get brushed under the carpet as they always seem to protect each other?

😉

They’d probably just fabricate something to charge you with for having the cheek to complain about one of their own.

Don’t waste your time.

Maybe they were trying to get the full story of what happened. They can’t just take one part of the story. Maybe the taxi driving complained to them about your friends attitude?

Communication isnt the greatest thing in the police service. I work with several good officers, I have also seen times when they reach their breaking point and as I am generally extremely patient I do often think they are crossing the line and on a few occasions I have expressed my views on it in a sensible way. Its not neccesarily a power thing, more that some officers deal with sh*tty people so much (drug dealers, repeat shoplifting granny robbing druggies and gobby abusive fighting drunk people) that it rubs off and they become a little jaded and warped. What is ‘normal’ behaviour kind of goes out of the window a bit as they dont deal with it. Its no excuse or reason, just my view.

I will say that there are always two sides to every story and do you know what the taxi driver said to the officers? Do you know what was officially recorded? Is it going any further? Im not questioning that they may have been rude and sometimes a complaint or two acts as a wakeup call.

If your mate feels like he’s had a harsh time with the officers then report them.

If it were me I would not of been undertaking a taxi in the first place regardless of how far away from the kerb, Although I do find 2 meters to be a bit far when dropping off a passenger.

do you know what the taxi driver said to the officers?

Wait wait I know this one…

Assuming that your mate is happy with his side of things why not. I did once when pulled for driving on chevrons. The PC was a bit stroppy, so would I be in his place, faced with stupid drivers everywhere and argumentative sods like me.
I happened to know that in this situation I was allowed to be where I was and told him so. Very nicely, but he didn’t like me stopping him every other word to write down exactly what he said. When I asked him to explain the caution he couldn’t and whilst remaining technically correct was very fierce. I complained about his manner and was asked by his superiors if I wished it to go on record. I suggested that a quite word would do as I had an element of sympathy. I had a formal letter of apology and of thanks that I was understanding. The charge was dropped as I was proved to be correct.
Now I am a strong supporter of the law. I believe that they should be given rather more traditional rights than they now have and if treated with disrespect they have the right, indeed duty, to respond if an appropriate and strong handed manner. Until then, like every other public servant they are employed by me and should be polite and consider all points of view, especially at a senior level. However I also expect shop staff to treat me like I treat them, with respect, as I would any other representative of any organisation. If that doesn’t happen , complain.

So the passenger opened the near side door and your mate was overtaking the taxi on the inside? Tbh it doesn’t sound intentional more an accident. Overtaking traffic on the inside is pretty dangerous and has resulted in lots of dead cyclists.

So the passenger opened the near side door and your mate was overtaking the taxi on the inside? Tbh it doesn’t sound intentional more an accident. Overtaking traffic on the inside is pretty dangerous and has resulted in lots of dead cyclists.

But if the taxi was as far from the kerb as suggested, ie 2m/7ft, then overtaking would be even more hazardous, surely?
It would force the rider pretty much into the opposite lane.

Pawsy_Bear – Member
Overtaking traffic on the inside is pretty dangerous and has resulted in lots of dead cyclists.

Have you seen where most cycle lanes are?

Counterzero agreed in same situation he also had the option to stop? Ive had plenty of close calls from parked cars with people opening their doors or pulling out without looking or indicating. It isnt easy but under taking is suicide. Its also a taxi in London, they tend to stop and passengers get out.

A cycle lane as we all know isnt a guarantee of security and I used them on the commute and have been cut up on them as well.

I would still maintain it looks more like an accident than a deliberate ‘dooring’ by the passenger. How many of us look for a cyclist when we open a taxi door?

Complain.

There is a specific Road Traffic Act offence of ‘opening a car door dangerously’. Seems to fit the bill nicely.

I spent 6 years as a traffic officer and am now a response sergeant, so feel moderately well qualified to comment. Make a complaint.

Things are a bit different in the Met – they are not well regarded by the non-metropolitan forces – but if one of my team didn’t deal with an incident like this correctly, I’d want to know all about it.

just walk away- the idea of the police that we had when we were growing up is long gone.
today from the scaffold, i watched a team of police smash their way into a heroin dealers house. can you imagine how much adrenaline and downright fear that would produce?
now imagine someone like me or you turns up five minute later complaining about protocol where some stuff was broken but no-one was seriously hurt or died.
usually im very much ‘**** the police’ (ive not had great responses when i have really needed them in the past) but after watching that today, i can see why they dont give a **** about our first world problems.
(one of them couldve been a double for ‘the rock’ so im glad im not a heroin dealer either)

Don’t bother, they will listen to you , but do nothing

Pawsy_Bear – Member
How many of us look for a cyclist when we open a taxi door?

Really? If you were getting away from the kerb you woudn’t check if anything was coming?

