Cyclist knocked off his bike and abused

So you wouldn’t have been knocked off because not only would your acute observational skills allow you to deduce that the woman in floral summer dress behind you in a red Peugot was clearly attending the funeral; but also that the driver of said vehicle was a mild sociopath and would be prepared to run you down for daring to act like any other traffic would

Of course, he would have been able to tell by the look in their eyes and facial expression, like Tim Roth in Lie to Me.

GrahamS – Member

So you wouldn’t have been knocked off because not only would your acute observational skills allow you to deduce that the woman in floral summer dress behind you in a red Peugot was clearly attending the funeral; but also that the driver of said vehicle was a mild sociopath and would be prepared to run you down for daring to act like any other traffic would.

Very impressive, Mr Holmes.

I would have accepted the possibility that the three funeral cars would be followed by at least three or four normal cars also in the procession, without observing anything about the occupants of the red Peugeot.
That may make me Mr Holmes, Mr Geller or Mr Einstein in your book.
In mine it’s just noting the bleeding obvious. 🙂

slimjim78 – Member

GrahamS is right, a lot of what im reading here is genuinely depressing..
That anyone could draw the conclusion that the shouty agressive driver/passengers (in their 2 ton weapon) were at anyway in the right, and that the cyclist ‘ad it comin’ downright staggers me.

With the exception of the copper’s quote, have you really read much in support of the motorist?
Forgive me if there is overwhelming support for the motorist, I’ve only skimmed the thread so may have missed it. 🙂

I would have accepted the possibility that the three funeral cars would be followed by at least three or four normal cars also in the procession,

so what?

Ah so not actually by observing how “the occupants are dressed” as you stated.

Okay. So when overtaken by a funeral car you should immediately abandon the road, presumably with a deftly executed sideways bunny hop onto the pavement? (not the easiest thing to do on a Brompton) Then presumably wait a few minutes till you can sure that no more mourners are coming?

Question: should I do the same thing when driving? What if I can’t get my car onto the pavement properly because someone has placed some children with faces there?

thomthumb – Member

so what?

So I would have allowed them to pass and stay in a procession.
Did you really need to ask me that?
You could have just read the rest of the thread, you know. The answer was already there. 🙂

So I would have allowed them to pass and stay in a procession.

If they wanted to maintain the procession then the lead cars shouldn’t have f****** overtaken the cyclist!!!

THEY BROKE THE PROCESSION NOT HIM.

With the exception of the copper’s quote, have you really read much in support of the motorist?
Forgive me if there is overwhelming support for the motorist, I’ve only skimmed the thread so may have missed it.

Well for a start, you are arguing the toss..

And then theres the quotes GrahamS posted via the link..

Forgive me Sbob, and yes, I too would have assumed several cars were following the hearse – but the gaps between the last couple of cars were growing, the pace of the rider was considerable (as was the entourage of cars!) and the car that struck him HOOTED SECONDS BEFORE DECIDING TO STRIKE FROM BEHIND!

The cyclist was in total right to do what he did . Yes, in a split second he may have concluded ”ooh, there may be more funeral cars to pass”
but on the same token he may have concluded
”I really need to legally turn right here, after legally signalling to do so, and judging a safe gap/distance to the next following car, which only a mental person would accellerate toward me and this traffic island at this particular point in my journey..” ..and then done so accordingly.

An earlier comment was spot on. What if he wasnt riding a bike but was driving a car? Would the other car still have hit him? Very doubtful to say the least.
Why should it be any different for a cyclist?

If you think it should, you will simply never ‘get it’.

Wow that’s pretty shocking. I mean, even if maybe… just maybe… the cyclist had worked out that the car behind was following the funeral when the horn sounded, by that point it was too late and he’d have been knocked off anyway. The driver’s inability to avoid that situation shows that either he was not fully in control of the car, or that he knocked the cyclist off with intention, both of which I would have thought commanded a stiffer response from the police. You get 3 points for running a red light, even if by accident and nobody gets hurt. The police offer’s explanation is baffling – given that these are not emergency vehicles and again, there is no way he would have been able to tell who was following the funeral. Given he was turning right and the funeral was going straight on, he could reasonably expect the car behind to give way anyway, rather than attempt to run him down. Why were they so far behind? was the courtege going too fast? Overall, it looks like the police are trying to balance this out some how, given that the funeral / grieving relatives situation are seen by the police as mitigating circumstances. But I think this is the police being emotional – I’m not sure they are mitigating circumstances for needlessly running someone down on the roads. All of this nonsense about where he was on the road doesn’t matter – you don’t run him over simply because you can’t get past. And all this ‘the policeman is a cyclist’ is irrelevant nonsense as well, as it was in the Emma Way incident. What makes you a cyclist? Cycling everyday or just once a year? Owning a bike? Cycling on the roads? It does make me wonder of the police are generally anti-bike, or if they’ve just decided it’s one cyclist vs a larger number of funeral attendees.

An earlier comment was spot on. What if he wasnt riding a bike but was driving a car?

Or indeed a motorbike?

So if you substitute a cyclist for a motorbike does the argument still stack up?
No it doesn’t.

