Dates For Your Diary
Group Meeting
11 July - Paul Beatie - Living with an EV
August - no Meeting
12 September - Peter Genet the Big Van Trip
SkillShare
Bike Ride-Outs on the 3rd Saturday of every even numbered month and the 3rd Sunday of every odd numbered Month. Email will be sent out to Bikers and added to the Forum.
Next ride out Sunday 17 July with IAM invited too. Details will be forthcoming via email to all bike members. It looks like a good day out too!
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Do you have a topic you would like discussed, or know of an interesting speaker? Please contact speaker at speakers@wiltshireroadar.co.uk |
Congratulations
Congratulations to the following members who have passed their Advanced Tests recently:
Paul Pywell - Gold, Bike, Retest
Mark Tunstall - Gold, Bike, Retest
Welcome
Please welcome the following to the Group:
Mark Bailey - Bike
Samantha (Sam) Walker - Bike
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Don’t forget that we have a range of clothing available to purchase. We also offer a range of books, such as Roadcraft, Motorcycle Roadcraft and the Highway Code, and these are available at discounted prices.
For more information visit the Merchandise page of our web site |
We are always looking for more articles, ideas and news for the newsletter. Have you been somewhere interesting recently that would make a good story? If you attend any group events then take a camera and send us your pictures!
Please forward all contributions to newsletter@wiltshireroadar.co.uk |
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We're now on
Facebook
AND
Twitter! |
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As I write this I note there is an increase in COVID infections. I am just recovering from a bout myself and although, thankfully, the symptoms were mild I still find myself a bit more tired than normal and a bit wheezy. Many of you will tell me it is my age and I can only agree! We are keeping our COVID protocols as they are at the moment to try and protect ourselves and our associates; please do keep yourselves and your loved ones safe and healthy.
I had a meeting with PC Lee Prince (aka Budgie) on 7 July. He is a Wiltshire Traffic Officer and the Bikesafe coordinator. He also investigates the fatal and near fatal accidents - he was out at such an event the previous night. He is really grateful for the work we do in improving road safety and he is a keen supporter of RoADAR and IAM. I am passing on his thanks to us all but particularly the tutors.
You will note an appeal for new committee members below. Please do consider getting invovled - you can make a big diference to the direction and function of the Group. I have been Chair since 2017 so it is tiume for a change - I say this every year but there seems to be a reluctance to take this on. It is fun and not too time consuming. The Group is kept running by a select few who give their time and expertise for the benefit of all. Please increase the number and bring some fresh ideas to the party. No need for a coup or a vote of no confidence - whilst I am happy to continue I am not Boris Johnson looking to cling on to power (hint - there is no power!!).
As a good example I make no apologies for the tardiness of this newsletter - the 2 people who edit it have been otherwise engaged at the end of June - we need more volunteers.
I am watching the fuel costs rise with dismay I have to say. A tank of E5 petrol for my motorbike cost me £40 the other day - it used to be no more than £22. I hope you are all coping with the cost of living crisis and I understand this will mean some of you will have to prioritise activity and Wiltshire RoADAR may well slip of your priority list. Please keep in touch with us though as we are not planning on disappearing.
Have a great summer.
Bob Fram
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Not long now for the next AGM in October where we renew our group subscriptions and look for new members to join the committee. Without a formal committee, our group will fold.
The current committee members have been in post for several years with six out of seven being bike members. We would like to welcome new members to join us and take over the running of the group. Change of committee members is good as it brings in new and fresh ideas and perspectives.
The workload isn't too time consuming, but we would really like to re-dress the balance between car and bike members.
Please let the Secretary know if you would like to come along and see the workings of your committee. |
June Meeting - Trauma packs
Owen Taylor, a very experienced and seasoned medical professionl, discussed with the group the pros and cons of the first aid kits bought in Halfords, Asda, Tesco and so on. And how useless they are in case of a motoring incident.
For example, what use is the little pair of scissors? They cannot cut a paper bag - I tried my own - so what use would they be when trying to cut a seatbelt, or armoured trousers of a downed biker!
Owen's thoughts are to put together a Trauma Pack rather than a traditional first aid kit. The costs could be similar to what we pay now, and during the dicussion, Owen noted the huge mark up on a first aid kits that we buy, and the pair of scissors that medical professionals use; something like a 2000% (two thousand) mark-up.
These costs probably put many people off buying a first aid kit in the first place.
A Trauma Pack is different to a first aid pack. It provides the user with useful tools such as compression packs and tournequets to stem bleeding. Obviously what we can as first aiders is limited, but whatever we do is better than doing nothing.
