Just seen this Facebook post from a good friend of mine who lives in Sevenoaks:
On Sunday two cycle club mates were involved in (what looks like) a deliberate hit and run by a pickup van driver (who later returned to the scene.)In the words of the driver "It was too teach you a lesson for riding two abreast on the road!"
One rider has a broken right hand, the other a broken collar bone. The two written-off carbon bikes seem to matter less when these chaps nearly lost their lives.
He's asking for people to sign the CTC petition in response: Links is [url= http://www.roadjustice.org.uk/police-petition ]here[/url]
Signed, that's just ridiculous 🙁
Will have a read and sign when I have a proper screen in front of me. Despicable behavior though.
I will sign the petition, but meanwhile I am more interested in if they know who the bastard is?!
signed. hope the cyclists heal fast and get justice.
Done!
Hope the van driver gets identified, arrested, charged and punished - what a complete moron.
Not too far removed from attempted murder! curious to know the police response.
Likewise - will await Police response with interest and not a lot of expectation.
Crazy! Signed.
It scares me that there are people out there who think that running someone off the road is even an option.
Given all the lenient sentences handed out for people who "didnt see" whilst eating / pissing about with their satnav / tying their shoelaces whilst dring a car, I would expect the book to be thrown at this one. But I doubt it.
"It was too teach you a lesson for riding two abreast on the road!"
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!
This mentality just astounds me. Even if riding two abreast was an offence, which it isn't, what ^#%*@&*£ right has he got to damage property and cause serious injury???
Would he be happy for one of us to smash his windscreen and break fingers because he was speeding, texting while driving, stopped in an ASL box or parked illegally?
geetee1972: have they approached road.cc with their story? They have a pretty good history of publishing stories like this and getting other news agencies to take notice.
Can I ask why the police aren't involved, if indeed they aren't? If they are then what course of action are they taking?
Coyote - Member
Can I ask why the police aren't involved, if indeed they aren't? If they are then what course of action are they taking?
+1
signed
Signed.
I was run off the road on Sunday (riding single file)... my clubmates went and had a word. Apparently the driver couldn't see what was wrong about it.
If they'd not been a layby to ride into, I'd have been knocked off. The mind boggles at the lack of empathy that seems to result when people are isolated in metal boxes. Even as bad as the Tube can get, you don't get people physically assaulting each other.
Unluckily for the guy on Sunday I think we have his reg number so I'm sending the Police round for a word... funnily enough it was around Sevenoaks too!
Edit: signed the petition but it really doesn't go far enough. It's the daily abuse and harrassment that seems to be acceptable behaviour that needs to be stamped out - that's what's putting off the new riders. And some of the anti-stuff on national and social media surely could be charged as intent to cause harm?
It's the nasty prejudice we need to get on top of...It seems we can have a cyclehatred Twitter feed but not a blackpeople or homosexualhatred Twitter feed...
Even as bad as the Tube can get, you don't get people physically assaulting each other.
I saw a man push over a pregnant woman so he could get a seat on a train once. Arseholes are arseholes everywhere.
I'm not on facebook so I may not have the full picture, but it seems odd that the response to the events described in the OP extend to asking people to sign a petition.
I'm hoping that something more concrete is being done about this specific incident?
Hope they heal fast
Obviously not got all the facts, but this also seems strange to me - at least two people witness what could theoretically be attempted murder, the culprit returns to the scene to gloat and the response appears to be to start a petition?
Surely the response is to report the incident and description to the Police and to let justice take it's cause, in which case the sub judice rules presumably apply about discussing the case, unless a witness appeal is needed to help identify the driver
I suspect the two are linked in so much as we have had an accident being dealt with by the police.
Please can you sign this petition so that when the bloke goes to trial there is half a chance of getting a decent result.
Obviously i can only see what is on this page. If anyone can actually link to the piece anywhere else? I have had a look and haven't seen anything.
Signed.
We used to ride our horses two abreast sometimes (for safety).
I doubt a bully van driver would dare to run into us to 'teach us a lesson', however the driver felt he would do so when we're riding bikes - infuriating.
Signed.
This is truly shocking behaviour.
