Local News on the ACC Road Race Debate

[Toks]

http://www.redhillandreigatelife.co.uk/ ... uarrel.php

[Ian A4size]

I get the local rag thru the door, and sure enough there they were, local hoodlums riding with gay abandon, the photo shows Alan M and Chris K- neither of whom were racing, and to top it off the picture was taken in high summer!

Local reporting at its best

[Snoop Doug]

[quote="Ian MunneryA1size"]the photo shows Alan M and Chris K

[MJ_1993]

haha. Who is Sgt Makepeace?

[-Adam-]

[quote="Mo Jaffer"]haha. Who is Sgt Makepeace?

[Grahame]

That's two reports that I have read in which the race referee (presumably the commisaire?) is quoted as having sanctioned the PCSOs' actions. Has anybody written to the BCF mentioning this and the resultant endangerment of the racers?

[quote="-Adam-"][quote="Mo Jaffer"]haha. Who is Sgt Makepeace?

[-Adam-]

Really?

I am fed up with Surrey Police lately, I have found them to be either unwilling to help, or actually make the situation worse. I suspect your dealings with police were in the Metropolitan area. It seems the rumours I hear about Surrey Police and their unwillingness to actually report crime, so as to massage their statistics into making Surrey ''the safest county in England'', are not too far from the truth.

Whilst my life may not quite have been endangered, what about the lives of the riders in front of me who were barged inot by the PCSO car, what about the riders who hit the car when it screeched to a halt in front of them. What about the cars coming the other way who were nearly hit head on by the idiot PCSO who shouldn't have even been doing what he was doing?

In one of the 'reports', even the commissaire admitted that the PCSO's didn't exactly stop the race safely. 'Pulled up a little sharp' or something he said. Absolute joke.

[Andrew G]

I'm not saying those particular CSPO (is it CSPO or PCSO?) behaved correctly, but it seemed a bit of a blanket category they were all being put in as "fancy dress" coppers. Are we all the same as the idiots who run all the red lights on my commute to London?

[-Adam-]

My experience of PCSO's in and around Epsom and Surrey has not been particularly brilliant. They often seem overkeen to do something. Where as, for example, on the whole the proper Police are quite good at handling mildly drunk people on a Friday night, funnily enough don't they get trained for it? I think the PCSO's around here just seem to be given the hat and told to go out there and tell people off, its a joke.

But yes, there must be some sensible ones, much in the same way as there are sensible cyclists who don't spend the entire race on the wrong side of the road then get tarred with the same brush as the riders who do.

See what I mean?

[-Adam-]

Don't know but one has told me to get off and walk while riding at about 3mph across an empty pavement.

I suspect they probably don't, but would try anyway. If they could catch you of course!

[Ivor]

[quote="marco"]just out of interest does a pcso have the authority to stop me when i cycle through the red lights around east croydon station?

[Ivor]

[quote="marco"]nice find
Adam, you just missed out -

[MJ_1993]

I was laughing at Snoops comment. hence the full stop.

[Tony]

From the description given of the way the race was stopped, the actions of the PCSOs were inexcusible. I saw them trying to chase the bunch in their car (whatever dreadul little tin box it was). It was like a cross between a scene from Postman Pat and the Professionals. There is nowhere to overtake the bunch safely on that circuit - not even in a powerful vehicle. Had the PCSO known what they were doing, they should have driven the wrong way around the circuit waited at a place where they could clearly be seen and stopped the lead car (and thereby the race) as it approached them. The police are fully aware of the race timing and the circuit being used (as far as I know) - so this should not have taken too much lateral thinking.

Having said all that, escalating the actions of the PCSOs involved is not likely to get anywhere. Road racing on the highway is a privilege and needs police support to do it.

What road races really need is for the on-coming traffic to be obliged to stop for the peloton. 60 or 80 riders are always going to spill over the road at the slow points as the bunch concertinas. It cannot be avoided and requires co-operation from on-coming traffic. Unfortunately, a lot of nimbies seem to live around that part of Surrey....