[Travel] Teacher who was staring at her phone and hit by a cyclist win compensation.

[The Clamp]

Being a typical bloke I can't walk and text/read texts at the same time, multi tasking isn't in my remit.

Same. I get annoyed when someone texts me and I’m walking!

 

[Deleted member 2719]

That is awful precedent. It was 100% the fault of the pedestrian.

Probably a freemasons connection somewhere with the teacher.

Even if freemason judges had a VAR system, they would still look after their own and ignore it.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

It’s probably just me but I find it incredibly rude when cyclist ring their bells because they wish to get past pedestrians. How is that any different to someone who is walking faster then the person in front, getting behind then and yelling “OUT OF MY WAY”! ?

Surely a polite “excuse me” or waiting for a gap to pass through is more appropriate. I’ll always move aside if I know a cyclist is approaching from behind, there’s no need to ring your ****ing Bell at me.

The bell works better with people who are hard of hearing.

 

[The Clamp]

The bell works better with people who are hard of hearing.

There is that, perhaps just hang back a bit and wait for an appropriate time to pass? So annoying when I do canal walks and every couple of minutes pairs of cyclists come along, ding ding, never a thank you, my mates and I flattening ourselves against a tunnel wall or dancing around trying not to get a soaking. We have given up moving aside now, totally ruins the walk. They can idle along behind us ringing their bells until a suitable place to pass presents itself. I enjoy listening to them huffing and puffing and tutting away behind me. **** em.

 

[CheeseRolls]

If Hammersmith and Kensington, around Olympia, are to go by at rush hour, that is hugely debatable.

I also spend a few years working in West Kensington, although I didn't cycle there. As a broad generalisation, compared to the city the roads are generally wider and straighter and pedestrian numbers are typically lower. There is more scope for cyclists to "express themselves" in this environment.

There is a collective madness in this country to road use, where so many other countries seem to manage it better. Cycling on pavements, is common in many towns and cities. Wide pavements, proper crossings and old boneshaker bikes that go about twice the speed of pedestrians all seem to make it work. Too many cyclists here, think every bike ride is a time trial.

Walk back though Shoreham in the middle of the afternoon and you will be passed by stream of schoolboys pulling wheelies. Not a problem for me, the pedestrian area and the footbridge to the Beach are wide enough to accommodate everyone, but it can be intimidating for the frail and elderly.

 

[The Clamp]

I also spend a few years working in West Kensington, although I didn't cycle there. As a broad generalisation, compared to the city the roads are generally wider and straighter and pedestrian numbers are typically lower. There is more scope for cyclists to "express themselves" in this environment.

There is a collective madness in this country to road use, where so many other countries seem to manage it better. Cycling on pavements, is common in many towns and cities. Wide pavements, proper crossings and old boneshaker bikes that go about twice the speed of pedestrians all seem to make it work. Too many cyclists here, think every bike ride is a time trial.

Walk back though Shoreham in the middle of the afternoon and you will be passed by stream of schoolboys pulling wheelies. Not a problem for me, the pedestrian area and the footbridge to the Beach are wide enough to accommodate everyone, but it can be intimidating for the frail and elderly.

Agreed. There is a couple of groups of them who tear down East street and over the bridge of along the high street, pulling wheelies, cycling with no hands on the bars and getting right up close to pensioners and pushchairs. One of the ore bold ones tried to play chicken with me ( I was on foot) on East st, but I was rushing for a train. It didn’t work out too well for him.

 

[drew]

Why do we need car insurance? Or a motorbike? All are vehicles, but walking is not. And actually a pedestrian probably has with legal cover through home insurance etc..

Since when was home insurance a legal requirement?

 

[Springal]

Since when was home insurance a legal requirement?

Did I say it was? I was just saying that actually MOST people do have a kind of insurance - should they ever need it

 

[perseus]

Spitting Teeth

AND take evasive action, only she panicked! In the other case referenced the cyclist had no brakes, which is undoubtedly reckless. An emergency stop on a bike, can easily result in the cyclist going over the handlebars. You also don't have a convenient set of mirrors and braking lights, so unlike driving a car, there is no way to indicate to other drivers/cyclists following what your evasive action will be. Given how narrow the cycle lanes are, swerving into the road unexpectedly is also a dangerous option.

This means the cyclist has to slow down to 15 mph on urban streets and shared use cyclepaths cause the stopping distance is too great (longer than cars at the same speed) otherwise. The lycra mob don't.

This case may set a precedent. I still go for 75/25 the fault of the pedestrian (with or without phone) though. Cyclist at 15 mph does not have time to ring his bell, yelling is quicker.

The worst accidents seem to occur because of the evasive action (lots of examples).

75% of cyclist accidents occur when the traffic flows at a tangent to the cyclist, which is why pedestrians crossing roads is often more hazardous than pedestrians on wide cyclepaths with good sight lines.

