mikesbytes wrote:Well done trailgumby, that vehicle almost hit you. I shudder to think how many other cyclist's that motorist had done that to.
Yes, if I hadn't swerved left it would have been touch and go. At least one other rider claims to have been buzzed by this lunatic, according to a response on my facebook feed. It was the second time he has done it to me. I have no doubt there will be more.
Hopefully now he will pull his head in, as any of us could be running cameras and he can't tell who is and who isn't.
mikesbytes wrote:When I look at the various video's the appearance of distance in the video appears to be further than what the calibration photo shows. I'm wondering if this is part of the reason that the police are reluctant to issue a ticket?
Unfortunately calibration photos or overlays are useless. They don't pass the "beyond reasonable doubt" test.
You need to use reference points on the road surface itself. Lane lines, gutters, utilities spray painted markings, Speed zone markings, pedestrian crossings, potholes, repaired potholes, tarmac panel joins, road edges, and the like. This is so you can go back to the scene of the crime and run a tape measure over the markings. The police can then do the same and obtain objective confirmation of the evidence.
Without those, it's all too subjective and any decent defence lawyer will easily rip a prosecution to shreds. Hence a marked lack of police interest in the vanilla close pass videos posted here, except in rare circumstances (eg trucks so close they buffet the cyclist off the road like some of BianchCam's horror passes).
This is what drives the lack of police interest.
It's only when I've focussed their attention onto the road markings and what that shows about the vehicle's position in relation to mine that I've got them to bite. This is in part why I've been successful and others have not. Being cheerful, knowledgeable, understanding of their evidence requirements, and persistent is probably important too.
Getting lucky with an officer who was empathetic and motivated for my first report cannot be underestimated either, as it gave me a track record that showed subsequent police that I am someone they can work with. I think this will be a deciding factor in my third report. Ray Rice encouraging me to drop his name and remind officers that Bicycle NSW is watching has helped too.