Linky.

Police are trying to locate a Premier League footballer named in an online search for a driver involved in an incident involving a cyclist in Manchester.

One player’s name has come up in the course of a Twitter campaign backed by Sir Chris Hoy to find a driver accused of laughing at the cyclist’s chances of finding him via his foreign number plates.

Rob Lockhart had been riding through Hale in Trafford last Thursday evening when, he claimed, the driver of a matt-black Audi Q7 braked suddenly in front of him, pulling over to park on double yellow lines.

Sounds like the archetypal **** of what we’ve come to expect from many a footballer on our shores.

Have we done the one about the PL footballer mouthing off to the cyclist

Yes.

Sounds like the archetypal **** of what we’ve come to expect from many a footballer on our shores.

Yes, because only footballers are ****s and hassle cyclists.

Now he is saying the bloke braked sharply in front of him ? He didnt say he was cut up by the Audi so was he just riding to close in traffic ?

Sounds like the archetypal **** of what we’ve come to expect from many a footballer on our shores.

Yeah footballers they are all selfish cocks!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-19816139

http://www.modernghana.com/sports/472600/2/launching-of-the-sea-foundation-adebayor-8220frank.html

he claimed, the driver of a matt-black Audi Q7 braked suddenly in front of him,

Which he’s entitled to do (maybe he thought a child was going to run into the road?), and of course the cyclist, being a good road user, was following at a safe distance and wasn’t phased by the manoeuvre.

pulling over to park on double yellow lines.

Or perhaps because he suddenly felt unwell?

I think most car drivers shouldn’t be on the road, but just playing devil’s advocate here.

Someone braked sharply in front of me on Monday night to get into a parking space – the driver was not a footballer nor were they driving an audi.

My face and shoulder took the impact with the back of my professional level race bike going vertical into the air and slamming back down onto the road,” he told The Independent.

Oh get him.

My face and shoulder took the impact with the back of my professional level race bike going vertical into the air and slamming back down onto the road,” he told The Independent ruining my STRAAAAAAAAAAAVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA run.

😉

“whilst I was drafting him on the high street pretending to be a pro peleton rider on my professional level race bike daily commuter, he suddely braked and I did a mahooosive stoppie, which scared the c**p out of me (because I am a lycra clad mincer)”

I was cycling down Victoria Road in Hale on my way to meet up with our evening club ride in Ashley. I was early and had plenty of time to get there.

Victoria Road is a two way residential street but local cars were parked on my side heading towards Ashley Road, although there was enough space for me on my bike to stay on my side of the road.

As I rode towards the mini roundabout before the junction with Ashley Road I could hear a car approaching very quickly from behind. I looked around to see a black car approaching me. Without hesitation and giving me little space the car flew past at about 45 to 50mph on a 30mph restricted road.

I thought to myself, “this driver looks dangerous”, and kept my eye on the car as it negotiated the roundabout and approached the T-junction in an erratic manner.

The car had to slow at the junction as a vehicle was driving along the main road. I came around the mini roundabout and coasted towards the T-junction being wary of the vehicle in front.

The car moved off from the junction onto the main road. I looked right for oncoming cars, saw it was clear and turned left onto the main road.

At the same time, as I was turning, the matte black vehicle had abruptly stopped against the kerb on the exit of the junction on the double yellow lines. I saw it and braked but couldn’t stop in time, hitting the back of the vehicle. My face and shoulder took the impact with the back of my professional level race bike going vertical into the air and slamming back down onto the road.

Shocked and stunned I pulled myself together and moved onto the pavement at the side of the vehicle. The driver was black, about 6foot 3/5 inches tall and slim and probably aged in his mid twenties. He got out and immediately said that he didn’t see me. I’m not sure how, as I had front and rear flashing lights on at the time and he had just previously overtaken me.

He then walked straight to the cash point to get some money out. This was obviously the reason he stopped but not sure why he thought it was a safe to abruptly stop.

Whilst he did this I was looking over myself for injuries and the bike and his car for any damage as you would in any road traffic incident so that we could then take note and exchange details in the normal way. I am an insured cyclist so this is absolutely no problem to me.

When he came back from the cashpoint he went straight towards his car door to get back in. I asked him if we could exchange details and he said that it wasn’t relevant because I’m not in a car and I’m on a bike. I explained that that doesn’t matter and we still need to do the formalities. He then got in his car to drive off. I quickly fumbled in my jersey pocket to get my phone out so that I could take a photo of the number plates. As he closed the door he laughed at me and said that I wouldn’t be able to trace him because of his foreign registration plates.

I didn’t manage to get my camera phone out in time as he drove off. But I soon realised there were two guys that had come out of the pub on the corner who had seen the whole event and captured his car and registration plates with their camera phones. They said to me that they are willing to be witnesses and that they thought he was completely in the wrong for the way he acted.

Soon another guy who was in another pub across the road came over and also offered photos and said that he would be a witness.

Later on that evening I contacted the Police and reported the incident. The next morning I was told that the police could not trace foreign registered cars for a minor incident.

