Hipster causes murder on a bike

[SueEllen]

Normal cyclists ensure they have working brakes -

linky

A “dangerous” cyclist knocked down and killed a pedestrian on a busy London street and then blamed his victim, saying people have “zero respect”, a court heard.

Charlie Alliston, then aged 18, was said to be going nearly 20mph when he mowed down Kim Briggs as she crossed Old Street, east London, on 12 February last year.

The 44-year-old mother of two was on her lunch break when the crash happened.

Alliston was riding a “fixie”, a fixed-gear track bicycle with no front brake, which is not legal on the road without modification.

He allegedly shouted at Briggs to “get out of the way” twice before their heads smashed together. Briggs suffered brain injuries including two skull fractures and died a week later.

[jds 1981]

Avoiding commenting on the case itself, my concern here is the general bias people have against cyclists and speed.
A car doing 20 would be considered dawdling, doing 30 would be expected and it would probably barely be mentioned up to about 35mph.

through a busy area of central London at nearly 20mph at lunchtime when hazards, such as pedestrians stepping out into the road, might well be expected to occur in front of him requiring him to react – was dangerous.

[NickFitz]

Avoiding commenting on the case itself, my concern here is the general bias people have against cyclists and speed.
A car doing 20 would be considered dawdling, doing 30 would be expected and it would probably barely be mentioned up to about 35mph.

Have you ever tried driving on Old Street around lunchtime on a working day? I'd be very surprised if a car managed to get up to 30mph along there.

When I used to cycle everywhere I cycled fast, but I wasn't so stupid as to do so without a working set of brakes on my bike.

[jds 1981]

Have you ever tried driving on Old Street around lunchtime on a working day? I'd be very surprised if a car managed to get up to 30mph along there.

When I used to cycle everywhere I cycled fast, but I wasn't so stupid as to do so without a working set of brakes on my bike.

Was on my route on mornings and evenings and traffic was very variable.
I'm personally one for a full set of working brakes, but am of the opinion that say 18mph on a fixie should be within the capabilities of a competent cyclist.

[northernladyuk]

Not actually murder.

[SueEllen]

Avoiding commenting on the case itself, my concern here is the general bias people have against cyclists and speed.
A car doing 20 would be considered dawdling, doing 30 would be expected and it would probably barely be mentioned up to about 35mph.

Not if you live in a 20mph zone.

Even if you don't the average speed of traffic in London is 7.8mph at rush hour so being on a bike is faster.

[jds 1981]

Not if you live in a 20mph zone.

Even if you don't the average speed of traffic in London is 7.8mph at rush hour so being on a bike is faster.

Old Street isn't a 20 zone.
Averages can cover a lot of sins, I would on average be faster than cars on my old commute down the A10 but they would tend to do over 30 between the lights.
On another route I used to do the cars would do over 20 in the 20 zones and serve around the speed cushions.

[DaveB]

He was riding brakeless on a fixie. Thats illegal. The law requires you to have two working breaks. On a fixie the ability to lock the rear wheel with the pedals counts as one, but you should have a front brake mounted as well.

The article doesn't give a clear explanation of what actually happened. Did she step out in front of him? Was she already in the road crossing legitimately? Was he riding recklessly?

The fact that he had time to yell at her to get out of the way twice seems to indicate that he should have had time to slow down or stop and may well have been able to if he'd had a brake fitted. Given his attitude I have very little sympathy for him.

[MarillionFan]

Avoiding commenting on the case itself, my concern here is the general bias people have against cyclists and speed.
A car doing 20 would be considered dawdling, doing 30 would be expected and it would probably barely be mentioned up to about 35mph.

20mph is not fast on either unless of course you don't have any brakes and you have time to shout 'Get out of the way' TWICE at which point it's a moot point

[Hobosapien]

This will happen more and more as more cars become more quiet with more leccy ones around. The silent killers they will become known as.

Hence why some manufacturers were/are looking at mimicking engine noises in them to warn pedestrians of their imminent arrival. At higher speeds the tyre noise acts as a warning if the engine/exhaust is too quiet.

So for cyclists if they don't have a bell and ride like a bell end expecting people some metres ahead to hear you and get out of the way so you don't have to take avoiding action, then expect to be treated with the contempt you deserve.

I wonder what would have happened if she'd seen him at the last moment and pushed him out of her way and almost under a bus. I'd class that as a fair response.