Agenda item

Close Pass Initiative

To discuss the above initiative.

Minutes:

Gordon Oliver outlined the report on the ‘Close Pass Initiative’. The Forum were reminded that details of the close pass initiative had been discussed previously at the last cycle- task and finish group. The Panel were reminded that the ‘close pass’ initiative had been pioneered by West Midlands Police and that it had involved plain clothed officers cycling a pre-determined route to identify and recorded video footage of motorists who had given insufficient room when overtaking. Motorists who had failed to give sufficient space were pulled over and shown the footage of the incident and given the option of prosecution or a short education session; this had proved highly effective. There had been a large reduction in the number of ‘close pass’ incidents reported in the West Midlands and 20% reduction in cycle casualties since the initiative was introduced.

 

Subsequently, many local authorities had now begun planning or had already adopted similar ‘close pass’ initiatives due to the success of the West Midlands initiative. The task and finish group had asked whether Thames Valley Police could consider adopting this scheme for RBWM. Inspector Louise Warbrick had attended the Cycling Action Plan Task and Finish Group and had reported that there was a ‘close pass’ operation (carried out by Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Police) but that the targeted locations were Oxford, Southampton and Portsmouth as these had the highest number of reported cycle casualties. There were limited resources available for this and it could not be rolled out to all areas. A copy of the leaflet used by Thames Valley Police to raise awareness had been included within the report and Members felt that with some work this leaflet could be used more widely to engage targeted individuals better. Members were also informed that  facility had recently been introduced by Thames Valley Police that allowed Members of the public to report traffic incidents/offence online and that they could also submit video evidence.

 

The forum were informed that through the Safer Roads Partnership that work with Agilysis (road safety consultant) had begun in developing a proposal for a campaign to promote safe and considerate overtaking by motorists when passing cyclists. The current ambition was to create a campaign that could work cohesively with any ‘close pass’ initiative run by Thames Valley Police or as a standalone initiative. It had been suggested that the following be considered as part of the campaign:

 

·         Purchase of a close pass mat

·         Production of a leaflet

·         Production of a video/other multimedia content

·         Use of the above at road show events at local business parks/shopping centres

·         Use of roadside advertising sites, for e.g. bus shelters (road facing advertisements)

·         Use of roadside variable message signing on the approaches to the town centres and mobile signs at high casualty risk sites.

 

At the end of the verbal presentation, members discussed a range of issues as follows:

 

·         To ensure that any bus shelter advertising is road facing and targets vehicular users and cyclists.

·         Better education was needed to highlight the importance of giving cyclists space on the road.

·         Popular routes such as the A308 and A4 had not been widened and Members felt that once infrastructure of roads had improved that issues relating to space and cyclist safety could be better addressed.

·         To acquire a mat from Thames Valley Police and visit local business parks to educate individuals on the sufficient space required.

·         That nationally more should be done to educate motorists on “sufficient space” and that a national television campaign would help promote safety and spatial awareness.

 

ACTION- That the Chair lobby the Windsor MP for national awareness of sufficient space when overtaking a cyclist.

 

·         That the leaflets produced by Thames Valley Police could be enhanced to be more engaging/user friendly.

 

ACTION- That the O&S Panel recommend to produce their own leaflet and agree specific wording (to include “sufficient space when overtaking a cyclist”) to be used for variable messaging boards.

 

·         Member discussed the need for short visually impactful video content to be created and shared at events.

·         Publicity at large local events such as the upcoming Windsor & Maidenhead Carnival and Speed awareness courses should be utilised. Councillor Beer suggested that a stall be set up the festival and display a impactful video. Councillor Wilson agreed that this stall could be useful in acting as a talking point at the event and raising awareness. 

 

Resolved UNANIMOUSLY That: The ‘close pass’ initiative be endorsed and the contents of the report were noted.

Supporting documents: