Here's another opportunity to see how our justice system views the lives of cyclists on our roads today. You can quickly get the gist of the story on the attached link but sentence has been deferred till January.
My view is that the courts need to start getting tough with thuggish drivers who bully their way along the country's roads with aggressive, confrontational driving, having no regard whatsoever for other road users or pedestrians. Bullies, cheats and liars are my pet hates in society at large so it pains me to read frequently in these pages how many forum members are so readily unscrupulous when it comes to the regulations in regard to EAPCs.
The excuses I have seen offered as to why legally compliant EAPCs fail to provide adequate assistance for certain individuals are frankly pathetic, given the abilities of mainstream EAPCs in this second decade of the 21st century. There is simply no excuse for breaking perfectly straightforward laws; if EAPCs don't provide the power needed or a throttle is deemed essential, use a different form of conveyance and leave EAPCs to those who appreciate them as they are.
Returning to the matter of the death of the cycling campaigner in the attached news item, I believe that if cyclists are to have any credibility with the public at large and perhaps more pertinently, with the judiciary, then we all need to be whiter than white as well as being seen as eco-friendly members of society. That means obeying the rules of the road with adherence to the Highway Code and complying with all legislation relating to our choice of bicycle.
I would like to see the subject of this particular case go down for a minimum 15 years but I shan't hold my breath. How much is a life worth these days and does it matter whether the weapon is a gun, a crossbow or a motor vehicle?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-34798621
Tom
My view is that the courts need to start getting tough with thuggish drivers who bully their way along the country's roads with aggressive, confrontational driving, having no regard whatsoever for other road users or pedestrians. Bullies, cheats and liars are my pet hates in society at large so it pains me to read frequently in these pages how many forum members are so readily unscrupulous when it comes to the regulations in regard to EAPCs.
The excuses I have seen offered as to why legally compliant EAPCs fail to provide adequate assistance for certain individuals are frankly pathetic, given the abilities of mainstream EAPCs in this second decade of the 21st century. There is simply no excuse for breaking perfectly straightforward laws; if EAPCs don't provide the power needed or a throttle is deemed essential, use a different form of conveyance and leave EAPCs to those who appreciate them as they are.
Returning to the matter of the death of the cycling campaigner in the attached news item, I believe that if cyclists are to have any credibility with the public at large and perhaps more pertinently, with the judiciary, then we all need to be whiter than white as well as being seen as eco-friendly members of society. That means obeying the rules of the road with adherence to the Highway Code and complying with all legislation relating to our choice of bicycle.
I would like to see the subject of this particular case go down for a minimum 15 years but I shan't hold my breath. How much is a life worth these days and does it matter whether the weapon is a gun, a crossbow or a motor vehicle?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-34798621
Tom
