Rides illegal machine - kills pedestrian & blames her........
- Thread starter oldtom
- Start date
Studying the video, in relation to this topic;-
I noticed that I slow my speed slightly by backing off on the pedals / motor when I feel that there's an increased risk ie; nearing dogs, kids, cyclists. The regular fast biker does not do that at all.
That would be in line with me saying earlier that regular bikers don't seems to relish losing the speed that they've worked hard for. Thereby braking much later than they could have done. I also wouldn't need to be chugging on a drinks bottle, as I'm not likely to be as thirsty as he was in the video. Evidently then, ebikes are much safer in my opinion. Even SW's supersonic machine would be safer at that speed compared to a grafting push-biker. If you couldn't hear that coming, with it's noisy cranker, you need your ears testing.
I noticed that I slow my speed slightly by backing off on the pedals / motor when I feel that there's an increased risk ie; nearing dogs, kids, cyclists. The regular fast biker does not do that at all.
That would be in line with me saying earlier that regular bikers don't seems to relish losing the speed that they've worked hard for. Thereby braking much later than they could have done. I also wouldn't need to be chugging on a drinks bottle, as I'm not likely to be as thirsty as he was in the video. Evidently then, ebikes are much safer in my opinion. Even SW's supersonic machine would be safer at that speed compared to a grafting push-biker. If you couldn't hear that coming, with it's noisy cranker, you need your ears testing.
Pedestrians are always surprised that I stop for them (on pedestrians crossings only of course). If they are walking on the cycle path they get a high speed buzzing if I feel that it is safe enough to scare them off the path that way. Otherwise they get a cart load of verbal abuse - bad pedestrians are usually bad drivers...
I agree with flecc Speed matters. A bike and cyclist travelling at 20mph has four times the kinetic energy of one at 10mph and 16 times the kinetic energy of a fast walking speed of 5mph. Also reaction times are limited and at speed actions need to be taken faster.
One of the intriguing items actually gobsmacking was to see the enormous streams of pedestrians and cyclists and even a few cars crisscrossing at the major junctions in Saigon without benefits of traffic lights or anything else the two streams would just meld together and then separate with very few accidents but they were at walking pace.
It's good to see that we now have the odd trial scheme in Britain now where all controls and even kerbs have been removed at a major junction, leaving everyone to sort themselves out slowly.
Also for many years residents in an area have been able to apply for their street to be designated a play street, traffic then taking a secondary position with pedestrian prority at all times. Few though seem to know that this is possible.
My own London Borough of Croydon, one of the largest in the country with over a third of a million population, has now designated the borough's residential streets a 20 mph limit for all traffic at all times. That bus routes are exempt somewhat spoils things, but it's a good move just the same.
Having the traffic moving slowly makes it much easier to show courtesy to pedestrians, allowing time and space for them to cross roads safely where there's no crossings. All in all I can envisage universal low speed urban traffic eventually bringing much better relations between pedestrians, cyclists and drivers when they are all operating at more compatible levels.
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The cyclist got 18 months. That sentence, in my opinion, will have zilch deterrent effect on the other moronic cyclists who think they can do as they please.
Tom
Tom
The 18 months custodial sentence is likely to affect the London couriers, especially those riding fixies, since they were already concerned about the implications of this case.
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18 months under current law is I suppose all they could do him for, but no real justice for family.
Sad to say, but the best way to kill someone and have a reduced sentence is using a car. My neighbour was jogging across a road when lights were clearly red. This didn't stop a car trying to run them at speed and killed him. She got 2 years in prison, bet she's out now. Argued she was too fat to go to prison (I kid you not).
Sad to say, but the best way to kill someone and have a reduced sentence is using a car. My neighbour was jogging across a road when lights were clearly red. This didn't stop a car trying to run them at speed and killed him. She got 2 years in prison, bet she's out now. Argued she was too fat to go to prison (I kid you not).
Two years custodial does now seem to be the standard sentence on a driver for causing death, I've seen that passed on the majority of cases for some while now.
Maybe not much, but far better than when a £250 fine was routine for the same offence a few years ago, until infuriated campaigners forced a change.
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I would beg to differ. I think that a custodial sentence in this context was vindictive. A car is a known lethal weapon a bicycle is not. The offense was drivin g a bike which was illegally not equipped with a working front brake. The collision was a low speed event which unfortunately had tragic consequences
2015 UK numbers:
... car occupants accounted for 44 per cent of road deaths, pedestrians 24 per cent, motorcyclists 21 per cent and pedal cyclists 6 per cent.
Cycling is the safest means of getting around taken as a percentage of all deaths. Fatality rates per billion passenger miles it is the second most dangerous just behind motorbikes. The safest? Big white vans...
... car occupants accounted for 44 per cent of road deaths, pedestrians 24 per cent, motorcyclists 21 per cent and pedal cyclists 6 per cent.
Cycling is the safest means of getting around taken as a percentage of all deaths. Fatality rates per billion passenger miles it is the second most dangerous just behind motorbikes. The safest? Big white vans...
I think you've misread my post, since I was responding to Steve A about drivers, not cyclists. I haven't commented on the sentence on the cyclist.
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I agree here. Had the poor woman lived, in all likelihood the cyclist would have escaped prosecution. His actions, intentions and manner of riding would have all been the same, but because the consequence (beyond anyone's control) turned out differently on this occasion, he goes to prison.
This sort of thing should be judged on the persons actions, not based on chance outcome.
I agree, not just for cyclists but for drivers as well where it's appropriate. To me, sentencing on the basis of chance outcome is always wrong.
But sentencing policy being what it is, as I posted much earlier in the thread, a custodial outcome was inevitable. I'd anticipated one year, but it seems the judge took a very stern view of his attitude.
The latest information throws new light on that, since the convicted's own barrister has very unusually spoken out on behalf of the deceased's husband in his call for stronger law. And the convicted's own mother has said she supported the sentence and has expressed her sympathy for the victim's family.
Two so much closer to him than us taking such hard line views I find revealing about the offender, since it seems to support the judge's view.
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I just watched the ITV early evening news report on it and it showed a brief clip of the type of youtube video that apparently inspired him. Bloody horrendous. I didn't know it was quite so stupid in London. It made soundwave's riding look almost reasonable.
Living and cycling here in London for many years I can assure you that many of the London couriers are ridiculously dangerous, often showing utter contempt for pedestrians.
The system they work under is in part to blame, paid by the job and very little at that, they need to ride at breakneck pace to do enough jobs to earn enough to get by.
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The charge of manslaughter was dropped , the conviction was for dangerous driving by wanton and furious riding . The sentence to be carried out in a young offenders institution rather then one of HMP.
Well maybe that explains the relief of his mother. He should be safer there than careening around the London streets for a year or more.