One question to arise was being sued when providing first aid. There is a common misconception that amateur first aiders such as ourselves could be sued for giving the wrong first aid. That is completely wrong and no-one would be sued for saving someone's life.
This was an interesting discussion and I know Owen is putting together a trauma kit, which I hope we can all get to see before it goes out to market!
Thanks for the talk Owen, and good luck with the Trauma Kit!
Peter Genet
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RoADAR HQ Message- Test Fee Increase
As you will be fully
aware, costs have risen considerably in the last few months, and RoSPA
has been affected by these along with everyone else. While we have
managed to keep our test
and membership fees constant for the last four years (the last price
rise was in June 2018 with some prices being constant for longer), we
have been forced to review these and are writing to let you know.
We have managed to keep
our annual membership cost to the current rate of £40, and have also
held the Initial Advanced Tutor test fees at the current rate in order
support groups in their
efforts to build a tutor base. Three yearly retests will continue to
be included at no extra cost as part of your subscription. A table
showing the new test fees, which will go live on our website on Friday 1st July 2022, can be found at the end of this email.
In addition, we have
reviewed the expenses that we pay to our Examiners as an increase is
well overdue, not having risen in over 15 years, and this is the reason
for the increase in test
fees. For example, many examiners have told us that their expenses do
not cover the addition of business insurance to their policy, leaving
them out of pocket. We are hoping that these measures will enable us to
retain the loyal services of our current examiners
and attract more to our ranks so that we can deliver more tests and
increase our contribution to road safety.
For those of you and your
acquaintances who might be interested in an assessment rather than a
test, you will note that we have added a 'London weighting' to RoADAR
Driving Reviews (previously
known as Experienced Driver Assessments) inside the London Orbital
Motorway (M25); this is because of the extra time and expense for
examiners conducting them and is reflected in the expense fees.
Candidates would have the option of travelling outside of
this area and paying the lower cost.
Please do make the most
of your membership by exploring our excellent benefits package which has
a range of discounts on offer, not only on insurance but also on a wide
range of products
and services. You can look at the general benefits on offer by
clicking on this link, https://www.roadarbenefits.co.uk/a_/ and then signing up to obtain more details and insurance quotes.
We would like to thank
you all for your support during these recent difficult times and hope
you and your loved ones keep well and stay safe.
Test fees from Friday 1st July
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Test
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New price
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Old price
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Advanced driver test
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£77
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£67
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Advanced rider test
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£85
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£73
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RoADAR Driving Review (previously Experienced Driver Assessment – outside London Orbital Motorway (M25)
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£70
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£55
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RoADAR Driving Review (previously Experienced Driver Assessment – within London Orbital Motorway (M25)
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£85
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£55
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Initial advanced car tutor test
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£50
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£50
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Initial advanced bike tutor test
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£65
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£65
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Interim car test (if car added to existing bike membership or to take tests in between three yearly tests)
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£55
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£51
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Interim bike test (if bike added to existing car membership or to take tests in between three yearly tests)
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£60
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£56
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LGV/PCV test
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£80
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£70
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Standard membership
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£40
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£40
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Emergency Services membership (no test)
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£38
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£38
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RoADAR HQ Job Advert - Fleet Examiners Car
RoSPA is currently recruiting Fleet Examiners and we would be most grateful if you could draw your members’ attention to the advertisement and job description attached to this email in case any of them would be interested in this exciting opportunity.
Please note that a candidate does not need to be a serving or retired police officer to apply for this role, neither do they need to be an ADI (Approved Driving Instructor).
Any queries should be addressed to our Head of Fleet operations, Isabelle Albutt, at ialbutt@ROSPA.com
Many thanks for your support,
Kind regards,
Jacqui Adams
RoSPA Advanced Drivers & Riders Administrator (Part-time, Wednesday to Friday)
T: +44 (0)121 248 2099
M: +44 (0)7775 705 530
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Have you been up to anything to do with Riding or Driving lately? If so, then please let us know as we would love to include it here; photos would be great too!
| The Big Trip - they are back safe and sound
We made it!
Back home safe and sound! 7 weeks of driving our T5 campervan through some amazing scenery, countries and meeting friendly people too. We even made snowballs in Greece!
I’m doing a slide show in September, so please come along to that. But a brief summary here.
The idea was to recreate a journey Sally and her family made in 1971, in a convoy of five VW T2 vans for her dad’s work. Driving all the way from Swindon, through what was Yugoslavia, into Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. We wanted to do similar, but chose to go via Albania which they couldn’t do back then.
