Crazy cyclist?

[Pure Savage]

She walked out in front of him, I dont think if he had deadly disc brakes it would have made any difference. 

 

Really unlucky. 

[bertusras]

Report from the Law Review in The Guardian.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2017/aug/23/motorist-would-not-have-landed-cyclists-wanton-and-furious-driving-charge

 

Brilliant article, thank you!

[Shebeen]

Unfortunately I'm probably going to judge this guy on a carbon planetx as a chav, and I doubt he can say he is blameless. If he had a front brake it would help his case. I ride a fixie with front brake only, not ideal but most commuter bikes on our roads have the v-brakes disconnected due to the wobbly wheels anyway. 

 

BUT this seems like a really unlikely incident given the speeds quoted, and they appear to have the whole thing on CCTV. Hard to see her side of it, without seeing that first. 30ft away from a zebra crossing, and on her phone.

[Jewbacca]

Yeah... Unfortunately it seems to be a case where emotion over facts is ruining everybody's lives.

 

The chav probably could have feigned empathy for a week and the charges would have been rubbished.

 

As tragic as it is, there are pedestrian crossings every 200m in London.

 

I rode a fixie around that dreadful city for years and it is sometimes frightening. What a pity it has come to this.

 

Tattoo's and hairstyles 'ey? My friends, my missus and I must all be the worst types of criminals ever! 

[Odinson]

Yeah... Unfortunately it seems to be a case where emotion over facts is ruining everybody's lives.

 

The chav probably could have feigned empathy for a week and the charges would have been rubbished.

 

As tragic as it is, there are pedestrian crossings every 200m in London.

 

I rode a fixie around that dreadful city for years and it is sometimes frightening. What a pity it has come to this.

 

Tattoo's and hairstyles 'ey? My friends, my missus and I must all be the worst types of criminals ever! 

 

You have a ghoulish demon emblazoned on your sinful flesh?! You criminal! 

[lechatnoir]

You have a ghoulish demon emblazoned on your sinful flesh?! You criminal! 

 

Typical tabloid emotive writing...

[Matchstix]

the front brake would not have made a difference In my personal experience.

I have hit a pedestrian. Was looking down on his phone with earphone in his ears. Cycled to move around him. He looked up, got a fright, jumped back into me. Luckely he walked away with a bloody nose only.

And if the kid was wearing a helmet or not is irrelevant to the situation.

[Patchelicious]

Doesn't really matter if the brakes would have made a difference. Its not relevant once this accident happened. He didn't have the required brakes. If he had had the brakes and still knocked her over, this wouldn't even be in the news. Its the fact that he didn't have brakes thats making headlines.

[Vetplant]

Doesn't really matter if the brakes would have made a difference. Its not relevant once this accident happened. He didn't have the required brakes. If he had had the brakes and still knocked her over, this wouldn't even be in the news. Its the fact that he didn't have brakes thats making headlines.

True

 

Question though is what the non-cycling part of society is gonna do with this story. Will they be able to separate one guy who chose to ride without brakes from the 99.99999% of cyclists who do ride with functioning brakes?

[Patchelicious]

True

 

Question though is what the non-cycling part of society is gonna do with this story. Will they be able to separate one guy who chose to ride without brakes from the 99.99999% of cyclists who do ride with functioning brakes?

I think you know the answer to that question....

 

This is where "moderate" cyclist need to speak out against "extremist" cyclists so that we are all not painted with the same brush.

[Sharkie 2]

I commute around London daily. My bike was purchased as a fixie but I converted it, put on a freewheel and a set of brakes. The set up with bike lanes and pedestrians is quite dangerous because neither party follow the rules of the road as they should. Pedestrians walking through standing vehicles and popping out of "nowhere" or crossing intersections when they are not suppose to is all to frequent.

 

I put it down to a freak accident

[bikebloke]

True

 

Question though is what the non-cycling part of society is gonna do with this story. Will they be able to separate one guy who chose to ride without brakes from the 99.99999% of cyclists who do ride with functioning brakes?

in the UK everyone with a bike these days is called a "lycra lout"  because of these kind of stories

I doubt everymans opinion of cyclists will get much worse in that part of the world

 

stuff em all just ride your bike

[ChrisF]

So my 20 Zim dollars worth ....

 

- Tattoos, hairstyle, nose rings, etc .. - irrelevant

 

- Commenting on social media was his intellectual low point - THIS will come back to bit him in the trial-by-media 

 

- TRACK bike belongs on a TRACK ....

