Cyclist facing manslaughter charge

Beecho wrote:

FWIW… I get why he shouted at her straight after. I commute in London and have been taken out by pedestrians stepping out in front of me 5 times, always coming off far worse. The adrenaline surges through you. Last fella ran off after I shouted at him and not a soul checked if I was alright. OK, I was livid, but bleeding and could have easily been seriously (SERIOUSLY) injured by a vehicle, but got lucky. 

I’m surprised more pedestrians mindlessly wandering into the road aren’t run over by electric cars and definitely that more cyclists aren’t hurt by them. In only two, nice and clear sections of my 10 mile commute do I ride at anything approaching 15mph and do despair at risks many a fellow rider takes, but they’re not braking the law. It’s such bullshit about the occasional 75kg, 2 foot wide, cyclist “whizzing” about at 15mph being a menace when one tonne metal monsters breaking the speed limit, especially when accelerating through changing red lights*, dominate the roads and make them dangerous.

This is a horrible, unfortunate incident, but it should not be in court. If the cyclist loses, I worry we’ll become like NSW.

*this is acceptable apparently.

Yeah, I can sympathise with shouting at pedestrians. The ones crossing roads without checking for traffic annoy me so I try to time a sharp, loud “Oi” so that it makes them jump and almost drop their phone whilst going past them.

I feel sorry for this poor bloke who’s going to be fed to the wolves (probably not literally) for his poor choices. I reckon he’ll have the book thrown at him (again not literally) to show that even lawless cyclists have to keep to the rules. I think he made 2 mistakes – removing his front brake (which would have been a fashion statement) and not managing to miss the pedestrian.

Ultimately, pedestrians always have priority even when they’re clearly in the wrong place at the wrong time and this is why road-going contraptions have to be able to stop quickly. If you’re going to remove a brake, then you have to take extra care to not be out of control. This cyclist was unlucky to be caught out going too quickly, but not nearly as unlucky as the poor pedestrian.

I’m sorry, but he should be in court for this and should be found guilty. Just because there’s lots of examples of motons getting off with bad driving does not excuse the fact that this cyclist’s poor choices led to the death of an innocent person.

FWIW… I get why he shouted

FWIW… I get why he shouted at her straight after. I commute in London and have been taken out by pedestrians stepping out in front of me 5 times, always coming off far worse. The adrenaline surges through you. Last fella ran off after I shouted at him and not a soul checked if I was alright. OK, I was livid, but bleeding and could have easily been seriously (SERIOUSLY) injured by a vehicle, but got lucky. 

I’m surprised more pedestrians mindlessly wandering into the road aren’t run over by electric cars and definitely that more cyclists aren’t hurt by them. In only two, nice and clear sections of my 10 mile commute do I ride at anything approaching 15mph and do despair at risks many a fellow rider takes, but they’re not braking the law. It’s such bullshit about the occasional 75kg, 2 foot wide, cyclist “whizzing” about at 15mph being a menace when one tonne metal monsters breaking the speed limit, especially when accelerating through changing red lights*, dominate the roads and make them dangerous.

This is a horrible, unfortunate incident, but it should not be in court. If the cyclist loses, I worry we’ll become like NSW.

*this is acceptable apparently.

Worth a read: ‘“Lycra Louts”

Worth a read: ‘“Lycra Louts” and “Hogger Joggers”: A Daily Mail & Trinity Mirror Anti-Cycling Hate Campaign
Perverting the Course of Justice Ahead of Charlie Alliston’s Unprecedented Prosecution for Manslaughter’

https://medium.com/@lastwheel/lycra-louts-and-hogger-joggers-a-daily-mail-trinity-mirror-anti-cycling-hate-campaign-55d1d5b048d7

Kadenz wrote:

KevM wrote:

We read almost daily on here about another cyclist being killed by poor driving and drivers not being punished. One cyclist kills one pedestrian and the whole world looses their shit.

 

Let’s wait for the jury’s verdict, but the fact that too many drivers get away with it does not mean that a cyclist should too.

 If he’s convicted of killing the pedestrian, he’ll only have himself to blame and deserves no sympathy.

But of course drivers who kill cyclists (or pedestrians) should also be prosecuted too.

Of course you’re right,  but when drivers kill people out legal system appears to  make up trivial charges, find reasons to acquit even of these, and generally behaves as though deaths caused by drivers are just a minor consequence of our addiction.

KevM wrote:

KevM wrote:

We read almost daily on here about another cyclist being killed by poor driving and drivers not being punished. One cyclist kills one pedestrian and the whole world looses their shit.

Let’s wait for the jury’s verdict, but the fact that too many drivers get away with it does not mean that a cyclist should too.

 If he’s convicted of killing the pedestrian, he’ll only have himself to blame and deserves no sympathy.

But of course drivers who kill cyclists (or pedestrians) should also be prosecuted too.

It may be bonkers that

It may be bonkers that pedestrians prefer zombying at their phones and wander into one’s path without looking, but it’s predictable, so it makes sense to ride at an appropriate slow speed in precincts, near schools, stations, bus stops etc. taking primary if possible. I don’t want someone’s death on my conscience, whoever’s at fault …

I scream (female here) if we’re likely to collide – works wonders!

hawkinspeter wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

alansmurphy wrote:

As an experienced rider, would you say from noticing something to reacting and stopping, that you stop in 3 metres? And surely it should have been compared to the original bike with the original brakes?

I reckon that’s reasonable. With disc brakes, if I’m paying attention, I reckon I can stop from 18mph in about 2 metres though I’d probably be lifting my rear wheel a bit.

You’re a better man than me. I mean I was doing 40 as the last accident began and the brakes were the wrong way round (stupid French piece of shit) but I was a good 30m from the barrier and seemed to knock little speed off.

alansmurphy wrote:

alansmurphy wrote:

As an experienced rider, would you say from noticing something to reacting and stopping, that you stop in 3 metres? And surely it should have been compared to the original bike with the original brakes?

I reckon that’s reasonable. With disc brakes, if I’m paying attention, I reckon I can stop from 18mph in about 2 metres though I’d probably be lifting my rear wheel a bit.