In total we visited 11 countries, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Italy – all in that order – and covered 5,864miles over a seven week period. The van behaved impeccably and thank goodness so did the credit card as fuel was extortionate in Germany at €2.20 a litre. But rather cheap in Croatia – we managed to fill up here and passed through both Montenegro and Albania on the same tank of diesel.
I received two warnings before we left. One, the coast road in Croatia is stunning, but you will get bored of the constant alpine-esque bends; and Albania – watch out, we’ve all seen the films such as “Taken” haven’t we?
Well, yes, the Croatian coast road was bendy, and yes, I did get a little bored after a couple of days of it. Albania though was a completely different story and so far from what we were told and expected.
We even drove the same road as in Top Gear, Albanian special! Brilliant!
But, Greece remains our favourite especially Agios Niklaus on the Pelopponnese where we did look into an estate agents window and even on Rightmove.
The one thing that was the same throughout the whole trip was the friendliness of the people. Turns out the Dutch, Danish, French and Germans have a very low regard for the Italians as was told to me when I was washing up.
We did wild camp as that is allowed in Greece and France. But we did stay on some really nice sites in Greece which often outshone those in the UK in terms of decent facilities and pitch sizes.
Can’t wait to return to Greece, which, maybe sooner than we thought as I’ve just been checking our savings accounts – reckon we could eek out a living somehow.
Yamas!
Peter Genet
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Three Pubs Challenge
Four intrepid members of the group decided to take on a challenge of riding between the three highest pubs in Great Britain, one in Scotland, England and Wales, and all within 12 hours. As a group, we regularly ride together and often cover in excess of 200 miles or so a day. We take in plenty of tea, coffee and cake to aid us, and normally at the end of the day, we enjoy a beer or two. You may have seen some write ups of our escapades in previous newsletters. This hopefully goes to show we don’t just do Advanced training but get up to all sorts too.
Starting at the Wanlockhead Inn, Dumfries, we planned a route to take us to the Tan Hill Inn, Yorkshire, and then onto the Sportsman’s Arms, Denbeighshire, avoiding motorways where possible and taking quality roads that takes in the best scenery.
We all arrived at the Wanlockhead Inn on the Wednesday evening, Steven, Mark, Andy and Pete by around 5pm-ish. Unpacking our gear, we headed into the pub for dinner, a chat and a beer. The main talk was about the next day’s ride. Early start was planned so we could head to Dumfries for breakfast. Accommodation at the Wanlockhead Inn was rustic!
An early start the next day, we headed down to Dumfries for breakfast at Tesco. But, we took the scenic route which took around an hour or so. Suitably replete, we set-off for the Tan Hill Inn, Yorkshire. We didn’t quite go the route that Mark had planned as Peter’s sat-nav decided to go via Penrith. Turns out Mark and Pete’s sat-nav do not get on!
Turning up in time for lunch, which was superb by the way, we headed across the downs to the M6 and M56. This was the only time we used the motorway, but still had chance to take a picture by the Ribblehead viaduct.
Onto the Sportsmans arms, which is now closed, for a picture before the short ride to our campsite for the night at the Giler Inn.
So, we completed the challenge well within the time of 12 hours. But, being as we were in Denbeighshire, we still had a long way to go to come back home to Wiltshire. Next day, we planned a route that took us even further away!
Heading to Bets-y-Coed, and then to Beddgelert, Mark lead us on a twisty magical tour of Wales, before stopping at Chepstow services to say our goodbyes.
Great riding, great banter and great friends!
We will be planning more of these weekends, so please let us know if you want to come along. Mileage can be amended to suit as we probably ride further than most would like; but suggest a weekend riding trip and we can all go.
Peter Genet
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Driven Ohm Racing
Driven Ohm Racing: Summer break.
It's been a bit quiet at race HQ in terms of track action lately. However, there's been a lot of activity behind the scenes.
We ran two cars at the last round on June 11th. Adam Bird completed his racing debut in good form in our little Cooper #265. He ran well in both races that day, equalling the previous record of our last guest driver in that car, Steve Waight.
Gary was due to race in car #905, but sadly the driveshaft let go after just half a lap of qualifying. The car couldn't be fixed. Relegated to the role of team owner and driver coach, it was still an interesting day looking after Adam.
Diagnosis on 905 showed perished engine mounts, exacerbated by the big off in May- which have now been replaced with upgraded solid items, ideal for racing.
Additionally, the bodywork repairs from the May crash are almost complete. A new door and bonnet have been sourced, painted and now fitted.
In parallel to the work on 905, car #887 is having the engine swapped for a reconditioned item, with a "John Cooper Works" Limited Slip Differential in the gearbox. The current engine had a bottom end failure at a track day early in May, which sidelined the car. The dead engine will in turn be rebuilt and held as a spare.
