Delays to the introduction of an online road safety reporting portal are putting cyclists in Scotland "at risk", says Cycling UK - after Police Scotland took over a year to report an alleged hit-and-incident which left a rider "unable to sit down for a week", leading to the case being dismissed.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Government announced funding for a national safety portal last year, but it hasn’t been implemented yet.

Scottish cyclists currently have to use the Police Scotland Online Reporting Form, which is time-consuming and inconsistent, with how an incident is handled often depending on the attitudes of different police forces and officers.

As we reported earlier this week, Alan Myles contacted Police Scotland 30 times after he was the victim of a hit-and-run in November 2021. Police Scotland took a year to report the incident (with one officer taking over six months to open an email containing footage of the alleged collision) to the Procurator Fiscal, Scotland's public prosecutor, who dismissed the case because it was time-barred.

“Ever since I was knocked off my bike, every time I head out for a ride to work or with friends and family, I have that nagging thought that maybe I’ll be hit again – maybe that same person who drove into me will be out on the road again,” Mr Myles said.

“Not only have the police failed to deliver justice in my case, they are failing to ensure our roads are kept safe from those who pose the greatest danger to others.”

Police Scotland and the Scottish Government have promised to introduce a third-party National Dashcam Safety Portal, but the project has seen delays and in October 2022, Police Scotland said that the portal was ‘under review’ due to budget constraints.

Cycling UK have been campaigning to introduce the portal since 2021. The campaign has received support from 33 road user organisations including the AA and the RAC.

Keir Gallagher, Cycling UK campaigns manager said the portal would save time and money, is widely supported by the public, is used successfully elsewhere in the UK and will help deliver road safety and justice consistently across Scotland.

“It’s not just Mr Myles who has been let down by Police Scotland’s failure to investigate and report this collision to the Procurator Fiscal within the necessary 12-month timeframe but responsible drivers, cyclists and pedestrians across Scotland," he said.

“Had the force and the Government made good on their commitment to introduce a National Dashcam Safety Portal, as is in operation across most of the UK, arguably the investigation could have been concluded in a timely and cost-effective manner that would have delivered justice and safer roads.

“There is a clear lack of consistency in investigating road crimes at branch level which the portal would help to address.”

He continued: “Responsible drivers, cyclists and pedestrians in Scotland shouldn’t be put at risk because of delays to the National Dashcam Safety Portal.

“Police Scotland and the Government must urgently get together and find a solution to get this vital road safety tool up and running as a matter of the highest priority.”

Mr Myles said the portal needs to be introduced urgently, "so that no one else has to go through what I have".

This has been echoed in recent weeks by Scottish camera cyclist Deacon Thurston, who told road.cc in an interview that the current method is time-consuming and complicated, resulting in not enough victims reporting offences, and that Police Scotland aren't capable of acting on video reports as effectively as elsewhere in the UK.

He said that allowing third-party reporting for traffic offences would "massively improve" the system.

Responding to road.cc’s request for a comment concerning the delays to the investigation of Mr Myles’ hit-and-run allegations, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 9.25am on Tuesday, 30 November, 2021, we received a report of a hit and run on Glen Road, between Lennoxtown and Milton of Campsie.

“Enquiries were carried out and a 55-year-old man was charged in connection with the incident.

“A report was submitted to the Procurator Fiscal on December 11, 2022.

“Any member of the public who has any complaints about Police Scotland can contact us by visiting our website - www.scotland.police.uk (link is external), or calling 101.”

https://road.cc/content/news/call-scottish-safety-portal-would-deliver-justice-299731

On 04/03/2023 14:36, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Delays to the introduction of an online road safety reporting portal are putting fairy-cyclists in Scotland "at risk", says Fairy Cycling UK - after Police Scotland took over a year to report an alleged hit-and-incident which left a rider "unable to sit down for a week", leading to the case being dismissed.

"unable to sit down for a week"?