I caught up with and chatted with another cyclist for a couple of miles while riding home on Friday. At least two drivers honked because we rode 2-abreast on a mile or so of wide, mostly straight section of the old A5 near Shrewsbury. The last one turned into a side road just after passing and got out of his black BMW shouting abuse and ordering us to stop. We waved and rode on, I told him he should read the Highway Code. I'm beginning to think that people like that need a good kicking as unfortunately they wouldn't listen to a rational argument and [url= http://road.cc/content/news/95184-video-police-apologise-stopping-helmetcam-cyclist-after-admitting-their-officer ]you can't trust the Plod[/url] 🙁
These were two guys from my club. Had just finished a race and were riding back along quiet country lanes to race HQ having a chat. I'd ridden through the area about an hour before on a club run, you really couldn't ask for a more idyllic, quiet set of lanes for a pleasant Sunday ride.
Everyone is rather shocked by the news and in time I'm sure more information will come out about the police, the facts etc. At the moment everyone is rightly more worried about the guys.
I hear the van driver had his daughter in the cab at the time. Maybe he didn't return to 'gloat', but realised what he'd done and felt remorse but tried to bluster and defend what he'd done. It's a terrible shame for everyone involved including him and his daughter as this moment of rage will impact on all of them.
This has got to stop. If this can happen here then no-where is safe. Drivers need to be educated in how to overtake cyclists and when they need to hold back, but most of all drivers (and that includes most of us) need to just chill the hell out when behind the wheel, drive slower and generally be less aggressive. I'm sick of seeing people enraged by the slightest little hold up.
Rollindoughnut - was this the SERRL race at Horsemonden then?
I was one of the marshals. Heard via the club website there'd been an incident but details were few - very sorry to hear about this!
Yeah it was after the SERRL race.
I've not asked for more details as I've not been a member of the club for long and had only met one of the guys for the first time last week, guess everything will come out in time.
Am really shocked by the news especially as it was such a lovely day and location for a ride.
At first I wanted to lynch the driver when I heard about it, but now I keep thinking of his little girl having to witness her dad committing such an act. Guess that's because I'm a dad too.
Cars bring out the worst in people.
Nothing will happen IMO. They will presumably just get a pat in the back. Attitudes are so wrong in this country and as above it seems acceptable.
Sad isn't. If he had hit a couple of pedestrians, even if they were on the road, he would be in jail already.
Signed for clipped the other week on the way to work and I was in a cycle lane. They save 2 seconds off their commute but could end a life
I'm seriously considering giving up on the daily ride into work through Chester.
Everyday it's another nightmare of near misses.
I was hit this morning by some fool backing out of a parking bay and not once looking my way. Luckily I was slowing down as soon as I saw the reverse lights go on!!
And to top it all, My son riding home from school this afternoon witnessed another cyclist being knocked off by a motorist driving across a cycle lane into their driveway!
Signed and best wishes to both of them.
Dangerous Driving if the act was intentional , otherwise Careless Driving. Whats the betting the old ' suddenly blinded by the sun' defence comes out when it goes to court.
My friend is a traffic officer in the met . He has to inform people daily of the offence of stopping deliberatly in an ASL box. They get mouthy , they get fined. He cycles a short distance from the train , so has to content with eeejits on his way to and from work.
Eventually helmet cam evidence should be able to be used to support prosecutions. Its slightly daft when the Police can prosecute when its their word against yours, with no witnessses . Yet video evidence to prove a criminal act isnt welcomed ( afaik ) by the CPS.
Hope the riders make a full and speedy recovery .
And the van driver has the privilege of being allowed to drive on the road removed for a long time.
[i].It seems we can have a cyclehatred Twitter feed [/i]
Can I just point out that the cyclehatred Twitter feed is not a load of people all subscribing to it to slag cyclists off, it's a chap (a cyclist) who looks for anti-cyclist sentiment on Twitter and then publishes on his feed for other cyclists to retaliate to.
Kendonagasaki, i ride frequently in chester, and its a nightmare, why not join chester cycling campaign and help campaign against poor driving,also this weeks standard free newspaper has a letter from the local police sergent about road safety enforcement, or total lack of enforcement it appears on some roads.
"[i]Dangerous Driving if the act was intentional , otherwise Careless Driving.[/i]"
Hm. Surely intent constitutes GBH. The difference between careless and dangerous is not a matter of intent, it's a matter of degree (albeit that the degree is completely ill-defined).