Was he a menace?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7908376.stm
and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7880080.stm

I’d be chuffed if i could still move like that at that age.

he’s my new hero

If he loses his appeal, we should all send him a fiver each to pay the fine + costs, £2100 in total!

Gets my “new hero” vote too.

Most people in the area know him and don’t mind.

He certainly looks good for a man of his age.
Sir I salute you.

Apparently, he’s had “heated discussions” with his “fellow geriatrics” and told the police “those skater haters should just go home and watch Countdown”

Top bloke, I want to be in his gang

It looks like fun, but there are no brakes on those things. Also he’s showing off…

If he was 17 he’d be a young hooligan.
As he’s 71 he’s a hero. WTF?

The man’s got a screw loose. That’s not sensible in a shopping precint. Every credit to the guy for having the ability to do that, but he should be in a skate park. He won’t go because the kids will show him up.

Loved the quote about his fellow geriatrics,seemed perfectly in control and the fine is disproportional for what he has done.

Well done that man.

seemed perfectly in control

yes, but if someone unexpectedly stepped out of a shop or changed direction he could crash into them at speed 🙁

yes, but if someone unexpectedly stepped out of a shop or changed direction he could crash into them at speed

Just like mtn bikers hurtling down designated footpaths at speed!

If he was 17 he’d be a young hooligan.
As he’s 71 he’s a hero. WTF?

Just what I was a about to write.

So a 71 yr old rode his bike through a mall?

Don’t care about his age-he could hit someone e.g fragile health.

Just like mtn bikers hurtling down designated footpaths at speed!

except that bikes have brakes, and footpaths have far less opportunity for concealment

Hope he wins his appeal. It’s people like him who make me glad to be British 🙂

Have the police got nothing better to do? Same old thing really. Throughout the video he did seem to be in complete control and those skates do have brakes by leaning back with your heal. The fine seems overly excessive though.

bit out of order suppose – if he’d driven a car thru there would have been a fixed penalty? or a white van on essential maintenance? – excessive fine, should have been given a community service order getting fat b’stds out with him – ok with a bit more respect for the frail

Ah yes……the 4m cctv cameras watching and protecting our fragile lives.

Tandemjeremy?

We need more people like him 🙂

My wife who has to use a wheelchair if she goes out said “Its people like him that make me happy as they are making the most of their mobility”

I want to be like him in 40 years time, maybe on a Mtb though!

and somewhere safer for other people

Yes, it’s great that he’s mobile etc etc but he can bloody well skate somewhere else. I like to skate but I’ve never done it in a crowded town centre. There are no sensible brakes (that rubber block certainly doesn’t count) and people and especially kids jumping about all over the place.

Oh look I’m old, and I can still skate! Woohoo me! Yeah great, get over yourself and get some common sense.

That guy is an amateur.
THIS is roller skating through a town centre!! 😉

yeah, but he looks like a complete knob. impressive considering he’s french.

Does anyone mind if I deck him if he crashes into me or my fragile ill Mother?

Cheers. 😈

Hope he wins his appeal. It’s people like him who make me glad to be British

You are Al Murray, Pub Landlord, and I want a tenner.

(Stands, salutes, whistles ‘Dambuters’ theme)

a more suitable forum for you lot can be found at dailymail.com.

honestly, he’s physically fit and mentally acute. i hope to be as good as him when I get old.

Britain won’t get out of bed in the morning soon incase a bird shits on them.

he’s physically fit and mentally acute

and has to prove it by zooming round and round a pedestrian area ?

He could do it by leading massive groups of people on bikes along footpaths.

At least at 71 he won’t have to overcome the biggest problem with taking up rollerblading – telling your parents that you’re gay.

yes, but if someone unexpectedly stepped out of a shop or changed direction he could crash into them at speed

Does anyone mind if I deck him if he crashes into me or my fragile ill Mother?

and has to prove it by zooming round and round a pedestrian area ?

Good grief, some of you lot sound like the people we had to deal with to get cycling allowed in our pedestrianised town centre!

you do wonder whether, if he was 17 rather than 71, he would still have ended up in court and with him being fined £2100…

Ridiculous!!

are people being serious comparing him to a 17yr old?? he’s not flying down staircases or grinding the hand rail is he? how fast is he going – 8mph?

A local skate shop would do well do sponsor him and arrange a proper organised event.

Yes, it’s great that he’s mobile etc etc but he can bloody well skate somewhere else. I like to skate but I’ve never done it in a crowded town centre. There are no sensible brakes (that rubber block certainly doesn’t count) and people and especially kids jumping about all over the place.

I’d expect if he’s that good at skating (he appears pretty good), he’d be able to stop quickly. Skating in London, pretty much everywhere you skate is this crowded, and it’s easy enough to stop, for a lot of people, pretty much the first thing they learn is how to do the various stops.

Joe

He’s probably less dangerous than someone on a motor throne:

One of them ^ drives up the middle my street every day. It’s a one-way road, and he’s going up it the wrong way, in the middle. The junction at the top is pretty blind, and cars do just sweep round into the street. It’s only a matter of time……..

One of them ^ drives up the middle my street every day. It’s a one-way road, and he’s going up it the wrong way, in the middle. The junction at the top is pretty blind, and cars do just sweep round into the street. It’s only a matter of time……..

We did a CCTV survey of the pedestrian area in town. Three days of footage showed no irresponsible cycling, but three motor thrones took a blind corner at speed.

My bet is he was warned off a few times and refused to stop. If people complain about something like this that is clearly against local bye-laws the cops have to do something. They would do as much as they can to avoid arresting and charging him – but he is obviously one of the awkward school so pushed his luck till he got done..

The fine is £300 – the rest is costs.

Still – I think its great and it made me laugh. I bet he refuses to pay and ends up in jail.

If people complain about something like this that is clearly against local bye-laws the cops have to do something.

According to the news report, no-one had complained. (Or was that just on the day? Can’t remember and can’t be bothered watching the clip again.)