Sadly, there are also a large number of drivers who feel that this network is a good route for them to use as a short cut and drive at speeds which quite frankly I feel are dangerous, and I'm not one of the school children walking to school.
Fortunately for London based people there is now a Road Safe team where if you witness anti-social driving, dangerous driving you can report it, and this Met Police team will follow up on it. Whilst knowledge of this team is spreading through the cycling community, I think a lot of us when walking about town, and in our neighbourhoods will have seen irresponsible/dangerous driving and now you can do something about it.
A few important points:
- This is not for reporting road collisions
- Note down the licence plate of the vehicle as soon as possible after witnessing the incident/poor driving/speeding (our memory fades very quickly on details, so if you don't write/record the details immediately, even 30mins later the details will have become fuzzy)
- When you have a moment visit and log the details http://www.met.police.uk/roadsafelondon/
For too long inconsiderate drivers have been able to seemingly get away with bullying others on our roads. This Road Safe team allows us to report poor driving which hasn't resulted in someone being hurt, but poses a danger to others. We shouldn't have to wait for another person to be killed or injured for changes to be made to our streets, and the same goes for dangerous/irresponsible drivers.
I hope you'll join me in starting to report incidents. Getting a letter through the post from the police reminding you that you have responsibilities as a driver may not work for everyone, but I do think it's a positive step which will help kerb some of the excesses of those drivers that put all of us at risk.
Definitely worth improving the knowledge of this service.
ReplyDeleteSadly it is not a team, it is one officer. The performance of Roadsafe improved in late 2012 when the officer in charge changed. However it has recently changed hands again so fingers crossed thr quality of service will be maintained.
Hi Hairy Buddha, interesting to know that.
ReplyDeleteI filed a report a couple of months back, and did receive an email a little later saying that it had been followed up by an officer. Worth reporting, and as this system is much easier than going into a police station, hopefully we can improve reporting of poor driving.
Update: I've received an email just now regarding the incident I reported yesterday, which prompted me to write this post. Very pleased with the response, a letter has been sent to the owner of the vehicle in question.
ReplyDeleteYep, Harry Buddar is rite and if you aint perpared to report a road manaic then nothin aint goin to happen is it? Randomcyclistbloke
Delete