[Closed] Sad letter in the local anti cycling rag

one thing for those saying about driving blind, you are driving along then you are blinded, if you have been paying attention you have a good idea of what is ahead of you. Yes slow down etc because something may appear that wasn't there, but with decent sight lines you have a fair amount of warning. It is likely that drivers further ahead would have moved or used brakes when approaching the cyclist. Things the driver should have been looking for.

I know the jury has reached a verdict and not much can be done now and I don't believe the driver intended for what to happen to happen. Just far to much complacency in the system, far too much of a reluctance to ban drivers permenantly.

According to the defence [i]"the three lanes at Mountbatten Way are wide enough for cars to overtake without switching lanes"[/i].

(possibly another example of ignoring the Highway Code there!)

According to the defence "the three lanes at Mountbatten Way are wide enough for cars to overtake without switching lanes".

[quote=mrmo ]the driver ... is basically lying.

My money's on that.

@D0NK - given the judge's other rulings I imagine he would have refused to consider that to be relevant.

I [i]think[/i] [url= https://www.google.co.uk/maps/ @50.913138,-1.439005,3a,75y,97.6h,80.87t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sRqny8foHZDBJvTNcJFMBsw!2e0]this is the right general are of the accident[/url]. The lanes don't look that wide to me. 🙁

Worth reading some of the summaries of court proceedings posted by Southampton Cycling Campaign. It does seem that several witnesses didn't have any bother with the sun and that cyclists did regularly use that road.

http://www.southamptoncyclingcampaign.org.uk/2014/news/1888/

I think this is the right general are of the accident

[url= https://www.google.co.uk/maps/ @50.911103,-1.431308,3a,75y,125.03h,79.48t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s9iZVe3afINLqa-RMAqTOxA!2e0]I think it was more like here a bit further up the road[/url]
The lanes are not very wide, certainly not enough space to pass (IHMO) a cyclist [u]safely[/u] at that sort of speed without crossing a lane marker
[edit]the haras fencing wasn't there then I done think[/edit]

Ive used millbrook flyover / mountbatton way once on the bike, very dangerous, its just too busy and fast. I regular ride a very short 200m section between totton and the m271 and that is worrying enough. The need to sort the token effort of a cycle path out.

[url= http://beyondthekerb.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/futility/ ]http://beyondthekerb.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/futility/[/url]

scroll down to the bit about discrimination!

when the judge allegedly states that the jury “will be directed to ignore Highway Code [rules 93 and 237, advising drivers to] slow down or stop if dazzled [because the] Highway Code is not law” and that the defendant’s failure to adhere to such rules “could be used as evidence of without due care and attention, or could be ignored“.

.....

Is there any possibility of attacking the judges ruling on that? Surely he's actually applying the law incorrectly and should be corrected? Judges are answerable to scrutiny of their rulings aren't they?

Is there any possibility of attacking the judges ruling on that

I'm sure the driver didn't mean to kill the guy or even hit him, and the sun was bright that morning but!!!!

The statement he made about thinking it was a "bus stop" is just bullshine! he's local and has no doubt driven down there hundreds of times, he never though there was a but stop. Has anybody here ever hit a bus stop with a wing mirror? I doubt it, you'd have to be dragging your wheels along the kerb to manage that even then I doubt you'd hit many.
IMO he had a good idea what had happened (probably not the severity) but just left, which is disgusting! Yes a lapse in concentration\a poor decision\distraction etc. yes, accidents can happen as sad as they are.

Somethings imo just don't add up, as I said I very much doubt he intended to do it. Do I think the standard of his driving (any many others on the road) is\fell below what I would expect\hope for? Yes.

I haven't read all of the court documents and I'm not sure about the driving charges and what I would have said were I on the jury on those, but leaving the scene of an accident. I do think he should have stopped and very likely had a good idea what had happened and leaving is disgusting.

Makes me think of the [url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24146473 ]Jade Clark[/url] case on the A31 a bit.

I found this article every good [url= http://beyondthekerb.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/the-problem-with-good-people/ ]'The Problem with Good People'[/url]
No he didn't do the church\good person card, but I still think it relevant with regards the judge and jury's handling of the case.

It's quite terrifying and tragic how much leeway is given to those causing death or injury on the roads and also to the amount of anti-cyclist rethoric that does the rounds on Twitter and in the comments section of newspapers.

Bez writes about it very eloquently in his blog (beyondthekerb) but at every opportunity the driver is given the benefit of the doubt - they're a good person, they do community/charity work, they didn't mean it, they're full of remorse.

Equally, at every possible turn, the dead cyclist is vilified - they were wearing hi vis but it was dirty/partly covered. They weren't wearing a helmet. They were riding on a road even though there's a (rubbish) cycle path half a mile away they could have used. It was their first ride on that bike. It just goes on and on. Victim blaming at all points while defending the motorists absolute right to drive using vague subjective adjectives like "careless".

I hope we're at a turning point where most of this is due to the vast numbers of extra people riding bikes now and the fact that the less enlightened still can't get used to it. I hope that one day there will be proper sentencing that reflects the fact that a driver has just killed someone. But every court case I hear about gradually erodes that hope. 🙁