Looking ahead, we have 887 (Steve) and 905 (Gary) booked for the races on 6th August and 29th August at Combe. We are hoping to get an additional driver started on his race career in the second half of the season too.
We have a track day on July 29th booked for two cars (8 people) but sadly one group have had to pull out, so there are 4 or 5 places going spare. If there is any interest, please do get in touch with Gary by e-mail at Driven.Ohm@gmail.com (normal road licences are fine on a track day).
Gary Franks
Follow progress on Facebook @Driven.Ohm.Racing.
Please check the series website for the latest details:
Please let us know of any plans you may have; any road trips, any places
to drive/ride to; maybe you have plans to unicycle the length of the UK
- if you are planning this, please let us know as this would be great
to read about!
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Call for Bikers From Severn Freewheelers
Many of you will be aware of Severn Freewheelers, the blood bike charity
that provides its free service to the NHS and specifically the Great
Western Trust (GWH) at Swindon. Partly as a result of the Trust’s
response to COVID and the service being better understood by the Trust,
the workload now means we have two bikes serving the area. Last year we
undertook over 2000 jobs for the Swindon Trust. Overall Severn
Freewheelers did over 7000 tasks.
This is a request primarily seeking riders to help support our
operation going forward. Naturally over time people fall away as their
circumstances change, they move away or indeed decide this is no longer
for them.
The service runs 1900hrs to 0700hrs weekdays and 24 hrs at weekends
and public holidays. A typical duty is Wednesday evening till Saturday
evening or Saturday until the Wednesday. You would keep the bike at home
until you handover to the next rider. The bikes are the latest BMW RTs.
A new rider needs to have undertaken his or her advanced test in
the last three years and is required to be retested every three years.
In addition there would be a check ride undertaken on joining and
further periodic check rides with a nominated assessor. Managing the
risks within the operation is a core value of the charity. There are of
course other roles as coordinators and fund raisers and riders are
expected to contribute beyond simply riding which is vital to maintain
the service. From a response basis, riders need to live within 25 miles
of the Great Western Hospital. Of course training is provided for all
new members.
If this is of interest, please feel free to get in touch.
Geoff
Geoff Brown
Severn Freewheelers
Mob 07399 457703
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Promotional activities
SkillShare - 2022 - see poster above!
We are starting SkillShare again this year and alternating between the North and South of the County. Our next event is on4 June at Three Trees Farm Shop in Chiseldon.
BikeSafe Dates for 2022
Wiltshire Police have the following dates for BikeSafe:
We
will be supporting Wiltshire Police with BikeSafe both with
tutors to make up the instructor numbers and to help promote the Group.
We do this in conjunction with WABAM so it is a great way to reinforce
advanced riding and to gather new members.
Calne Bike Meet - 30 July 2022 - HELP REQUIRED
We have a stand at this huge event on Sat 30 July. Please make a note in your diary as we will need plenty of people to help us promote our Group on our stand ( Car and Bike members please!)
The Chair can no longer attend this event due to a family commitement. I need someone to take on the coordination and management of the day
If you have any ideas for events, then please get in touch with the committee using the committee email address :
Look forward to hearing and discussing your ideas.
Presentation material
A generic set of slides has been created for use if you are asked about Wiltshire RoADAR and have the opportunity to present. This could be at a local club, workplace etc. Please send a mail to committee@wiltshireroadar.co.uk and the slides will be sent over to you.
We also have flyers and business cards so ask for these via the same means.
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The new highway code changes are in detail here. These introduce a hierarchy of responsibility for the safety of all road users. Reading through them they seem to formalise what advanced drivers and riders should be doing already but please be aware of these changes – they come into force in Jan 2022 and many will not read them properly if at all! Remember ALL other road users are dynamic hazards!
The following is doing the rounds on Social media but please do read the complete list of changes at the link
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Covid protocol
We continue to review these protocols at every Committee meeting and see no reason to change them at the moment for the next month. Clearly with the changes in legislation some may feel these protocols are excessive; we continue to have your safety at the forefront of all we do - personal choice must lead the way. Wwe will no longer insist on a lateral flow test as these will no longer be free of charge. The responsibility is on us all to do what we think is right for us and our loved ones. The bottom line is if you do not feel safe doing something then do not do it!!
Wiltshire RoADAR COVID Secure Car Tutoring Protocol
This is a voluntary activity and both parties (Tutor and Associate) must be content to be in the same car as each other (normally the Associate’s car). It is recognised each individual has their own circumstances and acceptance of level of risk. There will be no judgement of individuals who do not wish to conduct car training.
