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Live blog: Protected cycle lane or dooring zone? Protest planned against car ban on Cheltenham’s Boots Corner, 2019 La Course by Tour de France will consist of just one multi-lap race, road rage cyclist jabs his bike into Mercedes bonnet + more
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Thu, Oct 25, 2018 14:45
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chrisonabike 24 minutes ago
@TrainWalkWheel at least one person on here seems to have better understanding of these than I do but AFAICS the model is even less likely to lead to good outcomes than happened with eg. a certain UK bus company. The one notorious for moving into an area, putting the existing providers out of business by running more services for pence and losing money, then - having captured the market - jacking up the price and dropping services. At least in that case the intention was presumably to deliver a self-sustaining service in the end (albeit perhaps a worse, overpriced one). But AFAIK mass bike share itself has never made money directly. So one wonders what the end plan is if any one of these market-share-capture firms actually won? (Presumably that isn't important and it's all about trading / financial shenanigans in some way. I doubt they could hold the local authority to ransom for the extra cash...)
chrisonabike 37 minutes ago
Alas it's another part of "because cars / 'change', we can't just copy a well-proven design eg. from NL" On top of this is the UK "not invented here" making it up / no expertise or standard designs AND a "we must fit cyclists in around existing road space" causing strange contorted layouts. So what happens is we get things like bi-directional cycle *lanes* (not separated cycle paths) because cheapest / easiest to patch in. So that means that pedestrians don't have a space to wait *after* crossing the cycle space and *before* they have to deal with the road. (It also puts another block in the way of cycling convenience at traffic lights - say at a T-junction - because unlike NL the lights then apply to cyclists going straight on, whereas in NL that would be an informal cycle path crossing for pedestrians with no lights applying to the cycle path part - so cyclists just keep rolling).
MaxiMinimalist 2 hours ago
In 2019, Shanghai and other Chinese major cities implemented strict regulations and clean-up operations tp remove millopns of abondoned dockless bicycles that had created public nuisances and blocked pavements. One can't blame local authorities for taking actions in order to stop a messy situation triggered by unruly users.
yodhrin 2 hours ago
@Jakrayan Criticising people for not riding primary is like criticising a victim of domestic abuse for cringing when their partner threatens them with their fist. People don't ride in the gutter because they want to, they do it because if they don't they know there's a better than even chance that in any given ride at least one driver will be so affronted by the ENTITLED BIKE NONCE TAKIN' UP THE WHOLE ROAD!!!11 they'll do a deliberate punishment pass that could kill you or leave you maimed for life. Getting over in the gutter isn't a great solution, but multiple uncomfortable but not life-threatening passes is better than one potentially catastrophic one. It shouldn't be a cyclist's responsibility to put their life at risk just to remind drivers to obey the rules of the road they should be doing regardless. And as for "just getting off and walking", putting aside the reality that a ridden bike takes up *less* space than one with the rider walking alongside and so I'd argue the most considerate way to use that inadequate infrastructure(presumably there are no safe alternatives within a reasonable distance or why would anyone on a bike be using it at all) would be to proceed across on the bike at walking pace and then stop and put your foot down if someone needs to get by you; plenty of people use bikes as mobility aids and so "just get off" isn't as simple as it's made out to be. A couple of years back I had the worst sprain of my life, I could barely even hobble for two weeks and had a huge honking brace on my foot, had to sleep on the sofa downstairs because climbing them was a no go. I could still ride my bike though, do my shopping, see my mates - plenty of people have impairments that aren't temporary, to them "just get off" is tantamount to saying "just stay home". Let's keep it a benjamin as the kids say: "shared responsibility" and "keeping everyone safe" are, literally, copouts. They've framed the entire campaign so they can justify only taking actions that don't piss off drivers, and don't require them to actually do any work except harassing a few cyclists as they do a lunch run to the local Greggs, because that's the level of seriousness police in this country - in an institutional sense - believe road crime deserves.
lesoudeur 3 hours ago
"Scott says that it ‘redefines cable routing in the mountain bike industry’. While we’re yet to see if that claim rings true" I have a Spark RC Pro (2022) with mechanically controlled components. Because we use the front brake lever on the drive (right) side in the UK I have the rear brake hose and two cable housings (dropper and shock) on the NDS entering the headset. On my current bike I use 3.0mm Jagwire housing with no problems. I can install them by just pushing them through the headset without dismantling it. The new 2027 Spark has two openings either side of the headset so it is set up for a rear brake to be on the DS (right). Maybe they are dismissing countries that have the UK's brake lever configuration.
mark1a 3 hours ago
The first link is to one of their cycling computers.
