23/10/2017 Inside Out South

The riders and drivers battling for space on the south's easy roads.

Also coming up, the dark side of the online classified ads.

It is critical that the law enforcement agencies forced

the likes of Craigslist to do something about it.

I want to know why you are selling stolen passports, mate?

And the public benches with very personal stories.

Latest figures show the number of cyclists killed or seriously

We know that there is more traffic but it seems that some drivers

are willing to put their fellow road users at unnecessary risk.

It is a weekend meet for members of this cycle club.

Ten years ago, the Hampshire club averaged 70 members.

Now, thanks to the rising popularity of cycling,

But with more bikes and more traffic on the South's roads,

some of the cyclists are feeling the pinch.

The worst thing is when the motorists go past

I have been the victim of a hit and run.

The bike was a right off, and the car was never seen.

Going down a hill and someone overtook me.

And then there was a bollard in the middle-of-the-road.

Last week, I actually reported and incident to the City Council.

It is just one of hundreds of close passes.

Figures just released showed that between 2015 and 2016,

nearly 3500 cyclists were killed or seriously injured on our roads.

But these statistics don't tell the story of the near misses

and close passes cyclists say they are experiencing everyday.

Rachael Waldridge is behind the near miss project.

A study of 1500 cyclists found near misses and close passes to be

In this study, we only had the cyclist perspective,

so there is a limit to what you can say but I think what we did learn

is that there is a broader road culture or you might call it might

makes right so whereby people in larger vehicles feel

like they have the right to be in front, even if overtaking

a cyclist, the slower road user, doesn't ultimately take

Cyclists say they had on average one very scary near miss every week,

and one per year so bad that it made them reconsider how

Cycling is more dangerous in this country than it should be but people

also perceive it as extremely dangerous. I think this constant

stream of nearly incident is do have something to do with that.

Phil Robertson is another keen cyclist.

This morning, he is out on a busy commuter road in Southampton.

Phil is part of an operation to catch drivers who are getting

First to be pulled in by the joint police

and council initiative, a council van.

This morning, what has happened is my colleague,

out and about this morning on a motorcycle, has pulled you in.

He has observed you overtake three cyclists this morning, including our

None of the drivers pulled in today will get a ticket

What we have got here, so, is an oration to an overtaking

distance of around about one and a half metres.

Mats like these are now being used by police across the region to drive

So, what we need to do is allow cyclists room

to manoeuvre around obstacles, to react to what is going

on in front of them, and also so that as motorists,

you are not intimidating any cyclist who is, let's not forget,

a lot more vulnerable than you are in your

Look how close some of these drivers were getting two

undercover Phil's handlebars, in the bottom right-hand corner.

As I was coming up to it, I had one on the left hand side of me.

I probably should have just stopped and let them pass, really.

Sometimes you don't get the room required.

I'm not trying to make excuses but sometimes you can't help but be

When you are driving and you look at all the other traffic, sometimes,

you don't give that cyclist the space that is needed.

But I guess we have learned that today.

When it comes to cycling, slower isn't necessarily safer.

Riders who travel at less than eight miles per hour have three times more

misses per mile than those peddling 12 mph faster.

Women, who on average cycle more slowly, have higher

So, could changes to the law help with the problem of close passes?

Dr Ian Walker is a traffic psychologist with the

The Highway Code is woolly in terms of what it says, live as much space

as you would leave the car, and I would probably rather see that

phrase as much space as you would like to be left

if you were in the road, and that would probably be

a much better thing that people could imagine.

Ian also thinks there is something else that

The idea of pushing liability law is if two people

have an incident in this treat, we start with the assumption

that the more powerful, more dangerous one is at fault.

If a cyclist hits the destiny and, we start with the

When a motorist hit the cyclist, we start with the assumption

It is a kind of steaming gives away to sail kind of idea.

I would love to see cycling as part of the driving education process.

That is going to give people the empathy, the genuine

understanding of what it feels like to the end of road and have one

and a half tonnes of metal come past you at high speed.

I think part of the problem at the moment is drivers lack

the understanding of how that actually feels.

Back on patrol, and the next near pass even rattles

It turns out it is an instructor and his training.

