Please report dangerous drivers to the police - Roadsafe. Report to plod, not just whinge here.

It's actually a picture taken by a documentary team... Apparently when you insure with Westminster you get a camera and a legal team who sit in the passenger seat just waiting for them to be needed.

So the number plate has been blurred out to protect the innocent cab driver from the wrath of the cycling mafia.

Ever wanted to run over a cyclist, but you worry about the legal implications? Get your Westminster Fat Cunt Taxi Insurance™ today, and start driving your way, the way you want to... Reclaim the streets, after all you're paying road tax, and they're not!

Looks ripe for a caption competition to me.

I note that the barrister is using that tried and tested legal argument, "pointing dramatically"

Not the polis but did do this:

Dear Sir/Madame,

I am writing to complain about an incident this morning on my commute through Cheltenham to Brockworth. I was riding up from the Promenade towards Montepellier and the Queens Hotel when I heard one of your buses behind me. I looked over my right shoulder to see your bus in the middle of the road over the white chevrons obviously making to overtake me. We were approaching a choke point in the road which also contained a traffic island which is why I was so surprised to see a buss attempting an overtake but he continued to come past me and them turn in towards the curve again to get past the island while I was still alongside him, meaning the gap between him and the curb reduced very rapidly and forcing me to brake heavily to avoid being struck by the bus or myself hitting the curb and falling from my bike.

I hope you agree this is extremely dangerous driving by one of your employees. Collisions with HGVs and buses are the number one cause of cyclist’s serious injury and death on our roads, particularly from being on their left on the inside. As a cyclist it is my number one priority to avoid being in that position so when a large bus overtakes me like that and gives me no choice but to be in the most dangerous situation you can be in it makes me very angry indeed. What is more the bus was stopping at the bus stop opposite the Rotunda which I arrived at only a handful of seconds later, meaning the driver endangered me for a marginal short term gain instead of waiting 10 more seconds and passing me safely once we had both cleared the road furniture.

As a regular commuter this isn’t first time I have experienced unsafe driving from your buses, but this is certainly the most serious. I did try to take a photo of the bus for identification purposes but unfortunately the picture didn’t come out but it would be the 94 bus stopping at the Montpellier stop at 7.50-8.00am. Given the size of the vehicle your drivers have a duty of care to both passengers inside and other road users outside, especially vulnerable ones like cyclists who would be seriously injured in any incident with a bus that large. I would urge you to reinforce safe driving around cyclists in particular namely:

· Not overtaking when approaching a hazard in the road or at choke points, as well as junctions and traffic lights.
· No overtaking when approaching a bus stop they will be stopping at.
· No overtaking just before making a lefthand turn.
· Ensuring plenty of space is given to cyclists when overtaking, as it stipulates in the Highway Code.

If I continue to see poor driving on your routes I will look to take this complaint further. I hope you might have a word with the driver of the vehicle and ensure he doesn’t take risks like that with other road users again. It reflects poorly on your organisation.

Yours sincerely,

James Cole

Dear Mr Cole,

I am writing to you today in regards to your email dated 24th September 2013 regarding one of our Service 94 drivers for dangerous driving.

All of our drivers undergo intensive training prior to starting their duties with ongoing training to maintain the high standard we set. We work hard to ensure our drivers are considerate to other road users especially those who are most vulnerable on our roads such as cyclists. There is enough space on our roads for all modes of transport.

Complaints of this nature are taken very seriously by the Company, using the information that you supplied I have traced the driver, and currently obtaining the CCTV of the incident. Dependent on the findings from viewing the CCTV, I will be interviewing him in line with our Company disciplinary procedures and taking the appropriate actions in order to avoid such incidents in the future.

I would also like to advised, I am currently creating notices for all drivers advising of the dangers they can cause to vulnerable road users in order to highlight this issue and as a first measure to prevent such incidents reoccurring. Any driver involved in such incidents is sent to remedial driving with one of our qualified driving instructors. During this training their driving is assessed and corrected where needed along with highlighting how their actions can affect others.

I would like to apologise again on behalf of Stagecoach for the distress caused to you and thank you for taking the time to report this matter to us.

Yours Sincerely,

Laura Smith
Operations Manager
Stagecoach in Cheltenham

that's just another fat cabbie in a barrister's get up.