Jakrayan 3 hours ago
To be fair when I'm out on the roads, car or bike, I see very many instances of people cycling who could be doing better. Ignoring the delivery riders, most of whom we know aren't actually riding bicycles / Ebikes, the most common issue I see is people riding too close to the edge of the road. Yes, drivers absolutely should do better, however this type of riding does little to discourage drivers from overtaking, and they will still pass too closely leaving the rider with FA room to the left either. So educating riders as to how to ride more safely isn't a bad idea IMHO. As for that narrow bridge, if it's popular with pedestrians I don't see how getting off and walking a few yards is a massive issue. And I'm normally in SPD-SL road cleats!
Jakrayan 3 hours ago
Indeed. Some lanes are so narrow, and with overgrown vegetation, that the driver may not be able to see anything behind in his wing (door) mirrors, and vans usually don't have a rear window so no rear-view mirror either. Much easier in this situation to just turn around and head back to the nearest farm gate, it won't be far. After all, 'share the road' works both ways. And before someone comments to say if you drive where you can't clearly see what's behind you, that driver may have no choice - deliveries, tradespeople etc.
mdavidford 4 hours ago
So we can add time travel to his list of talents? Is there nothing the man can't do?
Pub bike 4 hours ago
"Arguably the best way to carry panniers on the front of pretty much any bike" The thing that is missing from this sentence is the qualification "...that doesn't have the right bosses for a typical low rider rack" The horizontal tube seems too low which means careful pannier selection to avoid a ground clearance issue. Also the panniers are going to be quite far forward which is less than ideal. If you have the bosses then I'd argue you're much better off with something else e.g. a Tubus Duo which places the panniers at a good height and allows them to sit behind the axle minimising the effect on steering.
33 thoughts on “Live blog: Protected cycle lane or dooring zone? Protest planned against car ban on Cheltenham’s Boots Corner, 2019 La Course by Tour de France will consist of just one multi-lap race, road rage cyclist jabs his bike into Mercedes bonnet + more”
Best Daily Heil comment of
Best Daily Heil comment of the day ref that ‘crazed cyclst’..
‘If that lycra g i mp came it with me I’d r oger him up the b um, teach him a lesson.’
LOLZ!
Can we have a whip-around and
Can we have a whip-around and raise some money for a case of beer for this cyclist? And the one in Liverpool a month or so back.
That junction is outside
That junction is outside Borough Station. The van driver was in left turn only lane and cut across to go straight ahead.
A few things stand out here:
1) The van driver states that he sees this cyclist every morning. Is he saying that he drives that same route every morning yet he still doesn’t understand the road layouts? That’s concerning. And even having had the hindsight of this incident and research the local road layouts….he *still* agreed for this video to be published! Is he that thick?
2) Despite his dangerous manoeuvre, he does his window down to shout at the cyclist – whilst driving a van.
3) He pulls in front of the cyclist with his van in order to stop him.
4) The media picks up on the scratched paint and runs with the destructive cyclist headline. He shouldn’t have done it but the bigger crime is driving a 2 ton van with no awareness of road layouts, no awareness of right of way, and driving without due care and attention.
The cyclist’s behaviour is wrong but I can’t help feel it’s a sympton of how cyclists are treated.
no suprise that the video
no suprise that the video fails to show how the guys bike ended up virtually under the front of the van.
cyclists dont just go attacking people for the hell of it, we know its wrong but sometime when you fear for your life, you get frustrated with people who just doint give a shit
I notice we see none of the
I notice we see none of the video of the run-up to this incident and what might have provoked the response…
Ah, more video at the link. I
Ah, more video at the link. I like the bit where the driver keeps saying, “It’s on camera,” as if he thinks that will support his claim that he didn’t drive alongside him shouting at him or cut the cyclist up and force him to stop.
rkemb wrote:
Which link? I can’t find anything with the full video?
