Polite: Think Bike
Discussion
eccles said:
funkyrobot said:
If a driver needs to adjust their driving when they see this, they are doing something wrong.
Rubbish!Loads of people just randomly slow down when they see anything vaguely looking like the authorities by the side of the road for no reason what so ever.
They'll be doing 45 in a 50 limit, see something hi vis and drop to 40 "just in case".
OpulentBob said:
eccles said:
funkyrobot said:
If a driver needs to adjust their driving when they see this, they are doing something wrong.
Rubbish!Loads of people just randomly slow down when they see anything vaguely looking like the authorities by the side of the road for no reason what so ever.
They'll be doing 45 in a 50 limit, see something hi vis and drop to 40 "just in case".
eccles said:
funkyrobot said:
If a driver needs to adjust their driving when they see this, they are doing something wrong.
Rubbish!Loads of people just randomly slow down when they see anything vaguely looking like the authorities by the side of the road for no reason what so ever.
They'll be doing 45 in a 50 limit, see something hi vis and drop to 40 "just in case".
eccles said:
Rubbish!
Loads of people just randomly slow down when they see anything vaguely looking like the authorities by the side of the road for no reason what so ever.
They'll be doing 45 in a 50 limit, see something hi vis and drop to 40 "just in case".
Absolutely. A former friend saw a speed van in the distance while doing 70 on a DC, and slammed on to 50 (I was following). Then asked me if I thought they'd caught him. Given we weren't speeding to start with it seemed unlikely... Loads of people just randomly slow down when they see anything vaguely looking like the authorities by the side of the road for no reason what so ever.
They'll be doing 45 in a 50 limit, see something hi vis and drop to 40 "just in case".
xjay1337 said:
As a biker, Polite vests are worn exclusively by morons.
Same for those who ride panniered Pan euros with high vis stickers.
It's obvious what they are trying to be.
I think that they also seem the most likely to get annoyed if you pass them on a scooter.Same for those who ride panniered Pan euros with high vis stickers.
It's obvious what they are trying to be.
As mentioned further up, you don’t associate people like this with “making progress”.
Mandalore said:
Rovinghawk said:
La Liga said:
'householder case' is the only time a person may use more than reasonable force 
As usual, mickmcpaddy 0, reality 1.
I thought Lord Denning said that only reasonable force was permitted but a householder could be allowed significant leeway as to their ability to judge reasonable force in the heat of the moment. He did not suggest that deliberate excessive force (eg "a good kicking") was lawful.As usual, mickmcpaddy 0, reality 1.
It's possible that both are right but with fractionally different meanings.
I was a City of London police foot solider at a time when our traffic motorcyclists and those in the mets had a bespoke yellow 3/4 jacket with reflective bits on it. They broke the wind - a certain irony there - and civvy drivers soon got to recognise the ensemble.
I phoned the supplier and bought one, after explaining I was a PC. It arrived (at the police station addressed to PC D Smith only) sans the Police logos on the left breast and on the back. I realised I would soon be seen as ersatz traffic so, as with some traffic officers, I cut out bits of different coloured plastic and put them over where the signs would be had they been there, if you see what I mean.
I got a pull from a traffic sergeant (not the brightest in the department) who accused me of impersonating a traffic officer. I pointed out there was no such offence. He accused me of wearing a traffic officer's jacket. I produced a photocopy of the receipt. He demanded that I remove the police signs. I removed the plastic non covering up bits to show there was nothing being concealed. He left me with a strange bemused expression on his face.
I used to get waves from met traffic officers on my way to and from work.
Re: the OP's point. I'm not sure, but I don't think there is an offence of impersonating a police officer but only from a distance.
I phoned the supplier and bought one, after explaining I was a PC. It arrived (at the police station addressed to PC D Smith only) sans the Police logos on the left breast and on the back. I realised I would soon be seen as ersatz traffic so, as with some traffic officers, I cut out bits of different coloured plastic and put them over where the signs would be had they been there, if you see what I mean.
