Cyclist likely to be convicted of manslaughter..

Cyclist likely to be convicted of manslaughter..

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princealbert23

2,575 posts

161 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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rambo19 said:
But the woman was 10 metres away from a crossing, yet choose not to use it, steps into road whilst on/playing with phone.
Part of me hopes the cyclist gets a not guilty.

Sad outcome for all involved.

Sad for the woman- she is dead! Even worse is that the victim is being blamed as the perpetrator shares the same form of travel with you.

ecsrobin

17,123 posts

165 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
quotequote all
princealbert23 said:
rambo19 said:
But the woman was 10 metres away from a crossing, yet choose not to use it, steps into road whilst on/playing with phone.
Part of me hopes the cyclist gets a not guilty.

Sad outcome for all involved.

Sad for the woman- she is dead! Even worse is that the victim is being blamed as the perpetrator shares the same form of travel with you.
From the reports in the papers you can’t say she didn’t have a part to play in the collision.

Digga

40,325 posts

283 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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ecsrobin said:
princealbert23 said:
rambo19 said:
But the woman was 10 metres away from a crossing, yet choose not to use it, steps into road whilst on/playing with phone.
Part of me hopes the cyclist gets a not guilty.

Sad outcome for all involved.

Sad for the woman- she is dead! Even worse is that the victim is being blamed as the perpetrator shares the same form of travel with you.
From the reports in the papers you can’t say she didn’t have a part to play in the collision.
Spending time in urban Munich, when I do, always reminds me how well things can work; no jaywalking, pedestrian crossings well-provided for, cyclists can use outside edge of pavements on busier roads, and cars whilst traveling pretty quickly, are generally ready to stop for crossings and lights.

The UK urban roads, by contrast, have degenerated into a squalid, disorganised and dangerous mess. The blame lies in many places, but it's sad to see.

There seems to be more idea of personal responsiblity and of the need to co-operate. Definitely that pedestrians have no place in the road other than on a crossing.

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

219 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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dandarez said:
Not read much about this but I did hear a witness testify that the cyclist had shouted to her to get out of the way. He didn't mention the f word.

Asides, the bit about no brakes on the front wheel. I don't know how they've changed recently but the principle must be the same.
Many years back I used to ride fixed wheels. Never had any front brakes for good reason. If you did have them fitted you avoided using them. If you did, and used them in anger, only one thing happened - you flew literally over the f........ front handlebars!

To stop was simple, but not easy. You applied braking force using both legs and bodyweight which resisted the rotation of the pedal crank, usually getting up off the saddle and standing up straight. We used to like fixed wheels (or fixies as they call them now) as kids simply because you could pedal and ride backwards!

One other point being missed here is the bloody mobile phone!
Only last month I nearly had 'another' dick on the front of my car bonnet - she simply stepped straight out into out into the road, eyes glued to her iPhone. Then she gives me a look to kill after I'd blown my horn.

Regardless of whether the idiot on the bike is at fault, perhaps too the story in question might be a lot different had she not been looking at her phone?

The numbers of dicks who walk around today, daily, eyes down glued to their phones is incredible.

Perhaps they think they are f invincible and the road safety onus is on everyone else?
I have to agree with this. Pedestrians have responsibilities under the highway code - just like motorists and cyclists.

Whilst the cyclist was clearly in the wrong in both the condition of the bike he was riding and his attitude after the incident - can we honestly say the pedestrian had no part to play in this.

I worked in central London for a while - and the number of pedestrians who walked along, eyes glued to their smartphone screen and headphones in blaring music was shocking. I saw 'near misses' on an almost daily basis when people just stepped into the road, or crossing side roads without even glancing up.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

54 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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On a more sensible bike at a more sensible speed, WITH BRAKES, he had a much better chance of avoiding her.

I can't believe people are excusing him and blaming the victim.

What would be the outcome if a car driver with no front brakes hit a pedestrian? Both are vehicles that require a braking system in order to be used on the road.

Given the posts above, it would suggest that experienced cyclists are aware of pedesteron lemmings and experience them regularly. How many of them have killed someone? None, because they have brakes and don't KOM it everywhere.

vonuber

17,868 posts

165 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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Guy on a fixie overtook me at a red light this morning (I.e. was jumping it at speed) just as it changed and I pulled away (on motorbike, so fairly instantly).
Luckily i had checked my mirrors and slammed the brakes on or he would have been punted halfway across the road.
Not a flicker of recognition how luckily he had been either afterwards.

ecsrobin

17,123 posts

165 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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OpulentBob said:
On a more sensible bike at a more sensible speed, WITH BRAKES, he had a much better chance of avoiding her.

I can't believe people are excusing him and blaming the victim.

What would be the outcome if a car driver with no front brakes hit a pedestrian? Both are vehicles that require a braking system in order to be used on the road.

Given the posts above, it would suggest that experienced cyclists are aware of pedesteron lemmings and experience them regularly. How many of them have killed someone? None, because they have brakes and don't KOM it everywhere.
I dont see anyone excusing his moronic actions. And we are not pointing blame at the pedestrian. What we are saying as that she had a part to play in the incident.

I also would like to point out how many pedestrians are killed by bikes a year? How many of them by fixie’s? I bet the stats are very low.

