We’ve watched this video any number of times now. Even though we know that the cyclist escapes unscathed, we still can’t quite work out how.
If you’ve ever watched a tree being felled by an expert, you’ll know that it can be a mesmerising sight. This particular tree was brought down… inexpertly.
The cyclist quite literally ducks under this. That’s how close it is. You can’t imagine the helmet would have done a great deal had they failed to do so.
“Clearly the cyclist is at fault,” wrote Ben Heath on Facebook. “You’re supposed to give way to falling trees for god sake! And why didn’t he ring his bell?”
Jim Barker commented: “Words fail me. My industry is filling with muppets, my insurance premium rises every year because of crap like this.”
Gareth Jones countered: “All health & Safety procedures were adhered to. Did you not hear the bloke call ‘heads’?”
32 thoughts on “Video: Cyclist’s unbelievably close shave as arborists lose control of falling tree”
Hope this has been reported
Hope this has been reported to the HSE for prosecution.
hirsute wrote:
Presumably a Council owned verge side tree. They will have kittens over this if they saw it.
hirsute wrote:
It will cost that business a lot of cash just to pay for the HSE’s investigation costs alone. They deserve everything they get for that. Incompetent twats.
I’m reliably told that the
I’m reliably told that the log weighs upwards of two tonnes so yes, a helmet wouldn’t have been much good. If those guys get found out they are in serious sh**.
They’re not arborists, they
They’re not arborists, they’re either amateurs or pikeys. An arborist would never do something so cretinous.
StraelGuy wrote:
I am sure you are aware StraelGuy, that using the term “pikey” is perjoritive.
Suggesting that anyone committing such a “cretinous” act must be a “pikey” is suggesting that “pikeys” are cretins.
You might want to reconsider your words to avoid looking like a small minded bigot.
nickdt wrote:
Virtue score for the day 100. That’s him told. Sleep easy mighty warrior.
These people aren’t famed for their great working standards are they now.
Nobody cares apart from you.
Yorkshire wallet wrote:
And what makes you so sure nobody else cares?
psychle wrote:
Thanks for the virtue score. My self satisfaction has reached a new level and I am close to Sainthood and will sleep the sleep of the mightiest warrior.
However, which people aren’t famed for their working standards? You fail to make it clear whether you are referring to arborists, amateurs or “pikeys”.
Please feel free to show your workings and provide empirical evidence of your statement. Purely to avoid looking like a small minded bigot
I would like to refer to psychle as my evidence that I may not be the only person who cares .
psychle wrote:
+1 for me
Must be cause the cyclist
Must be cause the cyclist forgot to wear hi viz! 😉
That was unbelievably close – couldn’t have been any closer really.
That idiot deserves to go to
That idiot deserves to go to jail for that.
Thank you Yorkshire wallet.
Thank you Yorkshire wallet. To be honest nickdt, I’m old enough not to care that some people are offended by my use of the term ‘pikey’.
StraelGuy wrote:
I am not sure that age and not caring is actually defence for being a bigot. But hey. What do I know? I am clearly not as old or insensitive as you are.
nickdt wrote:
You say yourself it’s a pejorative term, so surely it depends how it’s intended. I could see how it’d be offensive if it was applied to all, say, Irish travellers. But I don’t take it to be so broad, just as I don’t take ‘chav’ to apply to all British, white, working class people.
No, I see ‘pikey’ as summarising a specific brand of traveller, nationality irrelevant, those who might be less than meticulous in their trade, but still take payment from little old ladies, then leave her with half a drive, nick the neighbours’ gates and railings and washing from their lines, and leave the local fields covered (literally) in shit.
If you’ve never come across such tax-dodging parasites, lucky for you – but acknowledging they exist isn’t bigoted, and invoking that image of shoddy workmanship worked for me. Are you offended on behalf of the antisocial bandits I just described?
Or are you just going out of your way to be offended, regardless (that you deliberately misconstrued StraelGuy’s words in your first response makes it seem so. He didn’t say only a pikey would do something so cretinous – have another, slower, read)?
davel wrote:
Wow, where do I start…
Referring to ‘tax-dodging parasites’ is first of all speciesism and offensive to the community of those who choose to be economically-dependent for ideological reasons.
‘Shoddy workmanship’ is a sexist term as womyn and non-binary workers are also capable of sub-optimal output.
As for ‘antisocial bandits’, I’ll get back to you when that non-Community (they tend not to speak to one another for reasons beyond me) is ready to issue a statement.
Anthony7 wrote:
I don’t feel you’re representing the views of all Anthony7s and I need to take some time to determine whether I’m offended. If I could just register ‘I might be’ for now, and get back to you when I’ve read more…
Oxford dictionary:
Oxford dictionary:
pikey
NOUN
British
informal, offensive
A Gypsy or Traveller.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from an old sense of pike, ‘a road on which a toll is collected’.
Therefore, you could change the original post to They’re not arborists, they’re amatuers or Gypsies/Travellers.
No different than calling a group of people Gammons, Motons, Yuppies, Chavs, Cougars, MILFs. Can we now all grow up and a bit?
Must be a first for using MILF on the road.cc forum! I hope I haven’t upset anyone.
Nope, I love MILFs!
Nope, I love MILFs!
StraelGuy wrote:
provided of course that they wear hi viz and pay the road tax
Was this madness in Sheffield
Was this madness in Sheffield? It should be expected there!
Romanremus wrote:
Why do you think that? Are there a lot of pikeys in Sheffield?
FrankH wrote:
Careful now
Personally I am shocked at
Personally I am shocked at the total depersonalisation of the event. The Tree, known locally as Trevor, when released from it’s moorings immediately attempted to attack a local cyclist. Only the cyclists exceptional skills prevented injury.
Organon wrote:
Rubbish … Trevor was clearly only trying to escape from the ropes placed around his branches by those evil fellers.
Really hope this was reported
Really hope this was reported. Even if the trunk had fallen just in front, it could caused a nasty fall. I wonder if an outfit such a these ‘tree surgeons’ would even have had insurance.
AG2R-La Mondiale shorts
AG2R-La Mondiale shorts please.
Also, why was the rider on the wrong side of the road?
Spangly Shiny wrote:
I wondered that at first but they have one lane coned off. There are three lanes, the closest is a bus lane which the cyclist could probably have used but maybe it was blocked a little farther along the road.
Doesn’t matter anyway, it was the cyclist’s fault. 😉
Spangly Shiny wrote:
He’s on the correct side. The oncoming lane is sort of closed in a half arsed attempt and is not RSWA compliant.
The trunk falls across both lanes anyway, so would have needed temporary traffic lights with both set to red at the critical event.
Dig deeper in the comments
Dig deeper in the comments and the number of hate crime responses reveals how much vitriol there is toward people on bikes, Toby Andrew “I came to witness the death of a cyclist… *dislike*”
StraelGuy wrote:
StraelGuy wrote:
Nope, I love MILFs!
Surely there’s a redundant word in there?
Our local council is trying
Our local council is trying to fell as many trees as possible on ‘safety grounds’ but mainly a combination of council and sub contractors colluding on false health reports and a twisted idea of savings on street cleaning. Two local drivers recently drove onto a local grass roundabout to stop some Chuckle Brothers with a chain saw from cutting down a perfectly healthy willow tree. Modern Toss.