Video: Swedish cyclist in 10 minute right of way stand-off with truck

rnick wrote:

I was shocked when cycling in Sweden earlier this year - buses / lorries / cars all seemed to observe right of way rules, even if meant having to slow down or stop for a cyclist. After a lifetime of riding in the UK - it took some getting used to. On the flipside, cyclists were less aggressive and there seemed to be a lack of strava segment chasing on the lovely wide shared use paths which are common place. However, there's always a small minority who can spoil things for us...

I take it you weren't riding in or around Stockholm, then.

MarkiMark wrote:

For balance, good for a change to see a story where the cyclist was pretty much entirely in the wrong.

Unless he did theoretically have the right of way then he would be technically correct.

"Technically correct, the best type of correct" - Number 1.0

I'm not sure that I would have argued with a lorry, or any other vehicle to be honest. It is terribly frustrating when other road users fail to give way just because they are bigger than you and it happens frequently, lorries and vans pulling out on cars and bikes because they know that they are bigger and you back down because you will come off worse.

Amen

danthomascyclist wrote:

The right thing to do isn't always the same as being right.

The cyclist was right. But he was also a right cock.

Haha! Nail. Head.

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Local traffic policeman, Rolf Högberg, said: “It is possible that the lorry driver was in the wrong, but it is not the cyclist who is the prosecutor in the matter, it's the police. You don't just reverse an 80ft lorry. I suppose it was a matter of principle for the cyclist. Considering that he stopped traffic for quite some time, he may end up with a fine.”

Funny I thought Courts were where prosecutions took place. It must be a police state Sweden.

A little common sense needs to apply sometimes

link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8u4LS_MQgc

Lots of irdy birdy comments

Presumably the police still fill the function of prosecutor in Sweden, as they used to in UK before the CPS.

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Local traffic policeman, Rolf Högberg, said: “It is possible that the lorry driver was in the wrong, but it is not the cyclist who is the prosecutor in the matter, it's the police. You don't just reverse an 80ft lorry. I suppose it was a matter of principle for the cyclist. Considering that he stopped traffic for quite some time, he may end up with a fine.”

Funny I thought Courts were where prosecutions took place. It must be a police state Sweden.

A little common sense needs to apply sometimes

link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8u4LS_MQgc

Lots of irdy birdy comments

For minor offenses, such as speeding, policemen can issue fines on the spot. I suppose it's the same in the UK. In this case though, someone will probably have to drag his sorry a** to court first.

This video pisses me off. Cyclists have always been treated as second-class citizens in Sweden, and this video isn't doing anyone any favours. Yes, he had priority over the lorry, but he could have easily have moved his bike onto the kerb and still made his point clear, without obstructing the traffic.

The war between cyclists, pedestrians and cars/trucks are bad enough as it over here anyway.

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Local traffic policeman, Rolf Högberg, said: “...it is not the cyclist who is the prosecutor in the matter, it's the police.”

Funny I thought Courts were where prosecutions took place. It must be a police state Sweden.

Lost in translation. beivra isn't necessarily "prosecute". The original is more like: "but it's not the cyclist who should take action without the police" ("men det är inte cyklisten som ska beivra det utan polisen")

The original article is here: http://www.dn.se/nyheter/sverige/cyklist-vagrar-flytta-pa-sig-for-lastbi...

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Funny I thought Courts were where prosecutions took place. It must be a police state Sweden.

No even in the UK we used to have police courts albeit with a single magistrate in a police station dispensing quick justice and there is some thinking about bring them back because the full Magistrate system is groaning.

It exists now as a fixed penalty system. The cops catch you doing whatever and can just impose the penalty if you accept it. If you do it's over with. If you want to play in the big court then you can but unless you have a very good reason why you didn't take the slap on the wrist you'll get short shrift as a timewaster. A police fine as in Sweden would work like that. In Essence the Swedish cop is going to give the cyclist a ticket for blocking the road (an offence in the UK as well) he can pay it or dispute it but asking a very long lorry to back up rather than make a 10 second point and then move on comes under the common sense category.

Except the translation is wrong.
What the Policeman says is more something along the lines of:
"The lorry driver might have been in the wrong, but it isn't up to the cyclist to enforce the traffic code, it's up to the Police."

Don't trust Google Translate

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Local traffic policeman, Rolf Högberg, said: “It is possible that the lorry driver was in the wrong, but it is not the cyclist who is the prosecutor in the matter, it's the police. You don't just reverse an 80ft lorry. I suppose it was a matter of principle for the cyclist. Considering that he stopped traffic for quite some time, he may end up with a fine.”

Funny I thought Courts were where prosecutions took place. It must be a police state Sweden.

A little common sense needs to apply sometimes

link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8u4LS_MQgc

Lots of irdy birdy comments

I think you'll find that they are speaking Swedish, which is the official language of Sweden, not "Indy birdy", although they do have a tiny bit of a southern accent.

Next you'll be saying something about flat pack furniture, sigh.