John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
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75 comments
Anyone who uses their vehicle a a means to scare or harm a vulnerable road user fully knows what they are doing. I had some guy do it to me the other year and if I hadn't have been quick on my brakes I was toast. I've also experienced it when out walking and crossing a side street when a motorist has accelerated their car at me to make me run out of the way. A GBH charge is what is needed in this instance.
Lack of witnesses willing to testify and turn up at court could have been an issue, hence the half hearted prosecution.
In the hit and run case I testified at, the guy got a year ban - max end of spectrum.
All I'd observe is that justice is failing when people feel the need to take it into their own hands. Time to bring it to Goldsmith's attention as stated above
If you look what the motorist was charged with, this never got to the CPS for a prosecution decision, so they dont really deserve any criticism. This time.
This is down to the police officer who did the initial investigation and a traffic process case builder, who is likely to be a civilian employee/retired police officer who doesn't really care too much.
As a car driver as well as a cyclist, the law should be clear just how much force I can use to knock a cyclist off his bike that is annoying me.
Equally so, it should also be clear what the consequences will be if I am ever knocked off my bike in the afore mentioned manner, if I so choose to knock the head off of the car driver. Clearly the law is no deterrent in this matter.
As a car driver as well as a cyclist, the law should be clear just how much force I can use to knock a cyclist off his bike that is annoying me.
Equally so, it should also be clear what the consequences will be if I am ever knocked off my bike in the afore mentioned manner, if I so choose to knock the head off of the car driver. Clearly the law is no deterrent in this matter.
I can only hope the cyclist takes a civil case. This is exactly the sort of case where a driver's insurance company should first pay out (because they are there to compensate third parties such as a cyclist awarded damages) and then take the driver to court to recoup their costs (because the driver should ultimately be fully liable for harm he wilfully inflicted, it makes no sense for drivers to be able to insure themselves against their own malicious acts.)
I reckon this Jag driver has friends in high places. Just saying.
https://www.facebook.com/jon.weale?fref=ts
http://www.jjw-personal-training.co.uk/about-me/
A personal trainer. To be avoided I would suggest
As it happens it's beneficial he wasn't charged with assault, GBH or whatever. Motor insurance will not pay damages to the intended victim of such illegal acts. You can't insure against the intended consequences of breaking the law.
If any damage to a cyclist is a consequence of careless driving then the insurance will pay out as a 3rd party liability.
You can still sue of course for damages following an assault, but rely on him having some assets.
I'm not a lawyer but as I understand it (from a similar case I was the victim in) cases like these go to the magistrate's court first and if they think it's too serious for them to hear, they send it to the Crown Court. Trouble with that is you've dragged all the witnesses out of work to hang around a court all day just to hear 5 minutes of the victim telling their side of the story and the case adjourned to Crown Court*.
Sometimes it seems more pragmatic to just dole out the harshest punishments available to magistrates.
* That's what happened in my case. Eventually he pleaded guilty to Careless Driving, got banned, fined, put on a curfew and given a suspended sentence. Everything short of custody basically.
Pint of single cream down the air vents along the windscreen of that jag please.
I don't now how to get a DOS attack working and I hope no one else reading this does either.
Hit them in the wallet it's the only thing people like this understand.
When I was learning to drive a car my instructor said to me "the first thing you have to realise is that you are in charge of a lethal weapon so you have to be responsible." It goes without saying that deliberately aiming a car at a cyclist, however much you feel you are provoked, is the height of irresponsibility and should be punished as such. A fitting punishment would be a one year driving ban at least so that this clown would have to use a bike and then he'd realise the error of his ways (maybe).
Huw are you sure you have the right man there we don't want this to get nasty !
He's gone to court and be found guilty and will have to pay his dues. Even if you think those dues aren't good enough, there is no need for cyber vigilantism.
Lets count backwards to 10 in are heads and take the higher road and not act like a lot of angry petrol heads do.
Old news.
That is only 2points more and the same fine I got for pleading guilty to speeding 76 in a 50 on an empty dual carriage way.
This deserves letters to the home secratary to appeal the sentence, and an investigation as to why this was notcharged as dangerous driving.
Deliberatley hit someone with a hammer - attempted murder.
Deliberatley hit someone with a car - just careless!
Absurd!
For once, what a shame the Police didn't have a car parked up at the foot of Sawyer Hill.
Using a gun to kill someone is just plain stupid.... use your car to run them over. The senile old bastards in court will let you off with finger wagging, probably for getting caught!
Surely you already knew that!?!
A Polish national called Wlodzimierz Umaniec, also known as Vladimir Umanets, attacked a painting, an inanimate object, in 2012 to promote his artistic movement, Yellowism...
... and spent 18 months in prison.
I'm sure I read that in some countries they have classified motor vehicles a deadly weapons, therefore, a wilful assault with one, as opposed to just being a shit driver, becomes an assault with a deadly weapon.
I think the law needs to catch up with this now.
I've never understood why a car is treated differently from a hammer or a cricket bat or anything else you might attack someone with. Accidentally kill someone with a hammer or by throwing a fire extinguisher off a building and it's manslaughter - no question. Why can't we treat all objects the same?
It's him
He makes his living from helping others to get fitter. Rather odd then that he harbours such vitriol for cyclists
Even if it is, an internet jihad is hardly going to make the cycling community look better.
Sad that the 5 points was imposed for "not stopping" - have always assumed that this offence is considered serious by the police and courts because it is intended to protect drivers from financial loss not because of any reasons of concern about injuries - a law intended to protect property is the only effective one in a case of intended physical harm.
Considering the driver pleaded not guilty seems very odd that no points were given for the careless driving charge as sentencing guidelines indicate 3 points minimum.
8points might make the driver think about his driving behaviour.
As to the cyclist swearing at the driver (or his passenger) I'm pretty sure that in assault case this wouldn't be considered - am thinking of some high profile cases involving footballers being wound up at nightclubs and then lashing out - the prior verbal abuse isn't accepted as a legitimate reason for a violent response.
Magistrate sentences in line with societies expectations shocker
edit not defending the sentence there should be some sort of "wreckless endangerment" charge - the driver intended harm and if that isn't dangerous driving the law needs changing
Cyclists on a cycling forum complaining that a sentence is too lenient is an internet jihad? WTF?
Hardly jihad
Actions have consequences and if he's hit it in the pocket a little, then what's wrong with that?
If this is the person concerned then yes, he is perhaps someone to be avoided. But is this really him? Are you absolutely sure? And by posting these details on the Internet, are you not risking some sort of rough justice being meted out to him? I don't think the sentence he received was appropriate, but nor do I believe in mob rule or vigilante action.
My missus once applied to be a magistrate... she failed.
Apparently her rigidly unforgiving views on drink driving were not in line with those of the magistrates
to quote: "...I think we've all just had one more than we really should one time or another..."
I have no faith in our magistrate system whatsoever... best course of action in these incidents is make a note of the registration number, locate the drivers address, get your car, drive to the persons address and then 'accidentally' run the blighter down... whats the worst that can happen?
Its interesting that "jihad" has such negative connotations in the West, whilst the Christian equivalent, "crusade" is much more positive.
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