I find this a sinister development

Cressers
Cressers Posts: 1,329
edited November 2010 in Campaign
Just how do these devices 'detect' a cyclist?

http://www.bricycles.org.uk/index.php?o ... &Itemid=52

And once in place, and we become accustomed to being counted, how long before we see more of them, with more features...

Comments

  • Mike Healey
    Mike Healey Posts: 1,023
    Cressers wrote:
    Just how do these devices 'detect' a cyclist?

    http://www.bricycles.org.uk/index.php?o ... &Itemid=52

    And once in place, and we become accustomed to being counted, how long before we see more of them, with more features...

    Also used in that hotbed of cyclist oppression, Copenhagen.

    Brought to you live from Paranoia Gulch
    Organising the Bradford Kids Saturday Bike Club at the Richard Dunn Sports Centre since 1998
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  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Cressers wrote:
    Just how do these devices 'detect' a cyclist?

    http://www.bricycles.org.uk/index.php?o ... &Itemid=52

    They use new technology that detects a cyclists "aura of arrogance" as he / she passes by.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    dennisn wrote:
    Cressers wrote:
    Just how do these devices 'detect' a cyclist?

    http://www.bricycles.org.uk/index.php?o ... &Itemid=52

    They use new technology that detects a cyclists "aura of arrogance" as he / she passes by.

    Uh Oh. That's me rumbled then!

    Although I consider myself as 'reeking of arrogance' rather than having an 'aura'...
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    NapoleonD wrote:
    dennisn wrote:
    Cressers wrote:
    Just how do these devices 'detect' a cyclist?

    http://www.bricycles.org.uk/index.php?o ... &Itemid=52

    They use new technology that detects a cyclists "aura of arrogance" as he / she passes by.

    Uh Oh. That's me rumbled then!

    Although I consider myself as 'reeking of arrogance' rather than having an 'aura'...

    :lol::lol::lol:
  • Splottboy
    Splottboy Posts: 3,694
    Can't you just ride round-and-round it for hours, thereby blowing it up?

    I'm sure I saw this in "The Invasion of the Daleks..."
  • ratsbeyfus
    ratsbeyfus Posts: 2,841
    I rode past one of these on may way home from work... wasn't working though. Sniff. I'll update you all when they plug it in.

    I had one of them red bikes but I don't any more. Sad face.

    @ratsbey
  • Cressers
    Cressers Posts: 1,329
    I've not found out how much they cost, but I'm sure that whatever was spent on them would've been better spent on repairing potholes.
  • racingcondor
    racingcondor Posts: 1,434
    Just in case these are like speed camera's anyone have any idea how fast/arrogant I have to be to not register?

    :lol:

    Strange device, can anyone answer the question. Why?
  • Porgy
    Porgy Posts: 4,525
    racingcondor wrote:
    Just in case these are like speed camera's anyone have any idea how fast/arrogant I have to be to not register?

    :lol:

    Strange device, can anyone answer the question. Why?

    well in London - there are regular cyclist counts - it helps TfL with assessing cost-effectiveness of pro-cycling measures, and knowing where to put them - and how successful those measures have been in increasing numbers on bikes - planning and review, basically. it helps LCC and other groups in campaigning for pro-cycling measures - as there's a big difference between needs of a few tens and the needs of many thousands.

    coucils will have targets - so the bike count will be one of those with a target attached.

    Don't knock it - it should be good for us in the end....leading to more sensible use of resources. They should end up paying for themselves.
  • mr_goo
    mr_goo Posts: 3,770
    During the summer months Bournemouth Borough Council have been known to use radar guns on cyclists along the promenade to curtail excessive speeding!!. How the hell you are supposed to cycle at speed along the front when hundreds of kids, grannies and drunks are all over the place I have no idea. Not sure what the speed limits are either or whether anyone has been fined. May only get a ticking off.
    Always be yourself, unless you can be Aaron Rodgers....Then always be Aaron Rodgers.
  • beverick
    beverick Posts: 3,461
    It depresses me that local authorities can waste money on such things...

    Bob
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    Mr Goo wrote:
    During the summer months Bournemouth Borough Council have been known to use radar guns on cyclists along the promenade to curtail excessive speeding!!. How the hell you are supposed to cycle at speed along the front when hundreds of kids, grannies and drunks are all over the place I have no idea. Not sure what the speed limits are either or whether anyone has been fined. May only get a ticking off.
    The relevant offence is, famously, "cycling furiously". I'd be interested to know how this is detected, what units it's measured in, and what the legal limit is.
  • eternal_headwind
    eternal_headwind Posts: 222
    I do believe the standard unit of furiousness is the millicouncillor. It represents the equivalent anger produced when writing one letter to the local paper. Of course you appreciate that 1000 millicouncillors is a whole councillor, the amount of rage that is generated by placing a traffic calming measure right outside the living room of a local councillor (hence the name).
    Although direct measurement can be harmful, a prototype detector consisting of a thermometer linked to a blood sample from Wing Commander Alistair Cuthbertson-Smythe (Retired) has become popular recently. The blood sample is a little prone to boiling over though. Plus the wing commander started to look ill after the 500 detector unit rolled off the production line.
    No direct specific measuement of furiousness in cycling exists yet, although CERI (Centre European de Research Irritation) has recently built a large expensive circular instrument near Geneva where massive objects are soon to be accelerated. No this isn't the Large Hadron Collider, it's a velodrome built around the hall used by the local townswomen's guild. Cyclists are going to whizz around and see how many complaints get generated.