As I have local friends on Facebook and Twitter I posted a photo to see if anyone recognised the distinctive matte black Audi Q7 with French plates so that maybe I could trace it and provide more info to the police or insurance company.

from http://road.cc/content/news/93155-cyclist-good-luck-finding-me%E2%80%9D-incident-tells-his-story

the road.cc story has the rider’s side of the story, not the twitterer’s twitter campaign story.

think both rider and driver are obliged to report to cops within a reasonable time though? or is that only if one party is injured?

edit: must type 27 seconds faster

Yes, because only footballers are ****s and hassle cyclists.

Yeah footballers they are all selfish cocks!

Have another read:

Sounds like the archetypal **** of what we’ve come to expect from many a footballer on our shores

While I applaud those that do charity and grass roots work etc, there are many who are just complete ****s. My missus’ hairdresser used to date a PL player and he was a right nasty little ****.

The cyclist doesn’t really come out of this too well IMO, there really is no need to run into the back of something straight after a junction, no matter how retarded the reason for the car stopping was. Although not exchanging details means the driver is a dick that deserves the social media ‘attention’ to.

I thought to myself, “this driver looks dangerous”

So why didn’t he stay well away from him?

238

You MUST NOT wait or park on yellow lines during the times of operation shown on nearby time plates (or zone entry signs if in a Controlled Parking Zone) – download ‘Traffic signs’ (PDF, 486KB) and ‘Road markings’ (PDF, 731KB) . Double yellow lines indicate a prohibition of waiting at any time even if there are no upright signs. You MUST NOT wait or park, or stop to set down and pick up passengers, on school entrance markings (download ‘Road markings’ (PDF, 731KB) ) when upright signs indicate a prohibition of stopping.
Law RTRA sects 5 & 8

124

You MUST NOT exceed the maximum speed limits for the road and for your vehicle (see the table below). The presence of street lights generally means that there is a 30 mph (48 km/h) speed limit unless otherwise specified.
Law RTRA sects 81, 86, 89 & sch 6

125

The speed limit is the absolute maximum and does not mean it is safe to drive at that speed irrespective of conditions. Driving at speeds too fast for the road and traffic conditions is dangerous. You should always reduce your speed when
the road layout or condition presents hazards, such as bends
sharing the road with pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, particularly children, and motorcyclists
weather conditions make it safer to do so
driving at night as it is more difficult to see other road users.

286

If you are involved in a collision which causes damage or injury to any other person, vehicle, animal or property, you MUST
stop
give your own and the vehicle owner’s name and address, and the registration number of the vehicle, to anyone having reasonable grounds for requiring them
if you do not give your name and address at the time of the collision, report it to the police as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case within 24 hours.
Law RTA 1988 sect 170

243

DO NOT stop or park
near a school entrance
anywhere you would prevent access for Emergency Services
at or near a bus or tram stop or taxi rank
on the approach to a level crossing/tramway crossing
opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space
near the brow of a hill or hump bridge
opposite a traffic island or (if this would cause an obstruction) another parked vehicle
where you would force other traffic to enter a tram lane
where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles
in front of an entrance to a property
on a bend
where you would obstruct cyclists’ use of cycle facilities except when forced to do so by stationary traffic.

shall i carry on?

The cyclist shouldn’t have hit the back of the illegally parked car, but there is a very good reason why the way the car was parked was illegal, to avoid being crashed into by other traffic!

So, a cyclist ran into the back of a stationary car? Who may or may not have been driving erratically previously, but from reading the report overtook some time (and a mini-roundabout) before the collision. It sounds like the driver is/was a bit of a cock, but I’m struggling to see how he is at fault for the collision. There are plenty of other, far worse, actions on drivers vs cyclists every day. But this guy gets singled out because he is a premier league footballer?

Obviously driving a matte black Audi Q7 is a crime against good taste, but other than that I’m struggling to see what the fuss is about.

If the story above is entirely true then the fault lies entirely with the driver. I hope there are repercussions for him – but suspect there won’t be!

Isn’t giving the other party your insurance particulars after an accident a requirement – i.e. an offence if you refuse to? Maybe that’s what the fuss is about?

There are plenty of other, far worse, actions on drivers vs cyclists every day.

Are you saying that because worse happens its alright then?

driver left the scene of an accident refused to give details, someone asks police to investigate they refuse, so someone asks if anyone knows the car in question so the police can be given the details that they can’t be arsed to collect?

Would also mention that i believe that if your car is on british roads for more than 6 months each year it has to be registered in the UK. How much of the year does that Q7 spend in the UK and how much in France? Has the car got valid insurance, Mot etc etc.

edit The blacked out windows also look a bit too dark..

It sounds like the driver is/was a bit of a cock, but I’m struggling to see how he is at fault for the collision.

I think that, if he’d given his details as required, you’d never have heard a thing about it. Laughing and saying “you’ll never find me” is just the tw$ttish icing on the social media cake of outrage.

clanton – Member

If the story above is entirely true then the fault lies entirely with the driver. I hope there are repercussions for him – but suspect there won’t be!

