Cycling UK campaign to stop Police Scotland from scrapping dashcam safety portal
The service, which is used by most other police forces in the UK, has not been fully launched yet
Last updated 18th Nov 2022
National cycling group, Cycling UK, is pleading with Police Scotland to reconsider potential plans to scrap an online dashcam portal, used to submit footage of accidents and traffic incidents.
Cyclists from across the country are writing to Chief Constable Ian Livingstone QPM to make the "essential road safety tool" available in Scotland - currently it is used by 40 out of 45 territorial police forces in the UK.
Cycling UK started campaigning in 2020 to have the system developed after an incident between a cyclist and a driver near Glasgow.
The altercation was caught on a handle-cam but no legal action was taken by police.
Any road user, be it motorists, horse riders or cyclists, could use the online portal to submit captured footage of traffic incidents directly to police, which is then analysed and processed accordingly.
However, due to financial pressures within Police Scotland, all projects have been placed on pause - Cycling UK worries that despite Scottish Government funding for the portal, it will be scrapped altogether before it's ever launched.
'The Police can't be everywhere at once'
Jim Densham is a cyclist living near Glasgow and the campaigns manager of Cycling UK.
He said: "We've had nearly 1,500 responses to our campaign, which has only been active for a week - that's 1,500 emails sent to the Chief Constable.
"There's a general feeling that in Scotland, we need to improve road safety and there's an essential tool which is used widely across the UK, but not yet here in Scotland.
"There are cases of dangerous and careless driving out there, and those people need to be caught.
"The police can't be everywhere at the same time, but people with cameras can easily submit dashcam footage.
"It's an essential road safety tool which really needs to be introduced in Scotland."
Rural roads
It comes just months after the South of Scotland Cycle Strategy was introduced - the scheme aims to see cycling become the most popular option for everyday journeys in Dumfries and Galloway by 2032.
The strategy also aims to ensure the region becomes Scotland's leading cycling destination.
Sally Hinchcliff is the convenor for Cycling Dumfries, and while she thinks there could be more bike-friendly infrastructure developed to meet this strategy, sharing the roads in the meantime can be dangerous.
She said: "There's always going to be times when you're mixing with traffic, and then it's important that every measure we can take to improve road safety is in place."
'The stakes are high'
Sally added that the rurality of Dumfries and Galloway means they might not always see the same kind of close-passes experienced in cities, but remote roads present their own challenges for cyclists.
"Most of our roads are 60mph limit roads which can be very narrow.
"We have more timber lorries, tractors, heavy goods vehicles, and poor road surfaces.
"The stakes are quite high - when accidents do happen, they can be fatal."
Sally also thinks the safety measure could encourage more people to pick up their bikes: "We know from our members that they don't feel safe cycling on the roads or with traffic.
"It only takes one close pass to put somebody off, especially if they are with children or are a little older.
"It's really, really important that people understand how dangerous it can be and I think this would help."
Financial constraints
Chief Superintendent Louise Blakelock, head of road policing, said: “Reducing the number of road casualties is a priority for Police Scotland and we work closely with partners to help make roads safer for all road users.
“We are always looking at ways to enhance our ability to investigate road traffic offences. We can currently receive digital submissions from the public but are considering more efficient ways to do this, such as the online dash-cam safety portal.
“When our budget position is finalised, the service will assess all ongoing transformation work and prioritise it accordingly.”