LastBoyScout wrote:
The London Evening Standard link below the clip above:
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/moment-cyclist-smashes-56000-mercedes-with-his-bike-in-road-rage-fury-a3970106.html
Starts with the extract here but then shows the 60s or so leading up to it.
rkemb wrote:
Just watched that version. Gosh – that escalated quickly, didn’t it?!
(So, I think that the Merc driver pulled over in front of, or on top of, the cyclist, for no apparent reason and then decided to try and deny everything. Lots of “It’s on camera!” even though the car’s camera showed absolutely zip – since it was pointing forward and all the juicy stuff was off at the side (I think). Merc driver was in the wrong lane at the junction/lights, but without actually seeing what was going on ‘off camera’ I can’t really decide on whether or not ‘throwing a bike at the car’ was or was not an overreaction…
)
rkemb wrote:
Certainly makes more sense from the full length video. Cannot condone the behaviour of the cyclist involved but in my opinion the van driver spent £1500 on a lesson about picking on another road user equally as aggressive as himself.
rkemb wrote:
Certainly makes more sense from the full length video. Cannot condone the behaviour of the cyclist involved but in my opinion the van driver spent £1500 on a lesson about picking on another road user equally as aggressive as himself.
Terrible driving by van
Terrible driving by van driver, bad reaction from cyclist. Who’d want to commute in London every day and start your day stressed up to the eyeballs!
tigersnapper wrote:
It’s more stressful driving than cycling, in my experience. Hence so many drivers trying to get you.
tigersnapper wrote:
Seriously, I cycle over 20miles a day in London, but I’ve never got close to getting this stressed! Ok, so the driver was a dick and in the wrong lane, but part of the joy of cycling in a city is you can just continue on you way, leaving idiots like this stuck in traffic (that’s why they get wound up).
a1white wrote:
Likewise. I ride all over town and have very little difficulty with drivers. I tend to choose quieter routes (another advantage of cycling is that these are often quicker anyway) but it’s generally not a stressful experience. And I see few of the sort of episodes in the video.
Indeed it’s probably better than many smaller places where the roads are narrower, motor traffic perhaps faster, and drivers don’t expect / aren’t used to / apparently have difficulty seeing cyclists.
Plus as a1white says, you’re generally faster than they are!
Duncann wrote:
It’s six of one and half a dozen of the other, as the saying goes. Take the main ‘A’ ‘roads into London and you’ll get the Audi, BMW and Mercedes drivers passing you four inches from your right elbow, at speeds up to 85 mph. Take the quieter roads, and it’s a foregone conclusion that there is no CCTV and less chance of witnesses, so you’re going to get bullied and threatened.
Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:
That’s really not what I meant / my experience.
a1white wrote:
That’s a bit like saying that people shooting at you shouldn’t bother you all that much, as long as they keep missing you.
“He alleged that the cyclist
“He alleged that the cyclist deliberately collided with his vehicle and when he confronted him, pulling up alongside him near a curb, the cyclist abused him and assaulted him.”
There are numerous problems with that statement. How likely is it that a cyclist would deliberately collide with a van… and then get upset with the driver about it?
Drive dangerously around a cyclist and attempt to hurt them, then cry assualt when the tables are turned, pathetic, he wasn’t so big when he got out of his “£56,000” taxivan thing. I love the way the bystander reacts to the random offer of a handshake, says it all about the driver.
This really is a case of the driver getting what he deserved, hopefully he’ll learn from it and drive better in future, one can only hope.
