Dramatic footage shows Tesco delivery driver knocking cyclist off bike on London cycleway (+ video)

Xena wrote:

Not had a crash ever on my road bikes

Probably because you were never moving, since you couldn't go anywhere while there was a vehicle in your vicinity.

Just stopped by to compliment you on how great you are - that's the point you wanted to get across, right?

But Xena, you weren't riding or using your imaginary spider sense on your Yeah baby road bike. I'm not surprised you're on a baby bike, you can't go faster than walking pace otherwise how do you get to cycle quicker than that anywhere when riding in London (as crash was)? There are vehicles along side continuously on busy roads.

Blaming victims for drivers as you put it fucking up won't protect you from drivers fucking up - not matter how much you think you can control a situation you can be on the recieving end of someone elses mistake.

I dare say you already have, so try to remember what that is like before you, gratify yourself again by reassuring yourself this couldn't possibly happen to you and bragging about your (non existent?) set of wheels.

Xena wrote:

Ok , driver fucked up , but if I was riding , I would have slowed down as soon as that van came alongside . Ride defensively, ride smart . Maybe it's my experience when I used to be a cycle courier, but  that was written in the stars . You have to be aware . You cannot assume anything . Just make sure there is a space in front of you to stop and you should be fine . Not had a crash ever on my road bikes ( sub 4 kilos yeah baby )  .  Rode all over Europe etc .Been close on more than one occasion but my spider sense seems to help me .  You start to understand the flow of traffic ,the sound of traffic etc with awareness , Just because you have the right of way  or your in the right doesn't mean your going to get it. Rely on yourself not others. 

Bully for you.  Nominate yourself for the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.  

I thought the name rang a bell - the following is Xena from a few days ago - the brake-check video.  What was that old saying - "I have strong principles, but if you don't agree with them, I do have others" - 

"Police don't give a shit , they are just another bunch of revenue seekers for the government. Don't forget they turn up after the crime has been committed, but woe if you have a rear brake light out or drive 1 mph over the speed limit , then your treated like you have murdered someone . I mean most people who join the police do it for the power trip. I respect people not a uniform . Most encounters I've had with the "fuzz " they have been arseholes on a power trip and I told them so. 
That driver could have killed that cyclist. But no money in prosecuting him . That's the truth.  I'd love to know what  would have happened to that driver if the cyclist was a copper ....... just had a thought ,i wonder if the driver has a couple of mates in the right places, wouldn't surprise me .   If that was another car instead of a  bike ? "

Wow youre a star (Sarcasm!!). Look closely and the vans indicator flashes just twice before it started turning, no chance of the rider reacting to a one second split. He knew he was along side cyclists. If you had the react to every vehcile by slowing when they are along side you you'd never get anywhere!!

Then he denies it despite video evidence. I'd like to think Tesco stopped him driving in future he's a complete danger to anyone else on the road. What a shister!

I've also nearly been wiped out by a left-hooking Tesco delivery van.

Tried sending the video to Tesco and the police. Police not interested, as no contact. Tesco came up with an increasing list of excuses as to why they couldn't view the video and then just stopped responding at all.

I still have the video.

This particular van has on board video recording, the notice is just below the insulting and nonsense blind spot thing.

I saw a Tesco's van take to the pavement to gain a few seconds in queing traffic (Brookwood, I never understood how drivers did it every day), if he had not been so apologetic I would have reported him.

You mean the passenger"s face.

The driver is in reality not denying being the driver here, the offence is under S.172 RTA 1988. The registered keeper of the vehicle (assume Tesco) would be formally requested to ""give information as to drivers identity" Failure to do so within 28 days is an offence - the penalty is a fine and minimum 6 points. No endorsement for limited companies. On the civil liability side clearly Tesco did the right thing and accepted their driver was at fault - hard to argue with !

Who got the fine and points then ?

Anyone can be required to identify a driver if it is "in their power to do so". Section. 172(2)(b).  
That includes the 'passenger' in this crash if it was two people who got out.

The only blind spot is in his memory of the cyclist he over took 5 seconds before. Flick and go, that is all that is required, right?

I do hope so.

I'm not sure what you think the rider should have done. He did not have the same point of view as we do in the video. He'd have seen the truck pull alongside him, still travelling apparently too quickly to make a 90 degree turn. From the moment the driver braked and switched on his indicator to the moment of impact was a whole two seconds.

There's not much point writing "I'm not saying that it's his fault" when you have just written that the rider should have been more aware.

gsk82 wrote:

Am i the only one who thinks that as the one who's the most vulnerable, the cyclist should be more aware of what's going on here? Since this is the internet and everything on the internet is black or white, i now have to point out that I'm not saying that it's his fault.

I don't know if they "should"... It's hard to judge from a video, but it seems that the driver turned off so suddenly and without warning that it would be hard to react even if you observe the van carefully.

However I see your poin; from own experience if a van half passes me but then slows down and doesn't quite overtake, I would certainly expect that trhe driver is rubbish and might suddenly turn or pull into the bike lane, so I'd slow down and try not to cycle next to them.

But then all cycling videos from London look like extremely aggressive, competitive cycling that we don't really have up here.

Do you think that the less vulnerable should be less aware??

gsk82 wrote:

Am i the only one who thinks that as the one who's the most vulnerable, the cyclist should be more aware of what's going on here? Since this is the internet and everything on the internet is black or white, i now have to point out that I'm not saying that it's his fault.

That's like saying "attractive ladies/gentlemen should be more aware of rapists".

Really? This isn't like a 'Third Person' view on a video game. You are looking at the situation from a camera a couple of meters back giving you an unrealistic view of what the cyclist who was hit would see. So no, he could not have been more aware of the impending hit at all.

I assume you are trolling because your point is absolutely ludicrous.

The cyclist becomes accutely aware pretty much as soon as humanly possible but there was absolutely nothing he could have done to avoid the collision.

Perhaps you could enlighten us as to what you would have done differently?

I have rewatched the video several times, and at best the driver brakes and indicates at the point where the back of his van has only just passed the front wheel of the cyclist.  And about 2 seconds later is the point of impact.

And given the cyclists speed - around 20mph by my guess, even with the best reactions in the world, had he applied full braking force he would have still have hit the side of the van.

And should a cyclist slow down and expect every vehicle that starts to pass them is blindly going to cut across their path, perhaps doff their cycling cap to the superior drivers as they acknowledge their presence? 

Your point is akin to someone driving in the inside lane on a motorway on the approach to an exit sliproad expecting that some bell end is going to attempt the suicide entry to the slip road from lane 3.

gsk82 wrote:

Am i the only one who thinks that as the one who's the most vulnerable, the cyclist should be more aware of what's going on here? ...

yes.

(as in: yes, you are the only one)

Shades wrote:

Traffic will need to turn left so who has right of way?

Right of way is the wrong term here. Right of way is a legal term regarding who can use a path, route, road etc... So in theory they both had equal right of way. Right of way doesn't dictate who is more important or who has to give way.

What you mean is priorty. In this case the turning vehicle should give way to the cyclsits in the cycle lane. If you indicate and wait, people will either move around you or stop to let you go.