Undercover bike police seek out dangerous drivers

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/undercover-bike-police-seek-out-dangerous-drivers-h2b0zrj3n

Undercover police officers wearing plain clothes and video cameras have been sent out on bicycles to catch motorists who endanger cyclists by driving too close or cutting them up.

The initiative was launched by the Metropolitan Police yesterday to increase safety for cycling commuters in London, where more than half a million daily journeys are made by bicycle.

Analysis from City of Westminster council in 2013 showed that more than two thirds of collisions between bicycles and motor vehicles in central London were the motorist’s fault.

Police have launched the programme to focus on motorists who drive dangerously, but officers will also pull up cyclists who misbehave, with one senior officer warning: “We can’t be everywhere, but we could be anywhere.”

Motoring groups have welcomed efforts to increase safety for cyclists, but expressed concerns that resources could be better deployed by having more visible traffic officers, whose numbers have been cut by more than a quarter over five years.

The Met said: “Officers . . . will go to any location, at any time, in any borough, based on intelligence and complaints, to ensure drivers properly obey the rules of the road.”

The officers, riding unmarked bicycles donated by BMW, will prioritise three common driving offences, including the tailgating of cyclists, unsafe overtaking, and turning across a cyclist’s path.

“If officers encounter a driver committing any of these offences, they will identify them to a nearby, marked police motorcycle rider, who will stop and engage with them,” police said.

The motorist will be given a presentation on Highway Code rules governing safe driving around cyclists and will have to provide insurance and licence details and pass an eyesight test, while their vehicle is checked.

Professional drivers will be reported and may have to appear in court, as will all motorists who are guilty of “particularly bad” driving. A similar initiative in Edinburgh this year resulted in almost 70 drivers pulled over in the first week.

Sergeant Andy Osborne said: “We want all road users to obey the Highway Code. This tactic is about education and encouraging motorists who do not comply with the rules of the road to start doing so, for everyone’s safety and protection, theirs included.”

Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said: “We know that safety concerns are one of the biggest barriers to cycling in London. That’s why we’re working hard to build high-quality safe routes to encourage even more people to cycle, and why I’m so pleased to see the Met tackling some of the dangers that we see on our roads.”

Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM RoadSmart, said he wanted to see improved safety for cyclists, particularly through segregated cycle routes, but added: “Our members want to see more traffic police out there. If you have enough manpower to have [undercover officers] out there, then have them in uniform.”

Mr Greig said that motorists had become used to cameras mounted on bike helmets and dashboards and would not be unduly concerned by the police’s use of cameras.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said: “I think drivers are generally quite considerate, but there are some who pass far too close and I don’t think they understand the consequences of their actions, which could be fatal.”