MCN spends a day with North Wales police to see if they are trying to save us or tnick us
stance on this hot topic. “Our cameras can’t automatically read small plates, so we can’t tell if the bike is stolen, and at the end of the day it’s illegal,” says Sergeant Bevan. “Also, our statistics show that there is a direct correlation between accidents and bikes with small plates and non-legal pipes.”
10.30am Betws-y-Coed
At this bike hot spot the police make no secret of the fact they are on the roads today. The police bikes are parked in full view, including the unmarked one, and the officers are talking to fellow bikers. “Some can initially be a bit stand-offish,” one officer admits, “but chatting about bikes soon breaks the ice.” True to their word, Sergeant Bevan tweets a pic of the unmarked car. Despite several parked bikes having loud pipes fitted, the police aren’t taking any action and joke about one R1 rider who they reckon is too worried to start his bike and leave due to his carbon cans. Speaking to a few riders, none have an issue with the police presence as they are all aware of the safety issues on the local roads and they appreciate the fact the police now engage with riders and don’t just sit in their cars and stare. “They genuinely want to save lives,” says one local rider. “They pick up on petty stuff; loud pipes and small plates, but if they can save a life that’s a different kettle of fish.”
11am The loud pipe debate
As we pass through a village I spot a rather creepy mannequin at the side of the road dressed in a day-glo jacket. “The villagers put that up themselves as they were so pissedoff with bikes and cars speeding through with loud exhausts,” says Sergeant Bevan. “A loud pipe may sound good to you, but imagine hearing them constantly in your quiet village all weekend.” Again, it’s a hard debate to argue against.
11.30am The three Es
“We focus on what we call the three Es when it comes to reducing road fatalities; Enforcement, Education and Engineering,” explains Inspector Cust. “Engineering involves altering physical roadside objects to prevent injury. We have raised signs to prevent decapitations, added solid areas to the outside of bends to stop riders sliding under the barrier and changed solid road signs for flexible ones on some corners. We have a full-time member of staff who reviews fatal accidents and liaises with the council regarding improving roadside furniture.”
As we look at one such sign I notice some white paint markings on the road, put there by the accident investigation team and meaning there has recently been a fatality on this bend. “Every fatality costs £1.5-£2 million to investigate, so if changing a sign prevents this, it’s great value for money.” says Sergeant Bevan. As we leave the area we spot a Mustang without a front licence plate coming the other way. Sergeant Bevan alerts the officers in Betws-y-Coed and the driver is pulled over.
12 noon Common sense
We reach a well known stretch of road with amazing corners. But it’s very open with good visibility. I’d be tempted to cut the corners where possible, so I ask what the police’s reaction would be if they saw that. “If there is a broken white line and good visibility, I would have no issue at all with riders using the full width of the road,” says Sergeant Bevan. “Just keep the speed within legal limits as there are slow farm vehicles and unexpected hazards.” As if to emphasise his point we round a corner to see a stray sheep on the road, leading to a comical chase with the blues and twos going as the officers herd it safely back into a field. While this was amusing, it happened on a section that as a sportsbike rider I would have been tempted to be going quite quickly and sheep are very solid when hit.
12.15 lunch
Over lunch I ask if there is a quota to be met for tickets issued. “There is absolutely no quota or targets for tickets issued,” says Inspector Cust. “We could stand on a corner and issue tickets all day or reduce our road policing force, and with constraints on budgets there is pressure to save costs, but one force saw accident rates double within a year when they cut the number of officers on the roads. People get fixated with the tickets we hand out, which I get.We are seen as the enemy and nobody wants a fine or points, but if it saves a life I’ll take that dislike on the chin.”
1.30pm Another ticket
A car ahead in a line of traffic crosses a single white line, he is pulled over and issued with three points and a fine. “Because he instantly reacted when I put my lights on he won’t receive an awareness course like the bikers,” explains Sergeant Bevan.
2.40pm The crash call
The radio crackles into life; ‘motorcycle accident, groin injuries.’ All police vehicles have GPS trackers and while control knows the unmarked VFR is closest to the incident, we are called to assist. Getting there as fast as possible is imperative and I see over 130mph at times on the Audi’s speedo. There is tension in the air and our speed will only drop if the other officer radios in to say it’s not life-threatening. A group of riders were on their way to a camping holiday and one has missed a corner, hitting a road sign on his Hornet and smashing his nuts into the tank. It’s painful but he will be ok and soon his mates are laughing and joking with the officers who are now directing traffic around the incident. Again, there are several illegal exhausts but no fines or comments are made. However when a biker rides past with his pillion wearing flip-flops the officers make a point of giving him a very stern talking to. Within half-an-hour the injured rider is taken by ambulance to hospital, the bike recovered and the rest of the group on their way. Sadly, it’s a well tested routine. “That was a small incident, but it still involved three officers, an ambulance and a recovery vehicle,” says Sergeant Bevan. “A serious one would easily involve eight officers for over six hours, the road closed
‘Despite several bikes having loud pipes, no action is taken’
through four council workers, ambulance, fire service, collisions unit, doctors, possibly a helicopter. If it was a fatality, six officers would work the case for the next three to four weeks. It’s always the first or last few riders in a group that crash, seldom the ones in the middle.”
5pm Return to base
Back at the base I’m relieved that we only attended one accident today and not a fatality, making it a good day for the force. “The issue with road safety is that you can only measure failure, not success,” says Sergeant Bevan “If one rider saw us today and slowed down when he may have otherwise been going too fast, crashed and died we will never know. But every day without a fatality is brilliant.”