Wiltshire RoADAR have a written risk assessment which is available on request. The mitigation factors listed below are to minimise the risk of coronavirus infection for the Tutor and the Associate. These are the absolute minimum required and if individuals wish to add their own factors the this is up to them.
Essential Mitigation Measures
- No training if either party has displayed COVID 19 symptoms within 7 days or is self-isolating in line with Government guidance (including Test and Trace protocols).
- Associate and tutor requested to have conducted a lateral flow test within 2 days of the training session. A positive test should be treated as per Government guidelines and precludes training.
- Face covering to be worn by both tutor and associate. These must be in place prior to entering the vehicle.
- Ensure hands are clean (washed for 20 seconds and/or alcohol gel as a minimum) prior to fitting face covering.
- Tutor and associate must not touch their face when in the vehicle or prior to washing/sanitising hands/ or removing gloves if worn.
- Vehicle ventilation system to be on and drawing air from outside the vehicle (NOT on recirculation). Ventilation enhanced by opening rear windows to allow air flow over tutor and associate to go out of the vehicle.
- Avoid face to face activity and conduct discussions outside the vehicle where safe and legal to do so.
Recommended Additional Mitigation Measures
- Tutor wears disposable gloves when in the vehicle.
- Any equipment taken into the vehicle by the tutor to be sanitised post the session (alcohol wipes or a bleach solution)
- Associate to ensure vehicle interior is cleaned with sanitiser prior to tutor entering the vehicle.
Wiltshire RoADAR COVID Secure Bike Tutoring Protocol
We must ensure the safety of both the Associate and the Tutor. The following protocol is to be followed:
- Both parties must be happy to partake in the tutoring session – there is no penalty for not wishing to partake provided communication is clear.
- No tutoring if either the Associate or the Tutor have displayed symptoms within the last 7 days or are told to self- isolate by the Government Track and Trace protocol.
- It is srequested both the Associate and the Tutor conduct a lateral Flow test no sooner than 2 days prior to the session. A positive test should be treated as per Government guidelines and precludes training.
- All must follow Government guidelines on self-isolation and shielding.
- Appropriate Social distancing must be rigorously applied.
- Follow Government guidelines for hand cleansing and personal safety – hand sanitiser useful at all times.
- Avoid busy locations for meeting, follow the latest Government guidelines for the use of cafes and/or take own refreshments.
- Associates to be encouraged to bring their own copy of Roadcraft and the Highway code for ease of reference during briefing and de-briefing sessions.
- Tutor explanations and diagrams to be suitable for understanding from 2 metres.
Advice will be updated as and when it is received. But, please follow government guidelines.
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Books! These are the latest version of Roadcraft (been out for a while now). Please ensure you are using the latest version to keep up to date with your skills.
Bikes
Motorcycle Roadcraft is the police handbook for rider training. It’s used by all the emergency services and forms a key reference for riding instructors.
Updates for this new edition include a new overtaking chapter with separate sections on passing stationary vehicles, single stage overtakes, and multi-stage overtakes and new explanations of advanced concepts, such as limit points on left-hand bends. Guided by a working group of experienced instructors, Motorcycle Roadcraft is essential learning for police officers preparing for the demands of operational riding.
Cars
Roadcraft is the police handbook for driver training. It's used by all the emergency services and forms reference for driving instructors.
Updates for this new edition include a new overtaking chapter with separate sections on passing stationary vehicles, single stage overtakes, and multi-stage overtakes and new explanations of advanced concepts, such as limit points on left-hand bends.
Guided by a working group of experienced instructors, Roadcraft is essential learning for police officers preparing for the demands of operational driving.
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Media coordinator - Help us to broaden our reach
To help promote the group we have a variety of online media platforms, FaceBook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. To help make the most out of the opportunities that these outlets provide, we could use some help from someone who has experience of using such tools. Drop me a line at secretary@wiltshireroadar.co.uk if you would be interested in helping promote our group.
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Committee minutes
These are available from the Group Secretary if any member wishes to see them. If you are interested in reading the minutes, then please send a mail to the Group Secretary whom will promptly forward them onto you.
Forum
Please could all Members use the Forum on the Website which can be used for any purpose but particularly coordinating events, hints, tips and general conversation. It is easy to register on the website so please do log on and chat away.
Test results
Reminder to let the Membership Secretary and your tutor know when you have taken your Advanced Driving/Riding Test and result. This is so our database is kept up to date; there is no need or pressure at all to have the result published on the website or in this newsletter if you wish to keep your result confidential.
Gloucester RoADAR Newsletter
If you are interested in the Gloucester Group newsletter here it is.
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