Police spotting (junction watch)

Ok, I was in Angel junction. loads of cops, not sure if I heard right but one guy got stopped and got asked where his brakes are. Guy on a blue fixed Dolan running brakeless, Angel heading to City road. So, keep an eye on them cops if you're running brakeless.

Apparently a colleague here at work got a warning this morning because half of his bike is not on the bike box during a red light...

You need two methods for breaking, fixed chain = one, therefore legally a break is required.

It's worth reminding people what this is really about ... here cited in the context of cuts to the fire service, but it applies to cycling, too.

Dear Friends,

Thank you for signing the petition, "Save Our Fire Stations". Please can you help spread the word by continuing to forward the link below to your family, friends, neighbours and colleagues?

http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-our-firestations

Please tell people about this as much as possible and, if you use social media, then please post the link on twitter and facebook.

Adam Bienkov, a political commentator from politics.co.uk, has observed the Mayor's "dead cat strategy" which the Mayor outlined in an article for The Telegraph (3 March 2013; yes, the Mayor has a second job, a really, really well-paid one). The strategy runs as follows:

"Let us suppose you are losing an argument. The facts are overwhelmingly against you, and the more people focus on the reality, the worse it is for you and your case. Your best bet in these circumstances is to perform a manoeuvre that a great campaigner describes as 'throwing a dead cat on the table, mate'.

"That is because there is one thing that is absolutely certain about throwing a dead cat on the dining room table – and I don’t mean that people will be outraged, alarmed, disgusted. That is true, but irrelevant. The key point, says my Australian friend, is that everyone will shout 'Jeez, mate, there’s a dead cat on the table!'; in other words they will be talking about the dead cat, the thing you want them to talk about, and they will not be talking about the issue that has been causing you so much grief."

The Mayor's Australian friend is the Tories' campaign chief Lynton Crosby, and, according to Adam Bienkov, the "dead cat strategy" is precisely what we are beginning to see from the Conservative party in the run-up to 2015. But I would suggest the Mayor is already adept at deploying this strategy. Every time he ruffles his hair and namedrops a Roman Emperor. Or when he describes the super-rich as "put-upon minority", bullied by "everyone from the Archbishop of Canterbury to Nick Clegg." You can read more about that here: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-says-superrich-are-putupon-minority-like-homeless-people-and-irish-travellers-8946661.html

Why am I talking about the dead cat strategy? Because I would like to encourage you all not to lose focus. Please do not be distracted by the diversionary tactics. Please see through it all. And take action! Please encourage everyone you know to sign the petition. Please take time to send an email/write to your ward councillors, GLA members, MP and yes, even the Mayor. Send a copy to Save London Fire Stations 10 (SLFS10)(savelondonfirestations10@gmail.com); they will act as proof of receipt. If you need help identifying your representatives, try this: http://www.london-baby.com/2013/11/share-a-5-minute-act-to-save-10-london-fire-stations/

We still have time to save OUR fire stations.

On Tuesday 26 November there will be an application by seven London councils for judicial review of the Mayor's decision to close ten London fire stations and cut 552 firefighters, 14 engines and 2 FRUs. There will be a Red Balloon Protest by SLFS10 outside the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand from 930 am. From 1030am firefighters will join the protest. And at 1145am mothers and children will join the protest.

Please remember that in 2012 the Mayor made pre-election promises not to cut the fire service as well as stating this to the London Assembly in 2010 (read my lips):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlNCf82iIBE

Please remember that the Mayor said to the Tory Party Conference that he wants to see former police and fire stations turned into free schools. Free schools have already expressed an interest in Belsize, Silvertown, Kingsland, Clerkenwell and Southwark. Southwark is the deadliest borough for fire deaths in London and will lose half of its fire coverage. To become a free school. Westminster has also had a free school do a property viewing. The incident on 16 November at 1 Whitehall required four fire engines, three came from stations due to close: Westminster, Knightsbridge and Southwark. Relief crews came from Clerkenwell, also due to close.

