Bristol Road Justice has met recently with Avon and Somerset Police (A & S) to discuss roads policing and incidents involving cyclists. At its peak A & S had 240 roads policing officers. Following cuts they now have 55. Although many of their tasks have been streamlined and they are ‘working smarter’, this is an enormous reduction, demonstrating roads policing is not a local or national priority. Their response to dangerous driving can be broken down into: 1. Incidents involving death or life-changing injury where investigations are handled by the specialist Collision Investigations Unit currently based at Almondsbury. In our…

A number of cyclists have been in touch with Bristol Road Justice (BRJ) in recent weeks, raising a range of issues. Cyclists remain disappointed with the lack of a meaningful response when making a video submission; they are just told that the police will consider a range of options – ‘No Further Action’ (NFA), sending a warning letter, or prosecution – and not told which one they have decided upon. We’re still working on this issue. One cyclist, who had submitted video close pass footage to the…

The third Bristol Cycling webinar on 8th October discussed the scale of the issue both nationally and locally and what can be done to reduce the danger on our roads. Road Justice has been a significant part of our campaigning for many years and is a key part of making cycling safe and comfortable for everyone. The following speakers lead the discussion: Duncan Dollimore, Head of Campaigns at national charity Cycling UK, who describes current concerns with the criminal justice system, the forthcoming Department of Transport Roads Policing Review and current best practice from police forces around the country.