I got a pull from a traffic sergeant (not the brightest in the department) who accused me of impersonating a traffic officer. I pointed out there was no such offence. He accused me of wearing a traffic officer's jacket. I produced a photocopy of the receipt. He demanded that I remove the police signs. I removed the plastic non covering up bits to show there was nothing being concealed. He left me with a strange bemused expression on his face.
I used to get waves from met traffic officers on my way to and from work.
Re: the OP's point. I'm not sure, but I don't think there is an offence of impersonating a police officer but only from a distance.
Along with what others have already stated, I too would rather be knocked off my motorbike and killed than ever wear one of those 'POLITE' vests/jackets.
I consider the wearers of them to monumental weirdos of the highest order imaginable, especially when they add a plain white helmet, white panniers, and battenburg stripes into the mix. As far as I'm concerned they are no different to those creeps who decorate their cars to look like an ambulance.
Fortunately though, my eyesight actually seems quite good, and I can tell they aren't real Police at quite a distance, meaning that I don't lift off the throttle unnecessarily. Unlike all those blind idiots you see braking and bunching up behind 'Traffic Officer' cars on the motorway.
I consider the wearers of them to monumental weirdos of the highest order imaginable, especially when they add a plain white helmet, white panniers, and battenburg stripes into the mix. As far as I'm concerned they are no different to those creeps who decorate their cars to look like an ambulance.
Fortunately though, my eyesight actually seems quite good, and I can tell they aren't real Police at quite a distance, meaning that I don't lift off the throttle unnecessarily. Unlike all those blind idiots you see braking and bunching up behind 'Traffic Officer' cars on the motorway.
Derek Smith said:
I was a City of London police foot solider at a time when our traffic motorcyclists and those in the mets had a bespoke yellow 3/4 jacket with reflective bits on it. They broke the wind - a certain irony there - and civvy drivers soon got to recognise the ensemble.
I phoned the supplier and bought one, after explaining I was a PC. It arrived (at the police station addressed to PC D Smith only) sans the Police logos on the left breast and on the back. I realised I would soon be seen as ersatz traffic so, as with some traffic officers, I cut out bits of different coloured plastic and put them over where the signs would be had they been there, if you see what I mean.
I got a pull from a traffic sergeant (not the brightest in the department) who accused me of impersonating a traffic officer. I pointed out there was no such offence. He accused me of wearing a traffic officer's jacket. I produced a photocopy of the receipt. He demanded that I remove the police signs. I removed the plastic non covering up bits to show there was nothing being concealed. He left me with a strange bemused expression on his face.
I used to get waves from met traffic officers on my way to and from work.
Re: the OP's point. I'm not sure, but I don't think there is an offence of impersonating a police officer but only from a distance.
Not a hope of getting this recorded and dealt with as impersonationI phoned the supplier and bought one, after explaining I was a PC. It arrived (at the police station addressed to PC D Smith only) sans the Police logos on the left breast and on the back. I realised I would soon be seen as ersatz traffic so, as with some traffic officers, I cut out bits of different coloured plastic and put them over where the signs would be had they been there, if you see what I mean.
I got a pull from a traffic sergeant (not the brightest in the department) who accused me of impersonating a traffic officer. I pointed out there was no such offence. He accused me of wearing a traffic officer's jacket. I produced a photocopy of the receipt. He demanded that I remove the police signs. I removed the plastic non covering up bits to show there was nothing being concealed. He left me with a strange bemused expression on his face.
I used to get waves from met traffic officers on my way to and from work.
Re: the OP's point. I'm not sure, but I don't think there is an offence of impersonating a police officer but only from a distance.
DuraAce said:
xjay1337 said:
As a biker, Polite vests are worn exclusively by morons.
Same for those who ride panniered Pan euros with high vis stickers.
It's obvious what they are trying to be.
Absolutely. If you're a biker and you wear one then you are a huge throbber. I wonder if they realise everyone is looking at them and thinking "bellend"? Same for those who ride panniered Pan euros with high vis stickers.
