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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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Latest Comments
wtjs 12 hours ago
@FionaJJ These officers deployed next-level stupidity, and it must be difficult for the police to find people this dim. It doesn't even need rolling-roads or whatever, just a reputable bike computer on a quickly changed mount for the difficult cases where a proper EAPC has been modded, although you would need to look hard in Lancashire to find a police officer who knows how to make a pedal cycle go. Most illegal electric motorbikes are immediately obvious, not least because the crim is wearing a face mask. I saw an obvious one tonight coming out of Garstang Sainsbury's, not pedalling but without a face mask because everybody knows that the police only come into the town to hide away in the police station 200 yards away.
bikeman01 13 hours ago
Gustav Gullholm.. that's not a good look mate
mdavidford 15 hours ago
@Chris RideFar I think what you meant to say was "REMOVE this and put it on PODCAST CC".
jaymack 17 hours ago
As Mary Whitehouse never said - one doesn't have to read the article if one doesn't want to read about an off-road bicycle.
Rendel Harris 17 hours ago
@FionaJJ In London they're allowed to stop on single and double yellows to deliver packages or empty pillar boxes; in practice they take this as carte blanche to park wherever and whenever they want, such as this chap on the Brixton Road who pulled into the bus/cycle/motorcycle lane without indicating, as I approached at 20mph, to park on a red route, response to a remonstrance, "I suppose you never get post delivered do ya?"
FionaJJ 18 hours ago
@Rendel Harris We have a pavement parking ban, but around here at least, royal mail vans are already exempt, subject to certain caveats, such as allowing at least 1.5m, and only being stopped to do their work.
FionaJJ 18 hours ago
It was already embarrassing for the police that they made such a mess of their attempt to determine whether a bike was legal or not, but I had assumed it was a group of well intentioned, but under-trained officers acting on their own initiative, having spotted something they thought looked not quite right. I'm now discovering this was a planned activity, something sufficiently organised to have been given a name - Operation FRISLEN, designed specifically to identify and remove illegal e-bikes and scooters. It's apparent that the officers were sent out without adequate training, never mind the kind of equipment that should be used for this sort of work. I'm not saying they always need specialist equipment to spot all illegal bikes, but at least if they'd been given a demonstration with that equipment, they'd have realised why their approach was not going to end well.
Geoff Ingram 20 hours ago
Have put drop bars on a 2001 B1 mtb, a 2007 stumpy hardtail and a 2010 stumpy full suss. In all cases fairly basic conversións leaving gearing and wheels broadly the same and concentrating on correct positioning of bars and fit. Oddly, with all 3 I was happy with the result when recently done, but after a few months found that the extra speed on easy trails was more than offset by the lack of ability (probably mine) on tougher routes and finally preferred flat bar with slammed and inverted stem as best overall compromise. Good fun playing around, though.
mark1a 20 hours ago
The photos in this review look they are for a different bag?
mattw 21 hours ago
This is a strange reactionary knee jerk overall. But what is this "are essentially motorbikes in disguise" waffle? "One letter claimed that high-powered electric ‘e-bikes’ were “essentially motorbikes” in disguise, with many being used without lights, helmets, or any hi-vis clothing." Surely, they simply ARE motorbikes?
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).