    The govenment advice on this is anything above 22 milliC's for a normal person or 1232323 MilliC's for Nick Griffin is hazardous. Above this level they recommend going for a bike ride :)
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    bompington wrote:
    Mr Goo wrote:
    During the summer months Bournemouth Borough Council have been known to use radar guns on cyclists along the promenade to curtail excessive speeding!!. How the hell you are supposed to cycle at speed along the front when hundreds of kids, grannies and drunks are all over the place I have no idea. Not sure what the speed limits are either or whether anyone has been fined. May only get a ticking off.
    The relevant offence is, famously, "cycling furiously". I'd be interested to know how this is detected, what units it's measured in, and what the legal limit is.

    Always remember an episode of Police Camera Action where they did a cyclist for "furiously" seemingly because he was keeping up with the traffic.

    Wonder if the clip is on youtube somewhere.
  • Bunneh
    Bunneh Posts: 1,329
    Won't be long until we have number plates, or chips fitted so they can detect who owns the bike. This will be said to 'help the public, especially those who have had their bikes stolen', but it's just another way to get cash out of us and watch what we're up to.
    http://www.youtube.com/user/Eurobunneh - My Youtube channel.
  • prb007
    prb007 Posts: 703
    downfader wrote:
    bompington wrote:
    Mr Goo wrote:
    During the summer months Bournemouth Borough Council have been known to use radar guns on cyclists along the promenade to curtail excessive speeding!!. How the hell you are supposed to cycle at speed along the front when hundreds of kids, grannies and drunks are all over the place I have no idea. Not sure what the speed limits are either or whether anyone has been fined. May only get a ticking off.
    The relevant offence is, famously, "cycling furiously". I'd be interested to know how this is detected, what units it's measured in, and what the legal limit is.

    Always remember an episode of Police Camera Action where they did a cyclist for "furiously" seemingly because he was keeping up with the traffic.

    Wonder if the clip is on youtube somewhere.

    I've cycled furiously a few times - I think the units are 'grits' as in 'gritting your teeth'; anything over 20mph and chasing traffic is measured in degrees of fury!

    Chased a bus a cpl of wks back for over a mile, then, when I went to give the driver
    a piece of my mind for cutting me up and then boxing me in, I couldn't speak cos I was so out of breath and was dizzy from sucking CO for 3 or 4 minutes!!
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  • Dmak
    Dmak Posts: 445
    prb007 wrote:
    I've cycled furiously a few times - I think the units are 'grits' as in 'gritting your teeth'; anything over 20mph and chasing traffic is measured in degrees of fury!

    Chased a bus a cpl of wks back for over a mile, then, when I went to give the driver
    a piece of my mind for cutting me up and then boxing me in, I couldn't speak cos I was so out of breath and was dizzy from sucking CO for 3 or 4 minutes!!

    Good thread and this is class :D

    I'm like a dog really, I like to chase cars for some reason.

    What would be the legal limit for grits and degrees of fury?
  • zanes
    zanes Posts: 563
    Bunneh wrote:
    Won't be long until we have number plates, or chips fitted so they can detect who owns the bike. This will be said to 'help the public, especially those who have had their bikes stolen', but it's just another way to get cash out of us and watch what we're up to.

    +1. Give it until the middle of the next labour governemt.
  • nikstar1
    nikstar1 Posts: 103
    We're an easy target, that's why. They somehow think we get it easy. we SHOULD, we don't pollute the atmosphere like motorists, we are far less dangerous (provided we stick to cycle paths and don't go too fast). Losing control of a bike is far less dangerous than losing control of a car. Yet we get abuse on the streets on a daily basis.
  • nikstar1
    nikstar1 Posts: 103
    We're an easy target, that's why. They somehow think we get it easy. we SHOULD, we don't pollute the atmosphere like motorists, we are far less dangerous (provided we stick to cycle paths and don't go too fast). Losing control of a bike is far less dangerous than losing control of a car. Yet we get abuse on the streets on a daily basis.
  • Valy
    Valy Posts: 1,321
    nikstar1 wrote:
    We're an easy target, that's why. They somehow think we get it easy. we SHOULD, we don't pollute the atmosphere like motorists, we are far less dangerous (provided we stick to cycle paths and don't go too fast). Losing control of a bike is far less dangerous than losing control of a car. Yet we get abuse on the streets on a daily basis.

    Sorry hwat?

    (yes - hwat)
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