 

[drew]

Did I say it was? I was just saying that actually MOST people do have a kind of insurance - should they ever need it

You started off by going on about cyclist should be required to have insurance and others have correctly pointed out that you didn't make the same comment about pedestrians. You then made reference to home insurance which is not legally required. So why do you think cyclist should be required to have insurance and pedestrians don't need to?

 

[Springal]

You started off by going on about cyclist should be required to have insurance and others have correctly pointed out that you didn't make the same comment about pedestrians. You then made reference to home insurance which is not legally required. So why do you think cyclist should be required to have insurance and pedestrians don't need to?

You seem a bit excited. I didn’t say I thought cyclists should have insurance, I merely pointed out I can see why people think they should given motorbikes do and we are now in the world of electric bikes etc.

Until cyclists are taxed and registered I can’t really see how you can make an insurance model work

 

[Thunder Bolt]

There is that, perhaps just hang back a bit and wait for an appropriate time to pass? So annoying when I do canal walks and every couple of minutes pairs of cyclists come along, ding ding, never a thank you, my mates and I flattening ourselves against a tunnel wall or dancing around trying not to get a soaking. We have given up moving aside now, totally ruins the walk. They can idle along behind us ringing their bells until a suitable place to pass presents itself. I enjoy listening to them huffing and puffing and tutting away behind me. **** em.

I agree to a point. There has to be give and take. I have heard a cyclist shout coming through on your left, which also works on a shared pavement.

I also spend a few years working in West Kensington, although I didn't cycle there. As a broad generalisation, compared to the city the roads are generally wider and straighter and pedestrian numbers are typically lower. There is more scope for cyclists to "express themselves" in this environment.

There is a collective madness in this country to road use, where so many other countries seem to manage it better. Cycling on pavements, is common in many towns and cities. Wide pavements, proper crossings and old boneshaker bikes that go about twice the speed of pedestrians all seem to make it work. Too many cyclists here, think every bike ride is a time trial.

Walk back though Shoreham in the middle of the afternoon and you will be passed by stream of schoolboys pulling wheelies. Not a problem for me, the pedestrian area and the footbridge to the Beach are wide enough to accommodate everyone, but it can be intimidating for the frail and elderly.

I agree. My husband loves cycling in France when we go on holiday, where everyone is more considerate on the road, crossings and pavement (Paris being the exception)

 

[Weststander]

It will be over turned, should the defendant takes this higher.

Pedestrians have sadly walked out in front of cars since the invention of the car, with drivers never blamed if driving legally and within the speed limit. This judge has abandoned that reasoning for a different type of road user.

 

[brightn'ove]

I would hardly call £650 a bit of a scratch, not really a viable response that ffs.

Entirely depends on the car.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

You seem a bit excited. I didn’t say I thought cyclists should have insurance, I merely pointed out I can see why people think they should given motorbikes do and we are now in the world of electric bikes etc.

Until cyclists are taxed and registered I can’t really see how you can make an insurance model work

Tax for road use is measured in carbon emissions, but then you knew that.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

It will be over turned, should the defendant takes this higher.

Pedestrians have sadly walked out in front of cars since the invention of the car, with drivers never blamed if driving legally and within the speed limit. This judge has abandoned that reasoning for a different type of road user.

Before that, pedestrians were killed by horses, with or without a cart/carriage.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Tax for road use is measured in carbon emissions, but then you knew that.

That is only a modern way for taxing, the reason it was originally called road tax was to fund the upkeep of roads, until the Govt's found it a cash cow for everything but roads.

 

[perseus]

My husband killed a pedestrian in 1995, who stepped out from behind a bus. At the inquest, the medical report said he had a cataract in his right eye, and was deaf, so couldn't look or hear before he crossed.
My husband was on a motorbike in a 40 zone. The police did all the calculations, and a couple of witnesses gave evidence, that there was nothing he could do to avoid the old gentleman. The verdict was accidental death & no charges.
The impact threw him to the other side of the road, but fortunately there was no oncoming traffic, and his padded leathers saved him from very serious injuries.
The way he was treated by medical staff, and the initial policeman was disgusting. You'd have believed he'd deliberately murdered the old guy.
He was exonerated almost immediately the next day when evidence was gathered but suffered nightmares & flashbacks for months.

Experienced cyclists and motorcyclists know that buses and their passengers are the number one hazard by frequency. I even plan my route to avoid buses as far as possible. Bus drivers see cyclists as the number one nuisance.

When a bus wants to run you over, run for your life.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

That is only a modern way for taxing, the reason it was originally called road tax was to fund the upkeep of roads, until the Govt's found it a cash cow for everything but roads.

Yes, I know. I have been driving since the 1970s.

 

[Weststander]

Experienced cyclists and motorcyclists know that buses and their passengers are the number one hazard by frequency. I even plan my route to avoid buses as far as possible. Bus drivers see cyclists as the number one nuisance.

When a bus wants to run you over, run for your life.

I used to work with a load of Brighton cabbies ... their pet hate was bus drivers, who they thought were tossers.