 

- commuting without brakes is not the brightest idea .... (and the back pedal of a fixie just dont serve as proper brakes in traffic)

 

- pedestrian walking in front of traffic (cycle/bike/car/truck) while fixated on a cell phone .... uhm ja .... Darwin award candidate  (stupid enough using a cell while driving, but just so much more dangerous when you dont have a metal cage to protect you)

 

- THREE deaths by cyclists - OUCH !!!!!

 

 

 

- MUTUAL RESPECT ..... I want to make a bumper sticker "MUTUAL RESPECT", with images of a bicycle, motorcycle, car and truck (seems I need to a pedestrian) ..... As a "car-driver" I have a certain perspective of traffic, as a cyclist I see the world differently, as a biker yet another world opens up, sitting high up in a 4x4 it all looks different.  You can SEE the car drivers that are also cyclists or bikers - in the way they monitor traffic all round and move their vehicles to create space for  cycles and bikes ..... some cyclists even exhibit some common sense on the bike, as if they do drive a vehicle sometimes...  

 

Now imagine an eutopia where drivers/riders/cyclists(and now pedestrians) actually have MUTUAL RESPECT

[FirstV8]

So my 20 Zim dollars worth ....

 

- Tattoos, hairstyle, nose rings, etc .. - irrelevant

 

- Commenting on social media was his intellectual low point - THIS will come back to bit him in the trial-by-media 

 

- TRACK bike belongs on a TRACK ....

 

- commuting without brakes is not the brightest idea .... (and the back pedal of a fixie just dont serve as proper brakes in traffic)

 

- pedestrian walking in front of traffic (cycle/bike/car/truck) while fixated on a cell phone .... uhm ja .... Darwin award candidate  (stupid enough using a cell while driving, but just so much more dangerous when you dont have a metal cage to protect you)

 

- THREE deaths by cyclists - OUCH !!!!!

 

 

 

- MUTUAL RESPECT ..... I want to make a bumper sticker "MUTUAL RESPECT", with images of a bicycle, motorcycle, car and truck (seems I need to a pedestrian) ..... As a "car-driver" I have a certain perspective of traffic, as a cyclist I see the world differently, as a biker yet another world opens up, sitting high up in a 4x4 it all looks different.  You can SEE the car drivers that are also cyclists or bikers - in the way they monitor traffic all round and move their vehicles to create space for  cycles and bikes ..... some cyclists even exhibit some common sense on the bike, as if they do drive a vehicle sometimes...  

 

Now imagine an eutopia where drivers/riders/cyclists(and now pedestrians) actually have MUTUAL RESPECT

 I train in my residential area daily with about a 800 residents living in houses and apartments . The ignorance displayed by drivers , motor bikers , kids on bicycles and off course the pedestrian on the phone . I ride in a anti clockwise direction always turning left. I have three stop streets which i approach at less than 15kph with hands on brakes ready to stop and then go through and yet the motor biker wants me stop dead and he can power away at speed . Kids on bicycles riding on the wrong side of the road not knowing which side to stay when i approach , it becomes a dance of left , right and then left again . 

[Shebeen]

Yeah... Unfortunately it seems to be a case where emotion over facts is ruining everybody's lives.

 

The chav probably could have feigned empathy for a week and the charges would have been rubbished.

 

As tragic as it is, there are pedestrian crossings every 200m in London.

 

I rode a fixie around that dreadful city for years and it is sometimes frightening. What a pity it has come to this.

 

Tattoo's and hairstyles 'ey? My friends, my missus and I must all be the worst types of criminals ever! 

 

 

sounds about right

[eddy]

 

 

- Tattoos, hairstyle, nose rings, etc .. - irrelevant

 

- Commenting on social media was his intellectual low point - THIS will come back to bit him in the trial-by-media 

 

 

I have been following this for a few weeks already and I agree with everything you say except these two points.

 

I don't care how many tattoos people have, as you say it is mostly irrelevant except in this case getting a ghoulish tattoo done after you have (accidentally or not) killed someone, is just a **** move and speaks to his attitude that the Judge already commented on.

 

He had no remorse and actually went on the attack before people got him to STFU about the situation. Bitching publicly about the scratches on your bike when someone is in a coma is not smart.

 

Second, it is not the trial by media he should be worried about, but the sentencing by the trial judge who has already said that he won't be buying the remorse story.  

 

Showing how callous you are to the damage you have caused will come back to bite you.

 

ps.

 

I have some understanding of the situation as I too have hit and killed a pedestrian, albeit whilst riding a motorbike. It is not something one should ever use to show how cool you are.