Cyclist fined after collision with taxi that resulted in a broken arm

A Cumbrian cyclist who broke his arm when he collided with a taxi has been asked to pay £165 after pleading guilty to the rare charge of dangerous cycling, reports In Cumbria. Thomas Thompson had been cycling the wrong way down a one-way street when the incident took place.

Thompson, who had only recently bought the bike for £990, was fined £60 with £85 costs and a £20 surcharge.

He told District Judge Gerald Chalk that he had been crossing the road and described his behaviour as ‘careless’.

“I’ve never had an accident. I was crossing English street, and I didn’t use the crossing. It was careless rather than dangerous. I broke my arm in three places, have a seven inch scar on my arm, a scar on my lip and one on my eyebrow, and I lost a tooth and I also lost my job as a bricklayer.”

However, Pam Ward, prosecuting, said the taxi driver had seen Thompson riding directly towards him. “Due to him cycling at speed, he went over the handlebars and collided with the taxi, fracturing his arm.”

A couple travelling in a nearby car said Thompson landed on the windscreen before sliding off the bonnet and onto the road.

In 2013, another Carlisle resident was charged with dangerous cycling after being spotted by a police officer riding his bike with his young daughter perched on his shoulders. The man was said to have been unsteady on his bike, using his left hand to steer while his right hand held onto his daughter’s leg. He was asked to pay a £55 fine, a £20 victim surcharge and £100 in prosecution costs.

Under section 28 of the Road Traffic Act 1991, "a person is to be regarded as riding dangerously if (and only if) (a) the way he rides falls far below what would be expected of a competent and careful cyclist, and (b) it would be obvious to a competent and careful cyclist that riding in that way would be dangerous." The offence carries a maximum penalty of a £2,500 fine.