Live blog: e-bike rider shoots past cyclist at frightening speed, rider hospitalised after crashing into huge Buckinghamshire pothole, this year’s Giro-themed gear, star-spotting in Asda + more
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Wed, May 02, 2018 13:40
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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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Latest Comments
Paul J 26 seconds ago
@IanEdward Frustration is probably a factor. He had a crap season last year, by comparison to the season before that. He's possibly anxious about doing better this season, particularly as he's starting to get on in age.
chrisonabike 4 minutes ago
@the little onion well @open_open_roads maybe has a point about online policing - *that* ought to be the easiest to deal with: the offender themselves is often documenting the offence! Or would be if there wasn't the volume of data / if only the tech firms cared. And if it wasn't easy to say "must have been a deep fake mate" / "cat got my phone". Aside from following the priories they're given from on high it wouldn't surprise me if the police were slightly more car-biased than most: like some other trades aren't vehicles their offices? That's why the few who do make the effort (like Mark Hodson) stand out.
OnYerBike 26 minutes ago
The bad bonfire night violence in Niddrie was 2023, so unless the video has already been doing the rounds for a year, the "journalist" needs to get his facts straight.
the little onion 26 minutes ago
this is bonkers. Two things stand out 1. this kind of thing must be one of the very lowest-effort crimes to prosecute, for the police. The cyclist does all the hard work of collecting the evidence, putting in the details of time/place, providing a statement via the submission portal etc. Other than speeding recorded on fixed cameras, is there anything easier to prove? 2. How many instances have there been where a driver goes to court, disputes that a close pass was in fact too close, and wins? Realistically, how many prosecutions have failed because of the standards of evidence cited here by the police? It all sounds very suspect. Institutionally anti-cyclist.
wtjs 33 minutes ago
@Mr Blackbird Says me. I just made it up, of course, but it's clearly a statement about the level ot risk for a single interaction between a cyclist and the driver of one of the named vehicles. Other self-centred psycho-nutter drivers are available.
open_roads 55 minutes ago
@wtjs the Tesla cybercabs don’t even have LIDAR - so they are literally blind in heavy fog because the entire system relies on cameras to judge distance and obstacles.
Mr Blackbird 2 hours ago
@wtjs Says who? Waymo? Tesla? Audis BMWs will still be on the road in the same numbers. Are driverless taxis an extra as yet unquantified hazard?
Mr Blackbird 2 hours ago
I am concerned about the reported collisions in the US of driverless taxis with pedestrians and cyclists. Has enough work been done to ensure that the camera and software systems are sufficiently robust? What would be considered an acceptable collision rate to deem the trial successful? Is there a danger that the path of least resistance will be taken to ban cyclists from certain roads because it means companies like Waymo do not have to carry out expensive and time consuming software mods - a lot of profit is at stake and greed is a powerful force.
wtjs 2 hours ago
Even if it's powered by a ZX Spectrum, it still going to be safer for cyclists than an Audi, BMW, Stagecoach or BYD driver
OnYerBike 2 hours ago
@wtjs Ah yes, the classic "excuse" which is in fact an admission of guilt.
4 thoughts on “Live blog: e-bike rider shoots past cyclist at frightening speed, rider hospitalised after crashing into huge Buckinghamshire pothole, this year’s Giro-themed gear, star-spotting in Asda + more”
Why any big concern with “e
Why any big concern with “e-bike rider whizzing past” ? Granted the first time is a bit of a shocker. There will be quiet electric motorcycles doing at least 3X=5X a bicyclist speed in the very near future.
ridein wrote:
How about the fact that these current “modified” devices are inherintly dangerous, and also illegal. An E-bike is legally restricted to 250W, and a max assisted speed of 25km/h across the EU area. The brakes on these monsters are no better than normal bike brakes, yet they weigh a lot more, and where they have been tested are unfit for purposse.
Many of these “can” be made street legal, in Norway at least you can register them, get a number plate, pay insurance, and use a motorcycle helmet – then keep out the bike lanes.
As an example of the issue, a rider in Tronheim is looking at (equivalent to) £7,500 in compenasation to a cyclist he hit, plus 6 month loss of his driving licence, and several weeks in jail after he crashed his modified “e-bike” with a 5600W motor into another cyclist and broke her neck. Drivers on the road alongside report that as they were doing 60-70 km/h he was “sailing past with ease”, he left a 19m skid mark before the point of impact. Under testing after the accident it was found to have a top speed on 108km/h (almost 70mph)
Yes Electric motorbikes are on their way, but these will be registered, and tested by roads authorities to ensure they are street legal, will require EU control/MOT check (country dependant), a drivers licence, insurance (not just home insurance cover). They will also have muchbetter brakes, and be illegal on shared use foot and cycle ways.
StuInNorway wrote:
Yep, any electric bike that fast should be registered as a motor scooter. That means the rider needs to have a licence, a motorcycle helmet and insurance. I agree that the weight and speed of the thing means that the brakes won’t be up to the job when it’s at full tilt and as it’s quiet, pedestrians (and drivers) won’t be looking out for it either.
I see that the cops in Sweden stopped a guy on an electric bike after he hit close to 100km/h. A quick check showed it was more powerful than allowed and further tests revealed its motor was 16 times the limit for electric bikes. Ths tory I read was a bit vague but I think he converted it himself with a kit he bought. The Swedes don’t look kindly on traffic offences and he’s being hit with a big fine.
As for fast descents, well top TdF riders can hit 120km/h for sure. But that’s on stretches of roads where it’s expected. Hitting those speeds on a bike with inadequate brakes in normal traffic conditions is like playing Russian Roulette.
Why the worry? We all go that
Why the worry? We all go that fast down hills don’t we? Should we all be subject to licence/ insurance restrictions accordingly? I don’t think so….