Curious that its only the
Curious that its only the edited/shortened clip which supports the “psycho cyclist” narrative which went viral and nothing showing why the cyclist might be so angry…
brooksby wrote:
We all know that people will only put out what suits their own personal agenda, changes will be made in that one day this video will be sufficient while the next they’ll be demanding all sorts of supporting evidence. It’s the way of the world. Facts, truth and consistency have nothing to do with anything.
don simon wrote:
hawkinspeter wrote:
Or, I suppose
I don’t think the Deliveroo
I don’t think the Deliveroo drivers/riders will be too bothered about the driving ban in Cheltenham if the ones around here are anything to go by.
One way street? Not if it’s quicker for me…
Cycle path? Isn’t my motorbike a sort of cycle, it’s a bike, isn’t it?
Amber light? Foot down.
ASL? Opportunity to gain a couple of meters having fucked up while trying to beat the amber light.
Pedestrian crossing? I’ve got someones lunch/diner here you selfish bastard!
No left turn? Only applies to you.
Across the pavement? Naturally.
Hey, I’ve got to earn a living, so I’m fully justified in risking your life.
Smashes?
Smashes?
Mercvan taxi man has been on
Mercvan taxi man has been on the radio calling for number plates for bicycles whilst explaining why as a professional driver he was not going to wait in a queue of traffic when he could cut up the inside in the wrong lane, and that was perfectly safe!
Hope the police take into consideration his tailgating of the cyclist, use of the horn, distracted driving, possible forcing of cyclist off the road and parking on a yellow line.
The Mercvan man claims to be
The Mercvan man claims to be a professional driver, a chauffer no less, and that he was assaulted. If that standard of driving is acceptable from a professional driver, there is something wrong with the qualification system for being a professional, and I didn’t see any actual assault on him, unless pointing your finger in someone’s face is an assault. Mind you, I reckon driving your car at a cyclist qualifies as assault.
I hope his employers made him pay for the damage his appalling driving and infantile attitude caused.
burtthebike wrote:
Assault is the threat to apply force, so technically waving your finger in someone’s face could well be assault, particularly if you were shouting threatening things. The driver batted the guys hand anyway, so he clearly felt threatened…
Mind you, driving aggressively at someone could equally qualify under the strict definition. Good luck with getting anyone to take that case, though.
[/quote]Assault is the threat to apply force….
[/quote]
Common Assault – s39 Criminal Justice Act 1988: reads as follows: An offence of Common Assault is committed when a person either assaults another person or commits a battery. An assault is committed when a person intentionally or recklessly causes another to apprehend the immediate infliction of unlawful force.
No mention of threat. Probably an action more likely to contrave s5 of the Public Order Act versus what seems to be a case of Dangerous Driving.
That cycle lane in Trafford
That cycle lane in Trafford is utterly ridiculous, and if I lived there I would be demanding to see the documents about its design and the safety audit. It isn’t just an accident waiting to happen, an accident is guaranteed, if you can call something with such complete lack of attention to safety an accident. Either the parking lane needs to be the width of a car door farther out, or the bollards need to be a continuous fence, preventing passengers opening their door into the cycle lane.
If any cyclist is injured in a collision because a car door was opened into their path, it would appear inevitable that the council which designed and constructed this utterly abysmal death trap would be sued. Perhaps then they’ll design it right, but why is it even possible that such a clear and obvious danger could be conceived, designed and constructed without someone noticing that they had screwed it up so comprehensively that a one-eyed ameoba with astigmatism could see it?
I’m paraphrasing. If the
I’m paraphrasing. If the victim apprehends the infliction of force, then that means the perpetrator is threatening to apply it.
Bedides, the legal definition is arguably even looser than my shorthand.
As a Cheltenham resident, the
As a Cheltenham resident, the changes are good, yes there has been some displacement. But the town centre is a far nicer place. Obviously drivers are going to moan, and if you go on facebook there are plenty. However Cheltenham is a fairly small town and fairly flat. Infact a pretty ideal place, in theory, for cycling and walking about. The town does have a pollution issue, so car use needs to be reduced, and no matter how many carrots you offer the only way to reduce car use is a stick.
If you keep on pandering to drivers then you are never going to get people out of cars. The reports from the council, which match my observations, are town centre footfall up, cycling up and bus usage up.
There is no such time as 12pm
There is no such time as 12pm (or 12am for that matter).