Jonah Tonto, that was a similar thought to what I was having.

dooge, ive come to realise the police are just this thing, like weather. they do their thing, i get on with my life, the less we interact with each other the better. its been annoying having a halfway house and a drug dealer across the road from the site but it was easier to deal with them ourselves than phone it in, and then today was like watching a thunderstorm – impressive while it lasted but everyone involved knew it would all blow over and things would be back to normal tomorrow 🙁

you can’t really criticise a cyclist for filtering on the left on The Mall – it’s a fast-moving dual carriageway with no lane markings – drivers tend to get over-excited about the fact they’re not stuck in a traffic jam and rag it – so moving round the outside of a taxi is fraught with risk…

If you feel like complaining, complain. I got a nice written apology off the Surrey police force after a complaint I made on one of their corrupt little coppers.

Does your mate have the officers number?

Go to their Inspector or just go straight to: http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/complaints

There are some great officers, great officers who get tired and need a break but also ones who are idiots.

I had two of these in Regents Park who blocked me off in a transit theatrically for daring to ride my bike at 7am there on the way to work. Two joggers stopped and had a go at them.

you can’t really criticise a cyclist for filtering on the left on The Mall

No, but the bike could have slowed or stopped.
Having said that, if your mate thinks he was ignored or prejudiced against in some way, then yes make a deal of it.
However, it does sound like a wee tiff following trying to undertake a vehicle. 😉

If there was a line of traffic on the mall and the passenger decided to get out there then I can see why its ‘unfair’ on the cyclist.

If however the cab had pulled towards the side and after a pause the door opened- I’d say why did the cyclist think it wise and not go up and over?

This is the location for those that don’t know ‘that there Lunnun’. There is usually slow moving/a queue of traffic in the middle of the road lining up to get under Amiralty Arch. I wouldn’t think that it was reasonable to let someone out of their cab 6 feet from the kerb, and I usually overtake/filter on the nearside here with so much space available.

Thanks siwhite, that’s the sort of insight I was looking for.
Unfortunately my opinion of the Met Police sinks lower everytime I have any interaction with them. I used to be a big supporter of the police, but now after trying to get help from them a few times realise that the ‘boots’ on the ground seem to be of a very low calibre (City of London police in the ‘square mile’ are pretty good though). I know that the job has been run into the ground but surely some of them want to do a good job?

you can’t really criticise a cyclist for filtering on the left on The Mall – it’s a fast-moving dual carriageway with no lane markings – drivers tend to get over-excited about the fact they’re not stuck in a traffic jam and rag it – so moving round the outside of a taxi is fraught with risk…

Brooess, my thoughts exactly.

My mate has now just accepted that it’s happened and moved on, he’s going to try and get the repairs paid for but is not going to let it rule his life, he said if he has to pay for it himself he will to keep enjoying cycling. He came out of it with a cut hand and no broken bones, so that’s a plus.

Irrespective of who’s right and wrong in an incident, I’d expect the officers to be fair, impartial and polite. They’re not judges (or insurance representatives).

If that’s not happened, lodge a complaint.

Cougar, that’s what’s cheesing me off so much, I think that I’m angrier than he is!

It should really be up to the cab driver to check his mirrors before allowing the passenger to get out.

Riding in the door zone carries risks, whether you are under or overtaking.

It should really be up to the cab driver to check his mirrors before allowing the passenger to get out.

It should really be up to the cab driver to stop in a place where the passenger can alight safely rather than just dropping anchor in the middle of the road when the fare’s completed.

Their uniforms are rubbish. They’re always charging up and down the A24 forcing everybody out of the way. They’re institutionally racist. They smell.

Waits…..

Nothing yet……..

Riding in the door zone carries risks, whether you are under or overtaking.

Which is why I’ll always go wider than I need to when overtaking. However, when a vehicle is sitting on the right, well clear of the side of the road and not looking like it is stopped for disembarkation, I’ll give as much width as the kerb allows before filtering through on the inside.

I also complained about a PC once, he started giving me attitude about a car parked outside of a house opposite mine,that hadn’t moved for a week and the tax had expired the day before (mate’s car that lived with us, he’d gone away on holiday for a week, terraced street). I explained that it was a bit galling to see that they turned up for this one, after a day, but could do nothing about the NI registered car that sat untaxed outside my house for 4 months. Unfortunately for him, at this point he let slip that the reason he was unhappy was that the house belonged to a “family member” who was being inconvenienced by it being parked there. I asked what relevance that should have on the matter. It went downhill from there.

Following my complaint, I received a phone call and an invitation to have a chat with his inspector, who told me that it could be dealt with one of two ways, Formal disciplinary or a chat. I suggested that telling him not to be such a dick next time was the correct approach, the inspector agreed.

It should really be up to the cab driver to stop in a place where the passenger can alight safely rather than just dropping anchor in the middle of the road when the fare’s completed.

I agree, and most of them do, but if a passenger decides that they want to get out, if the road is gridlocked for example, then this situation could be easily avoided by a check first.
The passenger is paying for the privilege of being driven, their mind could be occupied with other things, being late for example, the driver should be much more aware of what is around the vehicle.

I’m not a big cab driver fan or supporter of ideal world scenarios.

Which is why I’ll always go wider than I need to when overtaking. However, when a vehicle is sitting on the right, well clear of the side of the road and not looking like it is stopped for disembarkation, I’ll give as much width as the kerb allows before filtering through on the inside.

I agree with this too, but if there is a 2 meter gap then I would consider there is adequate space to pass safely without being doored.
If the pavement was overflowing then I would ride accordingly.