Sunday, March 31, 2013
2013 Egg Run
Well, we managed to Caterpillar our way to Darlington (some very rapid learning taking place en route ) and then back to Durham (slicker caterpillar) to assist Durham Police with their annual Easter Egg Run.
I'm not sure of egg run numbers, but 20 DAM Observers formed the marshal team for this year working closely with Durham and Cleveland Police riders to ensure the event went smoothly as ever.
Thanks to all who attended, and thanks to the Observers for giving up their time.
Apologies for the quality of the picture, it's taken from Ali's phone - many more, and better, pictures to follow as they're uploaded to the Bikewise site.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Eggs & Caterpillars...
Those of you who have ridden the Easter Egg Run in the past will have noticed the key role that the DAM Observer Team plays in the Marshaling of this ever popular event.
We are asked to support Durham Police Motorcycle Section in ensuring the safety of the run by holding traffic at junctions whilst the run goes through.
In previous years, once the Marshals have held the junction & the run has passed, they have to "make progress" past the run to hold a junction ahead of the run. This necessitates the Marshals passing the complete run, watching out for oncoming traffic, wandering Egg Run bikes and any other moving hazards!
So this year, we're going "Caterpillar", a system used by the Police for bicycle marshaling and other escort duties.
Each bike releases the bike in front and moves on when he or she is released by the bike following, the theory is simple (at least it looked like it on Ali's flip chart) and it is elegant when done smoothly, but we'll be first timers on the Egg Run - in at the deep end!
YouTube shows us the Police & National Escort Group showing how it should be done during the Tour of Britain cycle race.
We are asked to support Durham Police Motorcycle Section in ensuring the safety of the run by holding traffic at junctions whilst the run goes through.
In previous years, once the Marshals have held the junction & the run has passed, they have to "make progress" past the run to hold a junction ahead of the run. This necessitates the Marshals passing the complete run, watching out for oncoming traffic, wandering Egg Run bikes and any other moving hazards!
So this year, we're going "Caterpillar", a system used by the Police for bicycle marshaling and other escort duties.
Each bike releases the bike in front and moves on when he or she is released by the bike following, the theory is simple (at least it looked like it on Ali's flip chart) and it is elegant when done smoothly, but we'll be first timers on the Egg Run - in at the deep end!
YouTube shows us the Police & National Escort Group showing how it should be done during the Tour of Britain cycle race.
Friday, March 22, 2013
North Yorkshire - 95 Alive
Their YouTube channel is NY Rides.
THINK!
Car drivers are being urged to see the person behind the helmet and take longer to look for motorcyclists in the latest THINK! Motorcycle Safety Campaign.
The £1.3m campaign, timed to coincide with the anticipated spring increase in motorcyclists’ return to the roads, encourages drivers to take longer to look for motorcyclists and think about the biker, not just the bike.
Motorcyclists account for just 1% of traffic but 19% of deaths on Britain’s roads and 30 bikers are killed or injured in collisions at junctions every day.
The campaign was informed by casualty data which showed that a motorist pulling out in front of motorcyclists is a major cause of deaths and injuries; and wider research showing that drivers are more likely to notice motorcyclists on the roads if they know a biker themselves.
In 2011, 5,609 motorcyclists were killed or seriously injured with 74% of these occurring in collisions involving another vehicle. 69% of these casualties happened at junctions. The numbers of incidents increase significantly during March and April as improved weather encourages more motorcyclists onto the road.
The THINK! Campaign targeting motorists will run from March to May with messages delivered through radio advertising and in petrol stations when the call to action is more closely linked to the behaviour THINK! is seeking to change. Wider awareness will be generated through TV video on demand advertising, targeting younger drivers in particular.
"timed to coincide with the anticipated spring increase in motorcyclists’ return to the roads" - so the government thinks we're going to be out on the roads soon!!
Watching the weather
I'm due to be out this weekend on the bike, marshaling a cycle event in Northumberland so I've been paying a keen interest in various weather forecasts etc.
One interesting site to visit is the Durham County Council weather station site:
http://www.durham.gov.uk/Pages/WeatherStations.aspx
Here you can see the air temp. road temp and webcam shots for certain places in the county.
As I write this entry (22nd March 17:00) the Air Temp in Lanehead (Weardale) is 3 degrees and the road temp is -0.9 degrees! Spring may arrive in the dale at sometime in the near future!!
Needless to say, motorcycle activities have been taken as and when possible since the New Year and fingers are crossed for good weather for the Easter weekend and the Egg Run.
One interesting site to visit is the Durham County Council weather station site:
http://www.durham.gov.uk/Pages/WeatherStations.aspx
Here you can see the air temp. road temp and webcam shots for certain places in the county.
As I write this entry (22nd March 17:00) the Air Temp in Lanehead (Weardale) is 3 degrees and the road temp is -0.9 degrees! Spring may arrive in the dale at sometime in the near future!!
Closer to home, at Bradbury it's 1.0 degree for the air, but the road is 1.6 degrees - positively tropical!
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