Taxi Driver Online

Not sure precisely who you have to be, or what you have to do, or who you have to know to get this level of attention over something like this. (And it's also been rehashed on the Mirror's website.)

Maybe it's because the *cyclist* is an attention-seeker, and sometimes the press just loves indulging attention-seekers

Anyway, although the video evidence isn't the best, no doubt the 'taxi' driver could have done a bit better here, and was maybe a bit rash in overtaking.

But, I mean, what does the cyclist expect to happen? This makes it sound like he expects the driver to be revoked, or at least subject to pretty stringent punishment of some kind

But, of course, if police and councils devoted the kind of resources he obviously wants to this kind of thing, then they wouldn't have time for anything else.

Which is probably why the vast majority of people wouldn't even bother reporting this kind of thing.

(And initially I just thought it was a typical moaning cyclist piece, and wasn't going to bother with it, but there is a licensing angle...)

Anyway, can't find the video anywhere than on the weblink below, therefore...


Yorkshire cyclist's fury at taxi driver that passed just inches from him on narrow road

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/loc ... r-28422092

Cyclist complained to police and the council about the driver's actions - but was not happy with the response

Image here which is a bit big for the forum:
https://i2-prod.examinerlive.co.uk/inco ... -still.png
Image: Yorkshire Live

A cyclist says he feared for his life when a taxi driver overtook him on a narrow road in North Yorkshire.

James Lee, 56, was cycling in Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales in October when a taxi passed him "leaving just inches of space" on the B6160.

He said: "An oncoming driver had to brake sharply and pull to the side of the road to avoid a potential head-on collision. Conditions were poor with wet slippery narrow roads and drizzly low cloud and sharp corners limiting visibility. In over ten years of cycling this is some of the most life threatening driving I have witnessed."

James, of Saltaire, Bradford, was so angry that he submitted on-bike video footage to North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Council.

He has now expressed disappointment at the response of both organisations, saying: "I believe North Yorkshire Police and the County Council aren’t taking enough action against drivers who risk cyclists’ lives by driving dangerously."

He says the police and the council responded to his video footage but he's unsure whether they have taken robust action.

"North Yorkshire Police responded several days later saying they had taken ‘Positive action’ which could include ‘educational letters, courses, training, penalty points and or fine and court attendance.’

"Despite several requests, and the national Policing Code requiring that victims should be provided with ‘information about the investigation and prosecution’, North Yorkshire Police repeatedly refuse to clarify what specific action was actually taken.

"The police cite ‘lack of resources’ in lengthy time consuming emails saying they don’t have enough time."

He added: "Because the taxi driver was licensed by North Yorkshire County Council, I also reported the incident to the local authority’s licensing department.

"After considering the case, North Yorkshire County Council responded with: 'The manner of driving presented on this occasion has fallen short of the Council's standards expected of Licence Holders. I believe the driver can take steps to prevent this happening again by completing the following; Review the recently update highway code advice given on points of particular relevance on this matter; Complete a driver awareness and improvement course'."

James said: "All this has left with me with very low confidence that North Yorkshire Police and County Council are doing enough to protect vulnerable road users."

YorkshireLive put James' concerns to both the police and the local authority.

In a statement, Karl Battersby, North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director for environment, said: "We take complaints of this nature seriously. A warning letter was issued to this driver in November 2023 to remind him of his obligations.

"The matter was also referred to North Yorkshire Police and subsequent action was taken to address the concern from a roads policing perspective.

"In the event of any further concerns, we may consider the driver’s suitability to hold a licence."

North Yorkshire Police has also been approached for comment.

Looks like the kind of road where one or both of the drivers would have to do that anyway...


You mean conditions weren't bad for this time of year? What a word salad trying to make things look as bad as possible for the driver. I mean, 'wet', 'slippery' and 'drizzly' are effectively just repeating the same thing. (If the slipperiness had been caused by ice or frost then no doubt he'd have mentioned that, so it just means 'wet', essentially)

And there's also the 'low cloud', which is relevant, how? The video doesn't show visibility compromised by fog/low cloud or whatever, therefore...

But indeed he's right that the roads are 'narrow' and there are 'sharp corners limiting visibility'. But which is maybe why given the narrowness of the road maybe the driver didn't really pass particularly close

But which maybe helps explain why the driver passed the way he did. He didn't see the cyclist until it was a bit too late, and then the car appeared in the opposite direction, but he was already committed to the manoeuvre...

But of course it could all be avoided if every road user went at the same 10mph or so as the average cyclist, and never tried to overtake on roads like that. Which is maybe what the cyclist thinks should happen


I'd guess that he was on a bike ten years ago, and this is the first time since. Either that, or he's been very lucky

(The video on these website is one of those that if you don't stop it before the end then it goes onto something else and you might have to reload the whole thing to view it again, including adverts etc. Don't know how other people deal with that if you want to look again at the likes of the other driver having to pull over etc. But just before the video ends I click on the timebar at a point near the start of the video, and that effectively rewinds it easily enough.)

Defo a case of a cyclist playing the poor done card to his fellow cyclists.

As for his 'fury', if he wants to know the meaning of fury I suggest he contacts the folks in the Ukraine or the Middle East.

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IDFIMH