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Police appeal leads to arrest of aggressive cyclist who abused driverPolice car flashing lights (CC licensed by Lee Haywood)

Police appeal leads to arrest of aggressive cyclist who abused driver

Arrest follows appeal by Bath Police; but would abuse of cyclists get similar response?
by Simon_MacMichael
Wed, Jan 22, 2014 20:09
38

Avon & Somerset Constabulary have arrested a 44-year-old man on suspicion of violence against a person and common assault in relation to an incident that happened before Christmas in which a cyclist is alleged to have abused and spat at a motorist.

Police issued an appeal last month following the incident close to Sainsbury’s on Pines Way on 3 December, which involved a couple travelling in their car with their 11-year-old grandson.

The couple admitted that their vehicle encroached on an Advanced Stop Line reserved for cyclists, but said that this provoked an aggressive response from the cyclist.

The Bath Chronicle, which says a number of names of suspects were provided after it published the police appeal last month, reports that the woman in the car claimed that the bike rider made rude gestures, spat at the car, and even leant inside to pull off the male driver’s glasses, throwing them back in the car.

She said: “Once he started his ranting, there was no stopping him. This continued from the junction with the Lower Bristol Road, into the local car lane leading out of Bath right up to the traffic lights at the junction with Brougham Hayes, when we turned into Brougham Hayes and the cyclist continued on the Lower Bristol Road out of the city.

“There is no doubt that many other motorists would have witnessed what went on and were equally terrified by the bullying tactics of this offensive cyclist.

“On each occasion the drivers tried to speak to the cyclist, but he was not prepared to hear what was to be said and just continued with his vociferous ranting and intimidation.”

Another motorist said that several weeks earlier he had suffered a similar experience in which a cyclist matching the description of the one sought in connection with the incident in December followed him, “ranting and raving.”

While there is no excuse for aggressive behaviour towards any road user the police response to this case has raised eyebrows amongst some in the cycling community; as the road.cc user who sent us this link remarked: "Would the police do anything if you reported every motorist that ‘abuses’ you whilst cycling on the road… I doubt it."

Bath
Avon & Somerset Constabulary
antisocial cycling
aggression
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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38 comments

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Paul_C replied to Stumps | 10 years ago
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stumps wrote:

Your right mate, i do see it differently because we feel the brunt of the "invisible CPS" when we have to tell the public the bad news.

apparently there's a matrix of points for various elements of an incident. The CPS use this to decide whether to prosecute or not. The incident has to have more than so many points before they'll procede.

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Owen Rogers | 10 years ago
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Not a single rant above, just a good discussion.
Sadly CPS rarely take action for road related incidents, including road related assaults and damage, unless there are witnesses other than those directly involved.
Annoying, unjust even, but it prevents malicious allegations going anywhere.

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mrmo | 10 years ago
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I don't know, maybe the answer is for the CPS/Police to publish guidelines. If I see bad (dangerous) driving I report it to the police, I don't expect anything to happen I just hope it is on file so that if the driver actually has an accident it acts as some kind of marker that it wasn't a one off but the driver has previous.

But am I wasting my time?

We hear that the CPS won't proccede without evidence, but what do they want? It seems video isn't enough? Do they need a dozen witnesses, do the witnesses need to be independent etc.

Then you move on to the Courts, and the juries, how do you get the system to properly punish drivers, or are the sentences about right.

I heard this week that no prosecutions will be brought against the kent? bridge/fog crash last year. First thought dangerous drivers lock them up, second thought the drivers are being given further education. Which is the right approach? Surely when you are given a licence you know the rules, but everyone knows in the real world it doesn't work like that. After the recent bike related police excercises one thing that emerged is how many drivers don't know the law. So is most of the solution simply education rather than punishment????

would the money spent on policing be better spent on prosecuting the media for click baiting? for hunting down "hate" speak on twitter???

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Actium | 10 years ago
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Doesn't sound as though the cyclist in this case was particularly endangered, but I think for irate incidents between drivers and cyclists in general there is an inherent imbalance even without the help (or lack of) of the legal system. Cyclists have often just had a near death experience and are at the mercy of the adrenalin feeding their response. The driver on the other hand is in a nice warm cosy shell and has had no threat to their physical wellbeing and would be expected on average to be calmer.
e.g.
Cyclist: "You effing idiotic #*£~~*!!!! you could have killed me!"
Driver: "Sorry mate I didn't see you"

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farrell replied to Joselito | 10 years ago
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Joselito wrote:

Compare and contrast...
One of the Manchester Cycling Community was biking home recently,
(apols for an errors in this abridged version, if you are reading this, General...)
it's chucking it down with rain, loads of standing water by kerb so he's taking the lane but is getting repeatedly tailgated and beeped by the driver of a white Audi.
Eventually, the bloke deliberately drives him into the kerb and verbally berates him topping off with calling the cyclist a 'Paki'.
Gets home and is persuaded by his girlfriend to report it.
Police are very keen to report it, but they are not arsed about the aggressive and dangerous driving but the racial element.
Share the Road indeed, GMP.

GMP really don't give a fuck about cyclists, the copper that drove his van into me last week didn't even bother apologising and seemed to be annoyed with me instead because he didn't get to pull someone over.

Operation Grimaldi in full effect.

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Leodis | 10 years ago
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Nob driver meets nob cyclist, there is only one outcome... A good nobbing

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big mick | 10 years ago
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My god if I/we reported every abusive driver the police would have to employ a lot more officers.Seeing as they are cutting the number of police that would never work.A bit like reporting abuse doesn't work for cyclists now

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FluffyKittenofT... replied to nostromo | 10 years ago
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nostromo wrote:

The police and the courts will pursue motorists who splash mums and kids on the school run though ....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2543804/Motorist-facing-court-dr...

I thoroughly approve of that one! Very tired of having to time a run past such puddles before a driver gets the chance to swerve into it for a 'laugh'.

Such a prosecution has happened before - when a couple recorded footage of themselves doing it deliberately and then put it on youtube. Both obnoxious and stupid!

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