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Hampshire man pushed off shared use path and into oncoming car

Attacker alleged to have said “you should be cycling on the road”

A Hampshire man has said that he was pushed in front of a car by two pedestrians who apparently took issue to his cycling along a shared-use path in Shirley in Southampton.

Tavo Velez told the Daily Echo that he was cycling home from his job at Oxfam just after 6pm on Tuesday when two men confronted him on the shared path on Rownhams Lane, refusing to give him room.

Velez says that they then threw him into the road, where he was hit by a car and suffered a broken foot.

Onlookers reportedly tried to chase the men, but they got away.

A spokesman for Hampshire Police said: "The cyclist was riding along the cycle path on Rownhams Road, when it is alleged two male pedestrians, walking in the opposite direction, caused him to fall into the road. As a result, he was in a collision with a Jaguar and suffered an injury to his foot. Investigations are ongoing."

Velez said: "I don't know why anyone would do this? All I remember afterwards is that the man came over to me as I was lying on the ground and said 'you should be cycling on the road'. How can somebody say that after what he has just done?

"To be honest, I don't remember much after that, just that I was in hospital. I am so grateful for the kindness given to me in that moment.

"I really hope the police can find who did this. There were two men, I think in their forties, but only one pushed me. The road is 40 miles-per-hour I think and the car must have braked quite a lot for me to be this lucky."

He added: "I love to cycle, it keeps me fit, I don't need to go to the gym, and it's good for the environment. I won't stop."

An unnamed member of Sotonia Cycling Club who witnessed the incident observed: "The shared path is one of the few useful ones in Southampton for cyclists to keep safe as it links Rownhams and North Baddesley and vehicles often travel along the narrow lane at speeds of over 60mph. Drivers are just as likely to scream at cyclists to use the path if they dare to choose the road."

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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9 comments

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Legs_Eleven_Wor... | 5 years ago
0 likes

This is not a phenomenon, but a symptom.   I've had abuse on the shared path running alongside what I think is High Street in Orpington (the one parallel the commercial estate), despite the FOAD bicycle logos painted prominently along the path.  

Cyclist hatred is now well and truly mainstream.  Cycling along Sidcup High Street the other day, stopped at the lights, and a father crossed with (I assume) his son.  Boy about seven or eight years old.  As they passed me, the boy spat on the ground at my front wheel and snarled, 'pay fackin' road tax, ya cant'.  

Avatar
NorthEastJimmy | 5 years ago
6 likes

A couple of years back on the same commute home from work, I got shouted at for being on the cycle path by a pedestrian.  Then on a section of road where the cycle path isn't good enough to cycle on, got beeped at and shouted at by a driver that I should be on the cycle path.

I felt really great the rest of the day, you know that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you love the country you live in and all the people you share it with.

Avatar
David9694 | 5 years ago
6 likes

Sorry to hear of this incident and the injury sustained.

in a parallel universe not so far away, a motorist drives a cyclist off the carriageway shouting “you should be on the cycle path”.

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... replied to David9694 | 5 years ago
1 like

David9694 wrote:

Sorry to hear of this incident and the injury sustained.

in a parallel universe not so far away, a motorist drives a cyclist off the carriageway shouting “you should be on the cycle path”.

 

Sadly it's not even a parallel universe - it's the same universe.  I knew someone who had both those things shouted at him during one journey.

 

(Ha -having just read the rest of the thread - I don't think it was North East Jimmy - it wasn't in this country!).

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brooksby | 5 years ago
0 likes

Not an excuse, but so many shared use paths are so badly signposted that nobody knows for sure whether a cyclist is allowed to ride there.  I’ve been shouted at many times by pedestrians for riding in areas in which that the microscopic roundels on lamp posts or the camouflaged bike signs in the middle of flagstones say it’s fine for me to ride...

That said, I’m pretty sure this won’t be given the priority by the police that it ought to be. Just A Cyclist, after all.

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burtthebike | 5 years ago
12 likes

I'm sure the government will be immediately bringing in a new law of pedestrians causing death or injury to cyclists, and having a review of pedestrian safety.

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wycombewheeler | 5 years ago
12 likes

Time for pedestrians to wear registration numbers to resolve this problem.

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Yorkshire wallet | 5 years ago
2 likes

Maybe a bell would have saved him?

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Grahamd replied to Yorkshire wallet | 5 years ago
5 likes

Yorkshire wallet wrote:

Maybe a bell would have saved him?

Don't think it would work will bell ends.

 

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