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Ridicule Terminates Rigorous UK Police Cycle-training Manual

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Ridicule Terminates Rigorous UK Police Cycle-training Manual

Old 04-14-10, 11:20 AM
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Ridicule Terminates Rigorous UK Police Cycle-training Manual

Actually, that title is incorrect. It should be "Ridicule Terminates Rigorous UK Police Cycle-training Manual". Can't see how to edit the title. Apologies.

https://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...-bike-training

Good little piece from the Guardian UK's cycle blog which details some of the very practical training the UK police get. Some interesting quotes:

We began with a ride through the streets, Aveling and Notley, a new recruit to the patrol, following behind and noting my mistakes. Despite years of commuting experience it seems I made several, not least glancing carelessly behind me using peripheral vision rather than twisting round for a proper look. Aveling even gently rebuked me for using the middle of a narrow cycle lane. I should have been on its far edge, nearer the middle of the road. He is, in fact, fairly sceptical about a lot of bike-specific road infrastructure.

Aveling also classes my failure to wear a reflective fluorescent vest a "mistake" – in fact my biggest – something we agree to differ about.
Away from the excitement, Aveling stresses how difficult it can be when such training is mocked. Particularly damaging was a story in the Sun about a planned 93-page volume for training UK cycling police. The product of much effort, the mockery – including, I'm ashamed to say, also on this blog – led to it being dropped.

He points to the case of a police community support officer with no training who was killed by a skip truck on his first day of bike patrol in Wigan in 2007. "Police drivers get weeks of training, so do motorcyclists," says Aveling. "Why should the cyclists be different?"

Last edited by RazrSkutr; 04-14-10 at 11:23 AM. Reason: incorrect title
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Old 04-14-10, 11:25 AM
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I changed the title for you.
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Old 04-14-10, 11:28 AM
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Thank you sir.
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Old 04-14-10, 12:15 PM
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Good article and fantastic point about other vehicle training.
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Old 04-14-10, 01:53 PM
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I find it pretty funny that the police wear those vests.
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Old 04-14-10, 03:01 PM
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Originally Posted by crhilton
I find it pretty funny that the police wear those vests.
Why is it ridiculous? Someone in need of police assistance can spot an officer on a bike for miles, thanks to that vest.

-Kurt
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Old 04-15-10, 06:03 PM
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Yeah, I love seeing that vest. The officers around here are pretty awesome. They seem to have a lot of fun riding around, especially because campus has a lot of stairs to test out their suspension.
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Old 04-16-10, 03:46 AM
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I love how little integrity journalists have. All they had to do was ask themselves why such a manual would exist. Well, for starters, police do need training to ride their bikes. Most people don;t ride bikes beyond childhood and when they start again as adults they tend to be kind of crap at it. Secondly, liability. If I'm assigned bicycle duty and then get hit, if I wasn't trained adequately I would be owed some serious compensation.
Sure people don't need to be taught how to ride a damn bike. People operating in a police capacity, how may have to chase criminals at speed, and who have to spend all day riding in cities probably do need some training.
I met some local bike cops the other day and they could have used some serious training. I actually felt bad for them, that's how uncomfortable they looked. All four we're young and fairly fit looking. The two female cops were actually stronger and more assertive riders than the guys. Still, I did worry a little about their safety.
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Old 04-16-10, 08:50 AM
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Originally Posted by cudak888
Why is it ridiculous? Someone in need of police assistance can spot an officer on a bike for miles, thanks to that vest.

-Kurt
I said funny, not ridiculous. It seems funny because someone not wanting to be spotted by an officer can see them for miles...
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