You spelled “cyclist” wrong.
Seriously, what planet do you come from where driving into the back of stationary vehicles is ok?
The driver may have been a cock, but the cyclist is clearly at fault from his own testimony.
Just another road user putting speed before safety, the chosen vehicle is of little relevance.

“good luck finding me” ..
says the driver of a distinctive and deliberately attention-grabbing car on unusual plates.

So whoever he is, he’s as dumb as a hammer 🙂

Seriously, what planet do you come from where driving into the back of stationary vehicles is ok?

I think that’s kind of neither here nor there, unless the driver braked in an unsafe manner (ie, emergency stopped when there was no emergency) – he stopped somewhere he shouldn’t have, the cyclist who rode into the back of him maybe had some observation issues.

The problem, I think, is that legally the driver had a responsibility to have given him his details. Morally, laughing at him and saying “you’ll never find me” is also not very nice.

so who is it?

Seriously, what planet do you come from where driving into the back of stationary vehicles is ok?

and on what planet is it ok to stop directly after a junction in a bus stop on double yellow lines?

Presumed liable, ie cyclist, does not mean liable if the driver was a cock and his actions resulted in the crash. As i said there are reasons why it is illegal to park on double yellows, there are reasons why you should not park within 10m of a junction.

And driving off refusing to give details is the act or a cock.

so who is it?

If you want to know, go to twitter, i assume that STW don’t want any potential legal comeback at this time.

i assume that STW don’t want any potential legal comeback at this time.

Odd, given road.cc publishing the number plate details on the interwbz…

Ah ha – but as noted by the charming driver, it’s hard to track down the owner of a Johnny Foreign-registered vehicle. 😉

pondo – Member

I think that’s kind of neither here nor there

As I was refuting a clearly incorrect statement by someone, I’d say it was entirely “here”, but thanks for your opinion. 🙂

So if a vehicle is parked illegally and someone drives into it then its the driver of the illegally parked vehicles fault?

I fail to see the logic here. If said vehicle was parked legally then we would say the cyclist was at fault?

OK so the driver was a cock for not giving his details and saying “good luck with that claim”.

Does the cyclist assume that as no parking is allowed no cars will be parked and simply doesn’t look.

Odd, given road.cc publishing the number plate details on the interwbz…

but no name i seem to remember, and they have also blocked comments on a just in case basis. Also consider that the police can’t link the number plate to a person so how is it posible that anyone else can….

Anyway it is a footballer driving a french car, can’t be that many of them can there? 😉

pingu66, do you make a habit of illegal parking then….

edit The blacked out windows also look a bit too dark..

I can’t see a picture of his front side windows or windscreen ??

Ah mrmo so its about me now?

mrmo – Member

Presumed liable, ie cyclist, does not mean liable if the driver was a cock and his actions resulted in the crash. As i said there are reasons why it is illegal to park on double yellows, there are reasons why you should not park within 10m of a junction.

From the cyclist’s own account, the driver’s actions were not responsible for the crash.
There are reasons why it is illegal to park on double yellows, and there are reasons why you should not park within 10m of a junction.

These are entirely irrelevant.
It is not legal to crash into illegally parked vehicles.
The cyclist followed a vehicle too fast/close and failed to stop when the driver did.
I don’t see how the layout of the road or presence of double yellows is of any significance as the driver might have needed to stop for any number of legitimate reasons.

If I’d been caught cycling that badly the last thing I’d want to do is advertise it in the press.

found him/ her on twitter – never heard of them.
didn’t even realise choke on stench were in the premiership

Ah mrmo so its about me now?

Where were you on the day of the incident?

read the cyclists statement, the road was clear, the driver pulled away the cyclist looked to his right to check still clear looked back to the left and the car had stopped after the junction.

If the driver had been paying attention he would have not pulled into the road if there was an obstruction to have to stop, etc.

If the driver had pulled over a sensible distance from the junction , even on double yellows, then there wouldn’t have been a crash as the cyclist would have been given more time to stop/react.

Neither party is totally guilty or innocent, but the driver has driven off after a crash without giving details when requested.

Think of this, if you brake check someone and they crash into the back of you who is at fault?

Neither party is totally guilty or innocent, but the driver has driven off after a crash without giving details when requested.

STW is not the place to make reasonable statements like this. You need to fall on one side or the other

read the cyclists statement

The cyclist drove into the rear of a parked vehicle he wasn’t brake checked. FFS why don’t you read the cyclists statement.

I read it not as “Ham fisted cyclist rides into parked vehicle” like many of you seem to have chosen to…

The point is perhaps a bit subtle but I think all of the online accounts are describing a more dynamic situation than some are giving credit for, to me it appears it wasn’t a “parked” vehicle, it reads more a vehicle in the process of randomly swerving and stopping in a position where it was not supposed to, had no reason to and having just passed a cyclist was likely to cause a collision, if the engines still running it’s not parked.

I don’t think the cyclist is as at fault as the driver, he perhaps could have hung back more, kept a closer eye on the lairy Frenchman and that could have avoided but 20/20 hindsight and not having been present somehow seems to make us all experts…
plus I don’t much like PL footballers so perhaps my bias is clouding my judgement, but that’s a different thread…