Speeding cyclist who crashed into pensioner, 81, while racing at 29mph in a 20mph zone avoids prosecution after she dies - because speed limits don't

[Deleted member 16246]

Demands for more regulation on cycling. "Cycling is a lawless activity", says husband of deceased pedestrian.

Good interview with Duncan Dollimore, of Cycling UK, on the Today Programme, on Radio 4 just now. The programme has been headlining the campaign of the husband of the late Kim Briggs, demanding controls on cycling. His wife was killed in London by Charlie Alliston riding at speed, on a track cycle with a fixed wheel and no front brake. He made crass remarks about the incident online after the death, claiming that he had shouted at Ms Briggs and she stopped and it was her fault. He was subsequently jailed for 'Wanton and Furious Cycling'.

Husband of Ms Briggs, Matthew Briggs, has been running a very effective campaign demanding more controls and regulation on cyclists. He has repeatedly claimed that cycling is a lawless activity.

Dollimore of Cycling UK made a very good point that the only country in the world which regulates cycling in the way demanded, is North Korea.

The one point I think which ought to have been made but wasn't, was to point out how very many cyclists are crushed and mangled by irresponsible drivers every year. Alliston was rightly jailed for his hooligan riding, and every such death is a terrible event, but the numbers of such deaths is tiny by comparison to the numbers of pedestrians and cyclists who are killed and maimed each year by motor vehicle drivers. I was almost run over by a car two weeks ago which pulled onto the road I was already crossing and drove right at me, stopping two feet in front of me. I don't think the driver could see. He certainly could not meet the minimum vision standards.

Unfortunately, Mr Briggs has made dubious statements on the radio several times, claiming that there was nothing to charge Allison with. This is patently false, because he was tried for manslaughter, and wanton and furious cycling. The jury convicted him of the lesser offence, finding him not guilty of manslaughter. The interviewers handling the appearances, naturally sympathetic to a bereaved man failed to challenge him properly. Until today - when Dollimore expressed the point that this was not true.

Cyclist 'blamed victim' after fatal London crash

Kim Briggs, 44, suffered brain injuries and died in hospital days after the collision, the court heard.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[flecc]

How to determine which speed limit was lawfully imposed by Local Authority?

It depends on it being their land by ownership or right of management.

Bournemouth’s promenade, for example, has a cycling speed limit of 10mph (and on some days bikes aren’t allowed there at all), so their bye laws have force.

And it's not just speed limits, Local Authorities can impose Traffic Management Orders barring selected vehicle types.

Even groups of residents can apply to have a residential street status on certain days and during certain periods, turning theirs into a play street with a strict 5mph limit and pedestrian priority over vehicles.
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[Az.]

It depends on it being their land by ownership or right of management.

If the 20mph speed limit (mentioned in first post) was imposed by local authority then this guy would be prosecuted?

 

[flecc]

I was almost run over by a car two weeks ago which pulled onto the road I was already crossing and drove right at me, stopping two feet in front of me. I don't think the driver could see. He certainly could not meet the minimum vision standards.

If you note the registration number, time and place you can report them and action will be taken. One of the benefits of the DVLA hotline is that you aren't required to provide your name (or any other personally identifying information) when you call in. Just give your location, the type of car you're reporting, and the dangerous activity that the driver is engaging in.

in eyesight cases the DVLA will require the driver to take an eye test and will remove the licence of anyone not having their minimum standard of eyesight.


Call the DVLA on their toll-free phone number at 0844 453 0118. The UK’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) keeps tabs on all drivers registered in the UK. If the Agency finds that someone has been driving erratically and endangering others on the road, the DVLA can suspend or put points onto the driver’s license.[2]

• You can call the hotline to report any kind of unsafe driving. For example, call if you suspect someone is drunk or high while driving, or if someone is tailgating and driving aggressively.
• Also call the DVLA if you suspect that an elderly person doesn’t have good enough eyesight to be driving or if someone appears to be falling asleep at the wheel.

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[flecc]

If the 20mph speed limit (mentioned in first post) was imposed by local authority then this guy would be prosecuted?

In the sense of being fined by the local authority. And he could then in theory also be charged further over the death itself, since it occurred while he would have been breaking a law, albeit a bye law.
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