It's obvious what they are trying to be.
Wear a plain hi viz jacket by all means, nothing wrong with that.
snobetter said:
In 2013 the tireless Ian Walker carried out a more extensive version of his helmet study. It also measured how closely drivers passed a bike when overtaking, but this time – using a volunteer colleague rather than himself – there were seven different outfits. Four made the rider look like a cyclist of varying experience and dedication, ranging from full Lycra to more everyday clothes, including one involving a hi-vis jacket. Three other outfits were based around bright yellow waistcoats bearing written messages. One read, “Novice cyclist: please pass slowly”; another said, “Polite: please slow down” – “polite” is sometimes used by UK cyclists and horse riders in the hope drivers might mistake it for “police” – and finally one read, “Police: camera cyclist”.
This brought data for just under 5,700 overtakes, more or less evenly split between the seven outfits. None of the outfits made an appreciable difference to driver behaviour, apart from the one saying “police”. For the six others, the average passing distance was between about 114cm and 118cm. For “police” it went above 122cm. Similarly, the proportion of drivers who went very near the bike was noticeably lower for the “police” vest. In contrast, the tabard saying “polite” saw the nearest average overtaking distance and almost twice as many potentially dangerous passes as “police”.
The lessons seem clear and worrying. For one thing, no matter which outfit was worn, a small percentage of drivers still overtook dangerously near, at a distance of 50cm or less. More than this, it seemed drivers were perfectly able to distinguish between different types of rider, and to read and absorb any message displayed. But rather than adjusting their driving to the perceived experience of the cyclist, it was only when faced with a threat to their own welfare – a police rider filming their actions – that many allowed a cyclist more space on the road. Most alarming still, some seemed to treat the mild attempt at deception of “polite” as a reason to almost punish the cyclist.
From: - https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/mar/...
Thanks for an interesting post and similarly interesting link, which I've only just got around to reading. Thought provoking. This brought data for just under 5,700 overtakes, more or less evenly split between the seven outfits. None of the outfits made an appreciable difference to driver behaviour, apart from the one saying “police”. For the six others, the average passing distance was between about 114cm and 118cm. For “police” it went above 122cm. Similarly, the proportion of drivers who went very near the bike was noticeably lower for the “police” vest. In contrast, the tabard saying “polite” saw the nearest average overtaking distance and almost twice as many potentially dangerous passes as “police”.
The lessons seem clear and worrying. For one thing, no matter which outfit was worn, a small percentage of drivers still overtook dangerously near, at a distance of 50cm or less. More than this, it seemed drivers were perfectly able to distinguish between different types of rider, and to read and absorb any message displayed. But rather than adjusting their driving to the perceived experience of the cyclist, it was only when faced with a threat to their own welfare – a police rider filming their actions – that many allowed a cyclist more space on the road. Most alarming still, some seemed to treat the mild attempt at deception of “polite” as a reason to almost punish the cyclist.
From: - https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/mar/...
I have always 'cycled bright', in other words gone for high visibility. Some on here suggest it makes one look a t
t but in fact all it shows is just how bad other road users are in taking account of their surroundings and in particular those who are sharing their space. The excuse of 'I didn't see him' is all too common.The bit about the gap drivers give cyclists is fascinating. I'm >6'2" and although I was slim when I cycled, I still looked big and I would stick out my elbows. I normally got a fair bit of room. There was a female cyclist in Brighton who, on a couple of occasions, attacked cars with a hammer when they got too close. I assume the driver/occupants said something as well, but it was not admitted to. It was a tempting option. When the drivers were asked why they were driving so close they seemed to suggest that was all that was required.
Once, when on a motorbike, I went into a right handed bend only to see the front end of a car appear underneath me. I stopped it by flashing my warrant card but could not get across to the driver how dangerous she was being. I reported her but the local force binned the paperwork. You can't legislate for dim and unsympathetic drivers, just report them.
Interesting post and link. Thanks again.
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