Last night probably had to be my most varied ride home ever.
Usually it is people being nice, getting stuck in traffic cos no one wants to let you past, or getting pulled out on…
See some guy on the old kent road going along without a crash hat, he did look foregin so I’m guessing he did not know over here you have to wear a hat (unless you are shik)
So last night, I’m going down old kent road see a big bus emptying something all over the road he stops at a stop so I inform he has a look and off I go.
Pull of the old kent road, where I pull off there is usually some traffic and not alot of room to squeeze through, then and ambucar comes up behind me all bluey and twoy and give me an escort to my next turn off.
Come up behind 2 PCSO’s on hairdryers scooters following along then they both pull in to let me past.
This is the one that goated me the most, a kid on a scooter with L’s on riding along with I should imagine his girlfriend on the back, he has a crash hat and she does not
so basically what a journey home, where are the police when you see people without crash hats, only I’m seeing this more and more often now.
I hope this doesn’t mean you were following the ambulance through whilst he was making progress on blues & twos… when you’re driving it is one of the most annoying things ever… because as well as all the other stuff going on - you now have to deal with someone up your chuff, and worry about what they’re doing
I wouldn’t worry about people not wearing crash helmets either… in the eyes of the law it’s a very minor offence punishable by a £30 FPN with no points - exactly the same as no seat belt - and no one seems worried about people not wearing seatbelts are they???
These guys make me laugh… they get all the same protective gear as a proper police person riding a BMW rt1200 - leathers etc… and they come into the canteen swaggering around in their kit… and then pop down to the yard and ride out on a 50cc Vespa
Nonsense! It’s just positivism in the face of overwhelming accident statistics! I’d never ride without a lid - but so long as they understand the risks I totally applaud the (perhaps unreasonable) amount of faith these people put in their own crainial rigidity.
But if you do have an off and you land on your head they are very usefull to help stop the road surface wearing away certain things like ears, or your face
But don’t they need the same protection as someone riding an rt1200? The tarmac’s still as hard for them, although granted they may not be going as fast if they ever hit it.I’ve got a gripe about the PCSOs on scooters, and it is: why are they let out on the road when they appear to have little or no road sense at all? Don’t they get any training? Seriously, the ones I see are generally riding like little 'ped bwoys, all over the road. In the same way that I get a bit embarrased when I see the City Gent, the reckless young kids with helmets balanced on top of their heads, the woman in high heels and short skirt, etc, I get embarrased when I see PCSOs on scoots. They give the rest of us scooter riders a bad name.I think it sends out the wrong message. I’ve got a huge respect for the riding skills of police bikers. Seeing them go through town makes me remember to observe the rules of the road, and also makes me want to ride better myself. Seeing PCSOs all over the road on scooters makes me cringe.I’m sure (law of averages) that there must be some decent PCSO riders out there, but the ones I’ve seen don’t look as if they’ve had any training over and above a CBT.
They need some protection - not sure that they need the full leathers etc - leather is most effective at the sliding along on your arse kind of thing - at 30mph they aren’t sliding anywhere - some nice Gortex stuff would suit them I’m not sure what training they have - knowing the job as I do it will be about 2 weeks long, and consist of numerous teabreaks interspersed with health & safety briefings and about 30 mins of useful info… I think I’ve been in the job too long - the cynicism has just taken over:)
Re the leathers: I’ve gotta say that even on a 125 scoot you go pretty much as fast as anything else around town.
My missus wears leathers. Gets a few funny looks, and a few comments to the effect that they’re a bit OTT on a scooter, but it keeps her safe (and I quite like her in leather, so I’m not complaining:) ) I stick to textiles, but with decent CE armour in.
(Leather makes my bum look big, and it’s, like, OMG, SO Frankie Goes to Hollywood :D:D:D )
I thought of transfering over to the TPCSO’s just so I could be given the free kit (which aint half bad!) but just couldn’t bare the thought of spending all day being shat on by joe blog cause I was ticketing his car. We get enough slate for just being in a blue shirt instead of a white one anyway lol
Got a couple of good ones in my “village” who both want to join the police but have been told (though not in so many words) that they’re not going to make the cut without a couple of years as CSO’s.
In Woolwich, by contrast, there are mainly CSO’s who’s only apparent handy function is keeping cafes going and carrying a first aid kit.
Strikes me as a sh1t job on both counts, but I’m open to being told I’m wrong.