Please remember that the Mayor will make these cuts to the fire service to save £28.8 million this year... whilst spending vast sums on vanity projects. Like Boris bikes, currently costing us £11 million in subsidy. Like the Emirates Air Line, costing us £6 million per year (http://www.newstatesman.com/future-proof/2013/11/londons-useless-cable-car-still-useless-getting-more-so-every-week).

Please remember that your fire fighters also deal with Road Traffic Accidents (including cycling accidents), terrorist attacks, derailments, smoke/fire at railway stations or on the underground (like the recent incidents at South Kensington tube station), chemical spillage, helicopter accidents and floods as well as fires. After the closures, fire fighters will be arriving to find that the fires are more established, more difficult to deal with because it will take them longer to get there, endangering their lives as well as yours. If the closures go ahead, they will have less time to spend on doing all the preventive and educational work they do.

So, on Tuesday 26 November there will be a Red Balloon Protest against the closures and FOR a properly funded fire service. SLFS10 will be there. Fire fighters will be there. Mothers and children will be there.

I will be there. Will you?

Looking forward to seeing you all,
Artemis

I'm not sure if it's very wise for the Mayor to get into an argument with Jeez over a dead cat, but there you have it. :)

Don't be distracted from the real issues.

Apparently a colleague here at work got a warning this morning because half of his bike is not on the bike box during a red light...

sigh

I'm not sure if it's very wise for the Mayor to get into an argument with Jeez over a dead cat, but there you have it. :)

I'm guessing that even Boris has Jeez on ignore though.

Checked my raffle ticket last night and noticed the cop spelt(spelled) my name wrong.

Does that mean Im not eligible for the £50 prize?

Not sure I would be happy being called turdworldsuitcase by plod.

It's the Us and Them attitude that is really hurting.

Divide and rule.

I'm going to get one of those hi vis jackets that almost looks like a police jacket and stand around correcting the real police's shitty advice.

What, you're becoming a PCSO?

Checked my raffle ticket last night and noticed the cop spelt(spelled) my name wrong.

Does that mean Im not eligible for the £50 prize?

Don't be a plonker. If you deserved the ticket, pay it.

If you ignore it, they'll increases your charge by 50% every time they feel like it after each 28 days.
If you contest it, it'll go to court and you'll only get off if the judge is convinced that the person who committed the offence and is on the ticket is not you. Given that the name is probably only slightly off, and they have your address, the plod will stand up, say it's you and you'll get charged way more.

I never thought i would hear you arguing being sensible in regards to the police chung!

And if you were getting caught doing whatever it was that you were doing, maybe consider not doing it again.

If you were unable to see the dayglo coppers, who knows what you'll miss next time...

#mumadvice

What's with the £50 FPNs. I thought they were £30?

Got to pay for all this police overtime somehow...

Times are tough. Belts have been tightened. Fines have gone up.

Krispy Kreme don't pay for themselves.

ding... http://ukcyclerules.com/2012/01/04/challenging-a-fixed-penalty-notice/

Not sure I would be happy being called turdworldsuitcase by plod.

I'll pay it guys n gals.

What's with the £50 FPNs. I thought they were £30?

They were put up recently, when the new act making tailgating etc a FPN offence came into effect.

What's with the £50 FPNs. I thought they were £30?

Ah. Now I see they all went up in June.

That's steep.

Yeah, when you consider you can kill someone (so long as you're driving and the victim is a cyclist, of course) and be fined a hundy.

I never thought i would hear you arguing being sensible in regards to the police chung!

Ha! I've always been in the right in my dealings with the police, even if they didn't know it at the time :)

I love how all these officers watch the white vans scream through the light and do nothing. They don't flinch, the second van even appears to jump the red (at 50 seconds)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25089161

Amber. But he sure as shit wasn't slowing down for it.

Thought this was quite interesting in relation to the guy that was carrying his kids in his cargo bike.

Never realised it was illegal to carry a passenger on a bike without it being adapted or designed to do so.

http://ukcyclerules.com/2011/09/13/cycling-carrying-passengers/

My sister just asked for a helmet for her christmas present as a cop pulled her over in Camden yesterday and told her wearing a helmet will become compulsory by law soon!!!

What a load if shit.

How can they just make stuff up and lie to people's faces.

Erm.. Police. Hello.