The Department for Transport (DfT) will invest £100,000 in setting up a new police unit to analyse dashcam footage and other video evidence submitted by the public.
The new unit is one of 50 measures announced as part of a two-year action plan to improve road safety being developed by the DfT. The study is primarily focused on making roads safer for vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians.
While no specifics have been given over how the submission of dash and helmet cam footage would work, the national back-office police unit analysing it will be modelled on a pilot scheme, named Operation Snap, that was run in Wales in 2016.
The DfT proposals said that any footage submitted must be clear and accompanied by a witness statement to prevent spiteful allegations. It will likely be able to enforce dangerous and careless driving, along with offences such as jumping red lights or using a mobile phone while behind the wheel.
Other proposals contained within the DfT report include a review of the Highway Code, evaluation of the wider use of 20mph zones around schools, the creation of education programmes on safely passing cyclists and a review of parking laws, including a clampdown on parking in cycling lanes.
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£100,000?
Well, that’ll go a long way. It will pay the salaries of three police officers at the most (or maybe four civilan/support staff). Forget about all the equipment they will need to do their job, there will be no money left to pay for it.
As usual with the British government, it is too little and will achieve nothing.
Have you heard...., ive
Have you heard the language used by some of these Dash cam vigilante?, the Police should examine them! , I’ve no time for them, you’d think they never did a bit of bad driving themselves, the Americans are even worse, they actively go about looking for bad drivers like it’s going to help!
Excellent
Hopefully this will catch all the cyclists going through red lights, riding in the middle of the carriageway when there's actually a cycle lane, riding 2 or 3 abreast on country roads etc etc
lamcote wrote:
Red light issue aside, which is stupid. Those pesky, evil cyclists are perfectly entiled to do the rest. Obviously much to your annoyance.
Rodester wrote:
And his ignorance.
Cheltenhamshire wrote:
I thought riding alongside one another wasn't allowed, anyway dash cams can film cyclist committing many offences but the police can do nothing as cyles aren't registered. As for not using provided cycle lanes, thats as stupid as all the cyclists I see without lights at night.
I too have a dash cam and have caught lots of bad driving on camers, most is just people making mistakes, as I know I certainly do, Unless I record some blatantly deliberate aggressive and dangerous driving, I shant be forwarding it on.
si73 wrote:
Nicely put, a voice of reason amongst many fly off the handle, though interestingly, annonymous posters
FMS wrote:
Fly off the handle? And FMS isn't annonymous?
Anyway, it's perfectly legal to ride two abreast, is often safer to do so and is generally recommended when there are groups of cyclists. Riding three abreast isn't recommended by the highway code, but it's not a legal document. Cyclists have a right to occupy their lane the same as a motorist. A cyclist is under no obligation to use a cycle lane and if the poster was a cyclist they would understand it's often unsafe to use them.
Rodester wrote:
This poster was a cyclist who used cycle lanes where available and always used lights and who always thought cyclng beside my mates was a no no. In my opinion there arent enough cycle paths and I hate being with traffic and as such can't understand those that ignor the cycle lanes I have used.
si73 wrote:
This poster is a cyclist who doesn't use cycle lanes because they're either used by pedestrians, covered in debris, used by the dreaded dog walkers with extendable leads (path based cycle lanes) and the road shared cycle lanes can also be covered in debris, missing storm drain covers and they also give motorists an excuse to give you a close pass, their arguement, you are in your lane, they are in theirs. My commute is usually done at an average speed of 18 - 22 mph so path based cycle lanes are not really appropriate.
Cycling side by side needs to be judge by the type of road you're cycling on, but as a rule, you as the cyclist have a right to occuply your lane the same as a motorist, law doesn't distinguish between the two, it's 'road user'.
Go with the flow of traffic, hold your position and make sure they've seen you.