Well done. I think, although you might have to formally request it and pay a fee, you are entitled to request a copy of cctv on which you are recorded... could be interesting

^^you can tell he's a good character actor though by the way he clearly has no idea what to do with his left hand while he's posing.

My recent discussion with a cab involved the classic "pull out to overtake cyclist, spot traffic island, pull INTO cyclist", after said manouevre the cabbie decided that I'd undertaken him to put myself into danger.

I wonder how his dash-cam would have worked out for him in that situation?

you're forgetting - it's a special professionally fitted camera that meets their requirements.

^^ (conveniently misplaces memory card / dodgy edit for YouTube)

^^imagine setting off all the flash bulbs at once!

Wow. So their art director is Benny Hill.

Yeah, he picks up his D&AD (Design & Art Direction) and The Cannes Lions awards in fast motion with that music playing, innit.

Just reported this twat: W453CVX Blue Golf.
This morning at approx 8.40am I was cycling East at the junction where the Brixton Road meets the A3.
I was between two cars in the primary position in the outside lane waiting to filter right. The traffic splits into three lanes., the traffic was moving at perhaps 10 miles per hour, no more.
I was aware of the car behind me being to close and turned round to check. The driver hooted me and started to gesticulate. I ignored him as I was obeying the law and was not slowing him up in any way. In fact I could have moved quicker than the surrounding cars but chose to sit tight and wait.
He hooted again and I was aware of him pulling up beside me and shouting and making obscene gestures.
He then tried to push me into the left hand lane against a bus. This went on for perhaps 30 yards. I had to move left and then stop as he was deliberately trying to hit me or knock me off. He was not indicating that he wanted to move into the left lane.
All the time he was shouting swearing and making obscene gestures. I would say he was in a rage.
I stopped to let him past to avoid being killed!
He then proceeded to move into the left hand lane without indicating and doing the same thing to another cyclist, this cyclist also had to stop or be knocked off. He then drove off accelerating rapidly north on the A23 towards Kennington.
This man was obviously angry and possibly late for school drop off and possibly work, and nearly killing me and another cyclist merely a minor annoyance to him!

Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding the condition of a licensed taxi [churning out black smog], which has been passed to us by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)... I can confirm that we will raise this matter with the driver concerned and take appropriate action to ensure that his taxi is in a suitable condition to carry the travelling public. Once again, thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Transport for London

potentially, one less smogger!

:-)

ps.

@ the van driver who ran through an amber light, despite having plenty of time to stop earlier today; gonna log your plate next time buddy - as that sort of driving behaviour is life-threatening - potentially my life if you get any closer to me next time this occurs (!)

in a suitable condition to carry the travelling public

I love this phrase.

This morning at about 7am, I was about 150 metres from my house, and at the front of the traffic lights. Cycled onwards and about 20 metres after the junction, this blue BMW accelerated from behind me, overtook and then pulled left, knocking me off - he then drove off in a hurry. No way he missed me, lights were blazing and I shouted as he drove into me.

Thankfully I got nothing more serious than grazes and cuts, although I was so shook up that I ended up thanking the two witnesses and heading to work, without taking their numbers, or writing down the BMW's registration. Just feel like an idiot now, but a little bit spaced too. The only positive was that my brand new Torm jersey held up like a boss. Brake hood is wonky now.

How hard is it to get hold of CCTV footage? I called 101 but they said I have to go into a station to report it.

Where was it?

Top of child's hill, near cricklewood. NW11.

If you can spot the cameras, make a data subject access request ASAP. If they've still got the footage, they're obliged to give it to you. They may ask for a fee which can be no more than £10.

good news everyone! we can all leave our poodles and summer hats at home from now on - VOLVO have got this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4KLEa0iqYg&list=UUaY-4ndPCRKp60qXF7zBJ0w
-4ndPCRKp60qXF7zBJ0w&v=I4KLEa0iqYg

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-10/10/crush-the-speed

Interesting approach... wouldn't recommend it though.

Why wouldn't you recommend it?

Think attention needs to be on the road... and while a smashed-up car would probably be food for thought and may cause drivers to slow down, it would also steal their attention away from traffic. But hey ho, I'm open for anything if you think it would work.