Modern face of policing: Going undercover as a cyclist to catch drivers who don't give cyclists enough space.
West Midlands Police has become the first force in the UK to introduce an enforcement scheme that seeks to catch drivers who pass too close to cyclists.
Drivers who infringement a long standing but widely flouted safe passing distance of 1.5 metres face prosecution.
And for the luckier ones, they will be pulled in on the spot and given an educational briefing by the police on the dangers of passing cyclists too closely.
The scheme involves members of the force going undercover as cyclists – dressed in full cycling kit and riding racing bikes.
And when a driver fails to give them enough space, the officer on the bike will stop them if possible.
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Or they will radio the target vehicle’s registration number so that colleagues on foot by the roadside or patrolling in vehicles nearby can stop the drivers.
The main aim of the operation is to remind drivers of the 1.5 metre safe passing law and to educate them at roadside briefings specifically set up in target areas while the undercover officers are cycling around.
However, those who are detected passing to closely more than once or who drive dangerously while passing the undercover police cyclists will be criminally charged and brought to court.
The scheme underwent a trial for four days last month, with West Midlands Police going public with it via the media in recent days.
PC Mark Hodson, a cyclist and traffic officer, said it was vital to make it clear to drivers if they got too close to cyclists they would be caught.
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"As a police force we must do our upmost to protect vulnerable road users and show that anyone who puts them in danger through poor driving will be dealt with,” he said.
"Cyclists may suddenly need to avoid uneven road surfaces or obstacles like drain covers so it’s important to afford them plenty of room when overtaking.
The police are taking drivers to areas where they have these ground sheets laid out so they can show them how to give cyclists space and why they should do so.
"We know through our work with the Birmingham Cycle forum that close passing is the single biggest deterrent stopping more people from taking to their bikes.
"Some drivers get tunnel vision; they’re only focus is on getting from A to B as quickly as possible. They don’t pay any attention to vulnerable road users and we’ve attended some horrific scenes where cyclists have been wiped out by drivers who’ve not even seen them.
"Drivers need to consider that a cyclist they are overtaking could be a police officer − and if they don’t pass them safely they could be prosecuted."
Between 2010 and 2014 there were 530 killed or seriously injured (KSI) crashes in the West Midlands involving bicycles; 84 per cent of those saw riders colliding with cars.
West Midlands Police ran four test days last month ahead of the close-pass clampdown launch during which 80 drivers were pulled over and took part in the road-side educational input and agreed to have their details taken.
Over the summer West Midlands Police prosecuted 38 motorists for driving without due care and attention having either been spotted by officers committing close passes or through camera evidence supplied by cyclists.
Chris Boardman offers his view
