Cyclist jailed for pavement death

[Moscow Mule]

snip

snip

Perhaps a little bit more consideration is required all round?

FWIW, I've never hit a cyclist whilst driving a car nor a pedestrian whilst riding a bike.
OTOH, I've been hit by a bus and had countless pedestrians step out in front of me whilst cycling.

[Bagpuss]

Have you ever tried walking on a pavement that has cyclists on it? They hardly ever give you room, they goo far to fast and far too close and quite often stop dead, and drop their machine in your way, because they want to go into a shop (Not so long ago I kicked a bike into the road that had done just that. Owner, a lycra-clad nerd with a funny hat, wasn't best pleased for some reason). One of them even rang his bell at me the other day to make sure I knew he was coming straight at me. Oddly enough, I didn't get out of his way but made him - oh horrors - get on the sodding road where he belonged.

Seriously, life sucks, Learn to live with it. You don't justify your bad behaviour by using other people's.

I wouldnt ride a bike on a busy pavement. On the other hand if there was an unused pavement beside a busy road I'd use that rather than get squashed or hit by a motorist using their car as a weapon. All pavements near busy roads should have a cycle lane split if possible.

I have been hit by cars while riding a bike (the over taking and cutting up, or pulling out of side roads into my path), but I've never hit a bike while driving, nor a pedestrian while cycling. A bit of road ettiquete goes a long way, it's gone the way of manners though.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Perhaps a little bit more consideration is required all round?

FWIW, I've never hit a cyclist whilst driving a car nor a pedestrian whilst riding a bike.
OTOH, I've been hit by a bus and had countless pedestrians step out in front of me whilst cycling.

Indeed - I came around a blind bend in my car this very evening to be confronted by an elderly couple in a car on my side of the road. The driver had decided that he couldn't wait a minute for somewhere more suitable than a blind bend with a junction on it to overtake the bike on his side of the road. Lucky for him I was going slowly enough unlike most of the other other crazy morons around here who floor it at all times and force the rest of us off the narrow roads. Can't blame the cyclist, although I wouldn't have been cycling on that road (I do cycle around here but I choose my routes carefully) for fun and it was one of those recumbent bikes which made it harder to spot.

The is no pavement so that wasn't an issue.

[Bagpuss]

Of course many motorists see a cyclist and overtake even if it is not safe to do so. More than often they dont cross the lines and risk injuring the poor sod

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Of course many motorists see a cyclist and overtake even if it is not safe to do so. More than often they dont cross the lines and risk injuring the poor sod

Indeed and at least the old boy was giving the bike plently of space, even if it meant driving round a blind bend on the wrong side of the road.

[Bagpuss]

What happened to waiting? I often note how much space motorists give cyclists when driving. Invaraibly the majority do not pass in a safe manner. The same with horses, which is even more dangerous.

[dang65]

Have you ever tried walking on a pavement that has cyclists on it? ... One of them even rang his bell at me the other day to make sure I knew he was coming straight at me. Oddly enough, I didn't get out of his way but made him - oh horrors - get on the sodding road where he belonged.

This is such a British view of cycling. Throughout the rest of Europe, bikes and pedestrians mix freely and without any conflict. It's completely normal for a cyclist to use a bell, and for a pedestrian to move out the way, no rush and no pressure... and no grief either.

The main difference being that most Europeans are all regular walkers and regular bike riders and regular car drivers. They know what it's like to do each thing and they compensate. In the UK you are either "a pedestrian", or "a cyclist", or "a motorist" and the different classes despise and fear each other.

Nutters riding at speed into pedestrians on pavements should be prosecuted, obviously, and this guy has been. But making out that the pedestrian population of the country lives in terror of marauding cyclists is Daily Mailism gone daft(er).

[dang65]

Of course many motorists see a cyclist and overtake even if it is not safe to do so...

...or even if it will mean they smack into the kerb of a traffic island in the middle of the road. Which some plonker did when overtaking me once. About a mile down the road I passed him at a petrol station changing his wheel.

[RichardCranium]

Throughout the rest of Europe, bikes and pedestrians mix freely and without any conflict. It's completely normal for a cyclist to use a bell, and for a pedestrian to move out the way, no rush and no pressure... and no grief either.

Amsterdam. Ting! Ting! = "Move NOW or be hit as I pass and have abuse shouted at you."

[Lockhouse]

I cycle 20 miles a day commuting on my bike in Central London so pretty much see it all and feel reasonably qualified to comment.

In general people that cycle like nutcases will have an accident sooner rather than later. It's almost inevitable they will have a spill.

I do cycle defensively to some extent as if I come off I know it's going to hurt even at low speed and I do obey nearly all of the traffic signals. Funnily enough when I first started the cycling commute around 3-4 years ago I was far more blasé about traffic regulations but after seeing the results of people getting knocked off etc in front of me, I'm much more careful now.

Sometimes accidents do happen no matter what though; I hit a pedestrian last month; the idiot stepped off the kerb right in front of me and I couldn't stop (on the road). As per usual I ended up worse off. I'm more worried about hitting a pedestrian than being hit by a car as pedestrians tend not look for cyclists when crossing the road.

Obviously there's no excuse for cycling on the pavement at speed, or indeed at almost any other time either. No excuse for pedestrains to push people off though - that's just as bad.