You as a trainer, supervisor, and you as a driver.

He got within six inches of my shoulder.

That is 18 tonnes, I am 100 kilos, I am one pothole away,

and he is one stretch away from becoming a statistic.

That is one lesson he won't forget in a hurry.

Talking of lessons, even driving instructors can get it wrong.

Although this instructor isn't that keen to advertise his services

Police forces say they are already seeing a fall in the number

of close passes following this summer's clamp-down.

But perhaps there is one other way of keeping motorist at arm's-length.

The Oxford safety reflector arm from the 1970s.

You can still get them today but chances are you had one

The only problem is they are barely wider than your handlebars,

Not entirely convinced this is the solution

Still to come: The personal stories behind public places.

When you see someone sat on a bench, you just don't know

Next, what you had the classifieds for?

Jonathan Gibson has been investigating one online site

where criminals have their eye on more than just a bargain.

As an investigative journalist, it is sometimes easier to work

When people aren't watching what you are doing.

If you are looking for something illegal, it is the go-to part

of the internet that is hidden from prying eyes.

The place where criminals use encrypted websites and virtual

You don't need to bother with all that, mate.

You can get all of that on craigslist.

Shouldn't you be getting on with the...?

No, it is all right, I've got minutes.

It was set up in America by a guy called...

It is a website where people buy and sell everything.

Just say where you live and get started.

But lots of the stuff on craigslist won't be on the buy and sell section

of your local newspaper, including bootleg tobacco.

The kind of cigs you would buy from a dodgy geezer outside the pub.

Or in this case, a supermarket car park.

They can't resell them in shops any more.

He says his supplier is just someone else on craigslist.

I've seen some crazy stuff on craigslist.

That is why I have come to another car park for another dodgy deal.

And that is why his tobacco is just a third of the price

Can you tell the difference? I can't tell the difference.

Because counterfeit goods are among the things craigslist says

you are not supposed to sell on its website.

Yeah, but nobody takes any notice of that.

It is as easy to find marijuana on craigslist

And you might need to see because what I am buying next

I'm on a Derby estate to meet a dealer selling

Turns out as street cocaine goes, it is pretty pure stuff.

It is not difficult for the internet companies to put elements

of their website to be able to police this sort of stuff,

and they should be policing it and taking it down.

But if you had made money from crime, you wouldn't want

What you want is someone to hide it, perhaps in their bank account.

But where would I find someone to do that?

She is offering her bank account on craigslist to anyone

But we are walking in to the bank to pay in what I have

She will charge me a fee to get in back and there are plenty

of people on craigslist offering to do the same thing.

Sometimes through overseas bank accounts.

But if you have sent your money overseas,

Yeah, I know just the place you can get it.

HE MOUTHS Craigslist,

the place where I can find a stolen passport.

There are plenty more where that came from.

I've known some people who it has taken them ten years to get a credit

rating back again after someone has stolen their identity.

But it will allow you to get on and commit other crimes,

It is not just about selling stuff, this advert is looking for postman

to steal the letters they are supposed to be delivering.

On craigslist, there is also disorganised crime.

In Slough, this guy wants someone to pass his driving

But for 50 quid, it is not that black and white.

For a start, he is black, and I am white, and someone

When I later reveal I'm a journalist, he didn't

In fact, when we asked it for an interview,

And that came from the top, the Chief Executive's office.

Whilst they are making money, and no one is asking them or forcing

them to reveal what is going on, you will find sites like this

using the ostrich effect, using it to stick their head

in the sand and ignore what is going on.

No wonder criminals can carry on regardless.

Because I'm trying to get out, I am trying to get out of debt.

Oh my God my mother is going to kill me.

He is not the only one thinking about his relatives.

I don't know why I am doing it, to be honest.

I'm tried to make money for my family.

Take a good look at my cocaine dealer, because he

The thing is, mate, I work for the BBC,

and we are trying to find out, mate, why you are peddling cocaine.

Well, he wasn't hanging about, was he?

I'm trying to find out why you are willing

I'm not buying a passport off you, mate, because I work for the BBC.

And I want to know why you are selling stolen passports,

Why are you selling stolen passports?