The mind boggles.
>
> Police Scotland and the Scottish Government announced funding for a national safety portal last year, but it hasn’t been implemented yet.
>
> Scottish fairy-cyclists currently have to use the Police Scotland Online Reporting Form, which is time-consuming and inconsistent, with how an incident is handled often depending on the attitudes of different police forces and officers.
>
> As we reported earlier this week, Alan Myles contacted Police Scotland 30 times after he was the victim of a hit-and-run in November 2021. Police Scotland took a year to report the incident (with one officer taking over six months to open an email containing footage of the alleged collision) to the Procurator Fiscal, Scotland's public prosecutor, who dismissed the case because it was time-barred.
>
> “Ever since I was knocked off my fairy-bike, every time I head out for a ride to work or with friends and family, I have that nagging thought that maybe I’ll be hit again – maybe that same person who drove into me will be out on the road again,” Mr Myles said.
>
> “Not only have the police failed to deliver justice in my case, they are failing to ensure our roads are kept safe from those who pose the greatest danger to others.”

It is probably true that the police don't do enough to keep normal
people safe from fairy-cyclists.
>
> Fairy Cycling UK have been campaigning to introduce the portal since 2021. The campaign has received support from 33 road user organisations including the AA and the RAC.
>
> Keir Gallagher, Fairy Cycling UK campaigns manager said the portal would save time and money, is widely supported by the public, is used successfully elsewhere in the UK and will help deliver road safety and justice consistently across Scotland.
>
> “It’s not just Mr Myles who has been let down by Police Scotland’s failure to investigate and report this collision to the Procurator Fiscal within the necessary 12-month timeframe but responsible drivers, fairy-cyclists and pedestrians across Scotland," he said.
>
> “Had the force and the Government made good on their commitment to introduce a National Dashcam Safety Portal, as is in operation across most of the UK, arguably the investigation could have been concluded in a timely and cost-effective manner that would have delivered justice and safer roads.
>
> “There is a clear lack of consistency in investigating road crimes at branch level which the portal would help to address.”
>
> He continued: “Responsible drivers, fairy-cyclists and pedestrians in Scotland shouldn’t be put at risk because of delays to the National Dashcam Safety Portal.

What on Earth is a "responsible" fairy-cyclist?

That's an oxymoron.
>
> “Police Scotland and the Government must urgently get together and find a solution to get this vital road safety tool up and running as a matter of the highest priority.”
>
> Mr Myles said the portal needs to be introduced urgently, "so that no one else has to go through what I have".
>
> This has been echoed in recent weeks by Scottish camera fairy-cyclist Deacon Thurston, who told road.cc in an interview that the current method is time-consuming and complicated, resulting in not enough victims reporting offences, and that Police Scotland aren't capable of acting on video reports as effectively as elsewhere in the UK.
>
> He said that allowing third-party reporting for traffic offences would "massively improve" the system.
>
> Responding to road.cc’s request for a comment concerning the delays to the investigation of Mr Myles’ hit-and-run allegations, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 9.25am on Tuesday, 30 November, 2021, we received a report of a hit and run on Glen Road, between Lennoxtown and Milton of Campsie.
>
> “Enquiries were carried out and a 55-year-old man was charged in connection with the incident.
>
> “A report was submitted to the Procurator Fiscal on December 11, 2022.
>
> “Any member of the public who has any complaints about Police Scotland can contact us by visiting our website - www.scotland.police.uk (link is external), or calling 101.”
>
> https://road.cc/content/news/call-scottish-safety-portal-would-deliver-justice-299731

I've been mulling over todays incident - overtook by an Audi on approach to a mini-roundabout who turned left immediately in front of me.

But ... its Police Scotland, and the driver won't be able to remember it happening (as its probably so common for them as a driver, they'll struggle to isolate the single incident amongst the many) ... so I've decided against it.
What's the fecking point ... nothing will happen (fuck, the guy who changed my life only got 6 points and a 250 quid fine - dealt with by fixed penalty points at the scene); all a visit from the Polis is gonna do, is make the cunt turn up the aggression against cyclists.

So ... instead, I'll just email it over to NMOTD instead, put it on my socials and that'll be that ... might even send it in to all Britain's Got Shit driving...

