'Targeting cyclists will have more benefit because drivers aren’t causing any accidents' say Dundee Police after rejecting close pass operation

I'm glad I don't live in Dundee. He could have said they are not planning to support this initiative because they don't have sufficient evidence in the area to suggest it is necessary. However, he went further to demonstrate hatred and contempt for cyclists with his response. If he is representative of police mindset then any cyclist injured or worse will be treated as if it was their fault. No investigation, no pursuance of dangerous drivers...just a dead cyclist written off as causing their own demise.  He is a wanker.

Next week Dundee Police target racism and sexism by stopping to search more black women... 

What a bunch of numpties.

Hey Dundee police, guess which finger we're pointing up?

For him to understand what it's like to suffer a close pass he should spend a couple of hours riding a bike around Dundee centre.

So depressing. Talk about missing the point.

I was going to say it's unsurprising that there's no data reporting "driving too close" as a cause of collision because it's self evident that if there's a collision you've got too close. However, "too close to a cyclist, horse or pedestrian" does seem to be one of the prescribed contributory factors that the police can report. See last page of this (don't know if it's still current): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa....

Misguided it may be, but if his force is reporting a lot of code 301 collisions (RLJs etc) and none where "too close" is a contributory factor, then I can see how you might feel pressure to put the money where the stats are. Just underlines how enlightened some other forces are.

Was superintendent Todd the one driving that van? It would explain a lot…

Chief Superintendent Todd replied: “There aren’t drivers driving close enough to cause the cyclists to have an accident. Targeting (cyclists) will have more benefit than targeting drivers that aren’t causing any accidents – such as those running red lights. But it is being kept under review.”

So how about targeting drivers for the five people (on average) that they kill every day of the year? Or instead, how about targeting drivers for the 450 people (on average) they put in hospital every day of the year? Or how about targeting the 1.25 million uninsured drivers estimated to be on the road?

If you targeted drivers for those reasons, then as a byproduct, you might reduce the amount of close passes. Yet you still won't do anything at all.

Dundee Police could get their stats up by prosecuting Todd for fraud - drawing his pay under false pretences. 

Anyone who can state “We do record information about collisions and the causation factors and it currently remains that there is insufficient evidence to support claims that close passes of cyclists in Dundee result in collisions.” for the record is clearly unfit to hold any public post of repsonsibility.

We seem to all be commenting on these types of things again and again, yet nothing changes. I'm trying to imagine how all of this ridiculousness will ever get better, which I just don't see happening, especially as the population in general is becoming uncontrollable. As much as I used to laugh and enjoy Jeremy Clarkson, I just watched TG where he makes a "funny" advert about earn more and grow up and buy a car - so much of society watches TP and just larf at him, but he's influenced people to become careless, arrogant morons. I truly don't see any of this getting better, and that is very worrying. I don't want to be hit by a car because some twat relates to TP. Maybe a seriously done, and interesting cycle show might help things - the cycle show was pants.

Once they actually get out of their cars, walking about or especially on bicycles, they will notice quite how many "distracted" drivers there are out there.  But of course drivers do no wrong, never cause no deaths or serious injuries or nothing.

Cyclists are obviously the real problem.

someone needs to explain the accident triangle to this numpty, eliminate near misses to prevent accidents.Dundee police, don't tolerate shit dangerous driving as long as the drivers are lucky.

Think he must have a second job working for the Dundee tourist board promoting this cycling nirvana.

"targeting cyclists will have more benefit..."  to whom?  Not to the cyclists being terrorised on the roads, nor to the drivers who will remain ignorant or unconcerned about the effect of their driving. Perhaps he means it will be of more benefit to the police, who can produce the figures to prove how many "bad" cyclists there are.

Another example of the police being institutionally inept. Not sure why we pay their wages. Shameful.

Have cycled through Dundee once and had more than my fair share of close passes. The city also has what I would consider the most daunting road layouts for cyclists of any UK city. 

A collision would not be a close pass.
You'd struggle to make this drivel up.

Do the numbers of people killed or seriously injured by motorists and cyclists support their assertions? The police don’t seem to be providing any evidence despite that normally being an important part of their work.

“There aren’t drivers driving close enough to cause the cyclists to have an accident. Targeting (cyclists) will have more benefit than targeting drivers that aren’t causing any accidents – such as those running red lights. But it is being kept under review.”

Perhaps there aren't many cyclists because they've been deterred by all the close passes?  Given the probably low numbers of cyclists and the huge numbers of drivers, it is inconceivable that targetting cyclists would have more benefit.

We can only hope that Chief Superintendent Todd's employment will be kept under review.

“We do record information about collisions and the causation factors and it currently remains that there is insufficient evidence to support claims that close passes of cyclists in Dundee result in collisions.”

This isn't about 'collisions', this is about close passing by motorists that intimidates vulnerable road users from using roads they're legally entitled to be on.

Chief Superintendent Andrew Todd needs to wise up or give the job to someone more competent than him.

Target the victim, the vulnerable meanwhile let the perpetrators, guilty off scot free.

Can't remember the last time I saw a Police Scotland officer walk or cycle on the streets - they drive everythwere! So, you gotta love the Police know best attitude.

As policing has become more professionaised the years, it seems to me that they choose what the issues that they want to focus on, and provide them with the greatest professional satisfaction, and mostly ignore what commnunities actually want?

I never much liked Dundee anyway. There's another reason not to go.

If you want to visit/stay in a Scottish city, there's Edinburgh and Glasgow. Sorry, but I don't like Aberdeeen or Dundee and Inverness is boring.

Yes, I'm biased.

Institutionally anti-cyclist