Anyway back to the point about all road users being a bit chaotic in the UK. Agreed. Having lived in Holland it is a lot more disciplined. Living in a city I notice that it is the brits that seem to have no respect for the road, whereas the foreign contingent will all cross at crossings and are very disciplined. I often see people stop at empty roads to wait to cross with the green man.

I don’t know the solution but we must be able to learn something from our foreign cities on how to make the road network work for all users.

Byker28i

59,907 posts

217 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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3.8 secs from when she stepped out to the impact, brakes hard on would have lessened the impact significantly, if not missed her

princealbert23

2,575 posts

161 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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With this Damascene conversion to shared responsibility can we now re-evaluate the actions of idiots going on the inside of vehicles signalling a left turn.

AnotherClarkey

3,596 posts

189 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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REALIST123 said:
Just why would being a fixed wheel bike cause a front brake to be so dangerous?

In any case many (most?) 'fixies' do have at least front brakes.
It is utter mince. The front brake on a fixed wheel bike is the same as on any other bike - the most effective means of stopping. I have been riding 'fixies' <ugh> for the last 20 years and my favorite has a nice front disk which has never sent me over the handlebars, mainly because I don't use the brake lever in a binary fashion. Even if the rider is proficient at skid stopping braking with the rear wheel will never be as effective as with the front.

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

219 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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OpulentBob said:
What would be the outcome if a car driver with no front brakes hit a pedestrian? Both are vehicles that require a braking system in order to be used on the road.
It could be argued that if a car/bike has to brake to avoid hitting a pedestrian who has stepped into the road - then surely the pedestrian shares some of the blame in the event of a collision.

deadslow

8,000 posts

223 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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Moonhawk said:
It could be argued that if a car/bike has to brake to avoid hitting a pedestrian who has stepped into the road - then surely the pedestrian shares some of the blame in the event of a collision.
If you perform a full-braking emergency stop but cannot avoid hitting the pedestrian, then its probably not your fault if they are injured. If you travel on the roads without effective brakes, then go to jail.

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

219 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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deadslow said:
If you perform a full-braking emergency stop but cannot avoid hitting the pedestrian, then its probably not your fault if they are injured. If you travel on the roads without effective brakes, then go to jail.
Of course - however my point was that, ideally pedestrians and moving vehicles should never meet.

Pretty much the only time they do is when either or both have made a mistake.

untakenname

4,969 posts

192 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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They say the speed he was travelling prior to impact was 14mph which doesn't seem that fast to me.

deadslow said:
If you travel on the roads without effective brakes, then go to jail.
I wonder if this could apply for certain cars that lack abs, have drums, narrow ditchfinders etc... I remember the first time I had a ride in a performance car it wasn't the acceleration that impressed me but the braking, literally could stop in half the distance.

frisbee

4,979 posts

110 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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princealbert23 said:
With this Damascene conversion to shared responsibility can we now re-evaluate the actions of idiots going on the inside of vehicles signalling a left turn.
What's wrong with doing that? I'll even turn right if he's turning left, even on a red light, all perfectly legal.

Lance Catamaran

24,983 posts

227 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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untakenname said:
They say the speed he was travelling prior to impact was 14mph which doesn't seem that fast to me.

deadslow said:
If you travel on the roads without effective brakes, then go to jail.
I wonder if this could apply for certain cars that lack abs, have drums, narrow ditchfinders etc... I remember the first time I had a ride in a performance car it wasn't the acceleration that impressed me but the braking, literally could stop in half the distance.
No, because it's perfectly legal to drive a car without ABS, assuming it didn't come with it from the factory. Same for brake drums, and even if the tyres are crap then as long as they aren't damaged or bald then they're legal

John145

2,447 posts

156 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
quotequote all
Lance Catamaran said:
untakenname said:
They say the speed he was travelling prior to impact was 14mph which doesn't seem that fast to me.

deadslow said:
If you travel on the roads without effective brakes, then go to jail.
I wonder if this could apply for certain cars that lack abs, have drums, narrow ditchfinders etc... I remember the first time I had a ride in a performance car it wasn't the acceleration that impressed me but the braking, literally could stop in half the distance.
No, because it's perfectly legal to drive a car without ABS, assuming it didn't come with it from the factory. Same for brake drums, and even if the tyres are crap then as long as they aren't damaged or bald then they're legal
Removing your front brakes because they're heavy and uncool however...

gazza285

9,814 posts

208 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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How come some classic cars do not have front wheel braking, yet are still legal to use on the roads?

Lance Catamaran

24,983 posts

227 months

Wednesday 16th August 2017
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gazza285 said:
How come some classic cars do not have front wheel braking, yet are still legal to use on the roads?
Because presumably when they were constructed it wasn't a legal requirement. But I can't imagine the accident rate for Benz Patent-Motorwagens is that high anyway.

Sa Calobra

37,141 posts

211 months

Thursday 17th August 2017
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rambo19 said:
Must admit, i'm 50/50 on this.

Cyclist is a knob for not having a front brake, and an even bigger knob for posting on the net what happened, but that seems to be the way of the world with people posting their lives on the net.

But the woman was 10 metres away from a crossing, yet choose not to use it, steps into road whilst on/playing with phone.
Part of me hopes the cyclist gets a not guilty.

Sad outcome for all involved.
How do you know she was playing on her phone and also he had enough time to shout yet couldn't bloody stop his bike due to insufficient brakes considering the speed he was going at. He caused her death. Let's not forget that and let's not go into generalisation about walking with phones folks