JNugent <jennings&co@mail.com> wrote:
> On 04/03/2023 14:36, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> Delays to the introduction of an online road safety reporting portal are
>> putting fairy-cyclists in Scotland "at risk", says Fairy Cycling UK -
>> after Police Scotland took over a year to report an alleged
>> hit-and-incident which left a rider "unable to sit down for a week",
>> leading to the case being dismissed.
>
> "unable to sit down for a week"?
>
> The mind boggles.
>>
>> Police Scotland and the Scottish Government announced funding for a
>> national safety portal last year, but it hasn’t been implemented yet.
>>
>> Scottish fairy-cyclists currently have to use the Police Scotland Online
>> Reporting Form, which is time-consuming and inconsistent, with how an
>> incident is handled often depending on the attitudes of different police
>> forces and officers.
>>
>> As we reported earlier this week, Alan Myles contacted Police Scotland
>> 30 times after he was the victim of a hit-and-run in November 2021.
>> Police Scotland took a year to report the incident (with one officer
>> taking over six months to open an email containing footage of the
>> alleged collision) to the Procurator Fiscal, Scotland's public
>> prosecutor, who dismissed the case because it was time-barred.
>>
>> “Ever since I was knocked off my fairy-bike, every time I head out for a
>> ride to work or with friends and family, I have that nagging thought
>> that maybe I’ll be hit again – maybe that same person who drove into me
>> will be out on the road again,” Mr Myles said.
>>
>> “Not only have the police failed to deliver justice in my case, they are
>> failing to ensure our roads are kept safe from those who pose the
>> greatest danger to others.”
>
> It is probably true that the police don't do enough to keep normal
> people safe from fairy-cyclists.
>>
>> Fairy Cycling UK have been campaigning to introduce the portal since
>> 2021. The campaign has received support from 33 road user organisations
>> including the AA and the RAC.
>>
>> Keir Gallagher, Fairy Cycling UK campaigns manager said the portal would
>> save time and money, is widely supported by the public, is used
>> successfully elsewhere in the UK and will help deliver road safety and
>> justice consistently across Scotland.
>>
>> “It’s not just Mr Myles who has been let down by Police Scotland’s
>> failure to investigate and report this collision to the Procurator
>> Fiscal within the necessary 12-month timeframe but responsible drivers,
>> fairy-cyclists and pedestrians across Scotland," he said.
>>
>> “Had the force and the Government made good on their commitment to
>> introduce a National Dashcam Safety Portal, as is in operation across
>> most of the UK, arguably the investigation could have been concluded in
>> a timely and cost-effective manner that would have delivered justice and safer roads.
>>
>> “There is a clear lack of consistency in investigating road crimes at
>> branch level which the portal would help to address.”
>>
>> He continued: “Responsible drivers, fairy-cyclists and pedestrians in
>> Scotland shouldn’t be put at risk because of delays to the National Dashcam Safety Portal.
>
> What on Earth is a "responsible" fairy-cyclist?
>

One who doesn’t ride on the pavement, harass a pedestrian, lose control of
her bike, and fall under a car, destroying the lives of the pedestrian and
the car driver.

Given the cost of a road death/serious injury, surely a portal for reporting dangerous drivers would save its cost many times over?

Depends who's budget it comes out of.

I have (probably rather unfairly) suggested in the past that certain Police authorities have decided it is cheaper to employ trained family liaison officers rather than spend resources on roads policing. But when you see how much blatant road crime occurs and the daily newsreel of local collisions resulting in delays, injuries and deaths you have to wonder.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> Given the cost of a road death/serious injury, surely a portal for
> reporting dangerous drivers would save its cost many times over?
>
> Depends who's budget it comes out of.
>
> I have (probably rather unfairly) suggested in the past that certain
> Police authorities have decided it is cheaper to employ trained family
> liaison officers rather than spend resources on roads policing. But when
> you see how much blatant road crime occurs and the daily newsreel of
> local collisions resulting in delays, injuries and deaths you have to wonder.

On a per-vehicle basis, cyclist KSI are double that of motor vehicles. What
is being done by the cycling world to get those numbers down? Training?
Testing? Licensing? Bringing cycle law in line with motor-vehicle law?
Compulsory helmets? Hi-viz? Lights? Brakes?