The amount of organised crime that is sitting behind everything,

and it is critical, I think, that the police force or the law

enforcement agencies forced the likes of craigslist to do

When we ask to interview a minister, all we got was a Home Office data

Well, we have kind of done that for them already.

So, maybe it is time the government forced websites like craigslist

Don't forget, you can find out more about the show on Twitter.

Finally, have you ever stopped to put your feet up

on one of the many benches across the South?

And have you ever wondered why they are there?

Well, we did, and we found some quite remarkable

You feel very quiet when you get here, you know,

You'll dive in for a swim in a minute.

I am Ann, and this is my husband Alan.

And we had this bench put here for our son

He was generous, and kind, and wonderful.

Gavin was an adventurer with an urge to travel.

In 2001, he quit his job as a Hampshire firefighter.

He said, I just feel that I want to see something of the world.

Look, he said, you are not to worry, I will be fine.

No amount of persuasion would changes mind.

After travelling by motorbike from India, Gavin ended up in Iran.

He was there for one night, one night only, and, unfortunately,

People on each side managed to get out.

But the ceiling was very heavy, and unfortunately, he got crushed.

It was fire and rescue people that he knew who all went out

In the chaos following the earthquake, Gavin's body

He would hate us to be sad, wouldn't he?

I'm doing what I am enjoying, he said.

For Gavin and his friends and family.

We will always remember him through this.

Now my name is Sue, I am an intensive care nurse.

On a regular basis, I come here because I am having

I come here just to process what has been happening,

what I have talked about, and this fantastic view

When I was a little girl, I was sexually abused.

I was about four when the abuse started but I didn't

When I got a bit older, then it was my guilt the secret,

You feel you are on your own, you feel that people will judge you,

It is like climbing a hill, climbing a mountain.

But it has helped me to have a voice and realise it is nothing to be

ashamed about. My counsellor asked me to bring along a photograph to

have in the room while we were having a counselling session, so I

brought along this one. It is a picture of when I was about five

which was when the abuse was going on, so it is a bit of a difficult

picture to look at but it was important that I was reminded that

she is just an innocent little girl. I can say that I am proud of how she

coped then and I'm proud of me, of what I achieved. There are benches

all over the come tree with lovely views. When you see someone sat on

bench, you don't know what they might be dealing with in their life.

I didn't I would ever, ever be able to speak out, ever tell anyone, and

sort it out, and I have, and it has been a lifeline to me. It is a

really special place. To get some free therapy. It is lovely. My name

is Annie, I am 72 years old -- Danny. I come to this bench every

day sit in the sun, and watch the world go by. This bench is something

special. This is about a family called the Jacobs, they have been in

Portsmouth for 300 years, that is before the days of Nelson, the

Battle of Trafalgar, that is an old Portsmouth family. Danny's family

life changed forever in 1973. He had two children and had been married

for six years. My wife met somebody else, his business was in the

States, and they were going to move to California with the children

which meant I would never see them again. It is a loss. And even as

time went on, it didn't get any easier. It was like a death, almost.

Five years ago, I got a call from my brother to say that Cathy, my

daughter, was in the UK with a grandson that I didn't know I had,

and her husband, and she wanted to meet up. I heard the knock on the

door, this then 40-year-old woman walked through the door six but tall

and stunning, and I thought, that is my daughter? And she threw her arms

around me and said, height, died. It was amazing that after 38 years, I

was heard dad. Cathy's life was thousands away from -- thousands of

miles away from Danny on Maui. She said, I've got something for you.

And each ticket turned up on my e-mail to go to Maori on her

birthday, and I spent her birthday with her for the first time. I

think, well, I've lost hope once, I'm not going to lose her again,

this was my second chance and I wasn't going to let it go wrong this

time. Five years later, I'm still going back and seeing my daughter.

There is a saying in Hawaii, it means family. And I now feel part of

the family. And we wish Danny and his daughter

Cathy all the best for the future. That is it for now. We will have

plenty more stories from the South at the same time next week. Until

then, goodbye. Next week... We track down the man behind the property

scheme that has left investors thousands out of pocket. We have

come to ask whether money is. Peter, where is the investors' money? Leave

the camera. go. That's it for others to night

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