--
Spike

Oldfatgit replied to Oldfatgit | 499 posts | 10 hours ago
6 likes

Having run the GOV.UK vehicle enquiry service, I've just changed my mind .

WHAT A SURPRISE!

https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/main_width/public/Brucefield.jpg

On 05/03/2023 14:21, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Given the cost of a road death/serious injury, surely a portal for reporting dangerous drivers would save its cost many times over?
>
> Depends who's budget it comes out of.
>
> I have (probably rather unfairly) suggested in the past that certain Police authorities have decided it is cheaper to employ trained family liaison officers rather than spend resources on roads policing. But when you see how much blatant road crime...

....is committed by fairy-cyclists.

On 05/03/2023 16:33, Spike wrote:

> swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

>> Given the cost of a road death/serious injury, surely a portal for
>> reporting dangerous drivers would save its cost many times over?
>>
>> Depends who's budget it comes out of.

Don't end a sentence with a preposition, M'Lud.

Oops! That word has four syllables. You'll have to look it up.

BTW: What is a por tal?

>> I have (probably rather unfairly) suggested in the past that certain
>> Police authorities have decided it is cheaper to employ trained family
>> liaison officers rather than spend resources on roads policing. But when
>> you see how much blatant road crime occurs and the daily newsreel of
>> local collisions resulting in delays, injuries and deaths you have to wonder.
>
> On a per-vehicle basis, cyclist KSI are double that of motor vehicles. What
> is being done by the cycling world to get those numbers down? Training?
> Testing? Licensing? Bringing cycle law in line with motor-vehicle law?
> Compulsory helmets? Hi-viz? Lights? Brakes?d

Windscreen wipers?

On 06/03/2023 00:44, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Oldfatgit replied to Oldfatgit | 499 posts | 10 hours ago
> 6 likes
>
> Having run the GOV.UK vehicle enquiry service, I've just changed my mind .
>
> WHAT A SURPRISE!
>
> https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/main_width/public/Brucefield.jpg

QUOTE:
This vehicle's MOT has expired (or words to that effect)
ENDQUOTE

So what?

It's on its way to the garage to be serviced and tested.

I had to do that last year because I was out of the UK when the MOT on
one of the cars expired. Not illegal and no big deal (except to an idiot
like you, of course).

It passed the MOT, you'll be pleased to hear, with flying colours. Even
the windscreen wipers were working.

Having run the GOV.UK vehicle enquiry service, I've just changed my mind ....

The implication of that comment is that absence of MOT on a vehicle being driven on the public road will suddenly get the police waking up and acting like Robocop. The Scottish traffic police look to me to be as idle and crap as Lancashire, so don't get your hopes up. BG67 YVC was first identified and reported as No MOT, Failed MOT for major braking defect and SORN on a photo of 10.2.23. It's freely driving around every working day, and is parked up most of the day at a building site 1/2 a mile from Garstang Police station, as I informed the police. This is the most recent shot, because I think he was on holiday last week- I fully expect him to be back tomorrow

On 06/03/2023 11:16, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Having run the GOV.UK vehicle enquiry service, I've just changed my mind ...
>
> The implication of that comment is that absence of MOT on a vehicle being driven on the public road will suddenly get the police waking up and acting like Robocop. The Scottish traffic police look to me to be as idle and crap as Lancashire, so don't get your hopes up. BG67 YVC was first identified and reported as No MOT, Failed MOT for major braking defect and SORN on a photo of 10.2.23. It's freely driving around every working day, and is parked up most of the day at a building site 1/2 a mile from Garstang Police station, as I informed the police. This is the most recent shot, because I think he was on holiday last week- I fully expect him to be back tomorrow

How many orgasms has that given you so far?

I dare say there are plenty more where those came from.

'll see your 2 months out of tax and raise you W800 GMC, coming up to 5 years without MOT, insurance or VED. You can forget about Police Interceptors in Lancashire and Scotland at least- surely there's a market for Police Useless Idle Lying Bent Tossers?

https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/main_width/public/W800GMC-NoMOTvvvl-NoVEDvvvl-16Feb23_0.jpg