Also how does he know if the person whose procession it was, was popular or not? I fully expect my funeral procession to be formed of a single tuktuk carrying the coffin and a moped following.

More than anything it’s the first thing they say that really grinds my gears ” we’re going to a ****** funeral!” Again, it’s the constant **** look at me everybody! We are priority, clear a space, move out of our way, we have children/ a dog/ had cancer in 2003/ have a slight limp/ am tall/ am short/ am wearing heels/ lost my mum 9 years ago/ suffer with depression/ had a heart attack when I was 31 and on and on it goes. We are special, everyone bloody bow to us immediately. We are entitled to special treatment.

Quite honestly, the moment she started bleeting on about her grandad being dead I would have just said good. Idiots.

GrahamS – Member

Ah so not actually by “the occupants are dressed” as you stated.

Someone asked a question and I gave an answer. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other answers to that question.
You’re trying (in a disappointingly poor fashion) to discredit me by pretending I’ve changed my position when I haven’t.
Don’t do that.
It reduces your position to worthlessness, nothing.
It’s also not very nice, and borderline trolling. 🙂

Okay. So when overtaken by a funeral car you should immediately abandon the road, presumably with a deftly executed sideways bunny hop onto the pavement? (not the easiest thing to do on a Brompton) Then presumably wait a few minutes till you can sure that no more mourners are coming?

Have I said that?
No.
You are hyperbolizing and moving the goalposts because that is the only way you’ll score.

Question: should I do the same thing when driving? What if I can’t get my car onto the pavement properly because someone has placed some children with faces there?

See above.

Now stop it or I’ll start calling you names, and I’d rather not as the mods don’t like that. 🙂

GrahamS – Member

If they wanted to maintain the procession then the lead cars shouldn’t have f****** overtaken the cyclist!!!

THEY BROKE THE PROCESSION NOT HIM.

Calm down Graham, there is no need to shout.
It was not unreasonable for the procession to overtake a cyclist cycling so slowly.
Again, I haven’t said the cyclist did break the procession, and haven’t apportioned any blame to him.

Have a Horlicks.

‘the policeman is a cyclist’ is irrelevant nonsense as well

Owning a bike is the new “some of my best friends are black / brown / jewish / muslim / gay / swans”

starfanglednutter – Member

An earlier comment was spot on. What if he wasnt riding a bike but was driving a car?

Or indeed a motorbike?

Then the situation would not have occured.

(apologies for not seperating the quotes)

slimjim78 – Member

Forgive me Sbob

No need, I agree with your entire post, as I have made clear from the start.
Driver 100% wrong.
Cyclist 100% right.

I think some people just like arguing. 🙂

what about weddings, what do we do there?

or christenings? JESUS CHRIST WHY ISN’T ANYONE THINKING OF THE CHILDREN????

You’re trying (in a disappointingly poor fashion) to discredit me by pretending I’ve changed my position when I haven’t.

No, I’m not – you quite plainly claimed that your amazing observation skills would allow you to deduce which cars were part of the cortège by looking at how the occupants were dressed during your lifesaver check.

Hence why people called you a God.

Have I said that?
No.

Okay – you tell me then – if you’d been in that chap’s position and realised you were now in the middle of a cortège with your right turn 20 seconds ahead of you – what would you have done exactly?

Seem to me that thinking “I’ll take my right turn and get out their way” is a perfectly reasonable response.

Now stop it or I’ll start calling you names, and I’d rather not as the mods don’t like that.

Rightly so – me attacking your weak argument is no reason for you to attack my weak character. 🙂

I’m considering running sbob over, just to make a point. Not entirely sure what that point would be, but it would definitively be a good one.

Then the situation would not have occurred.

Exactly, he wouldn’t have dared to drive into him while he was signaling right, I quite agree. If he had, I think he would have been treated more seriously by the police.

It was not unreasonable for the procession to overtake a cyclist cycling so slowly.

Aren’t funeral processions supposed to be slow?

Never mind the cyclist – get the bloody piper out the way!

Like how the woman was doing the threats-Reminds of the time I had a close miss. I did the wtf handsign (ok **** sign). He slammed on. He made to get out of his car- I slammed the door and told him to sit down/calm down (he did). At this his wife went mental and jumped in with two feet telling me I was a deadman etc/she will run me over etc. I looked at him (builder type bloke and he was looking at the floor).

This really worried me. I didnt commute again for 1yr+. Just not worth the risks IMO as a cyclist.

No, I’m not – you quite plainly claimed that your amazing observation skills would allow you to deduce which cars were part of the cortège by looking at how the occupants were dressed during your lifesaver check.

This is what I said:

How about by the way the occupants are dressed?

in response to:

as I said before, how do you know a red hatchback is a funeral car?

I didn’t mention the lifesaver (although I did reply to someone who did).
You’re garnering more information from my posts than I’ve given.

Hence why people called you a God.

One person.
You just can’t help making stuff up, can you?

Okay – you tell me then – if you’d been in that chap’s position and realised you were now in the middle of a cortège with your right turn 20 seconds ahead of you – what would you have done exactly?

Being party to only a tiny glimpse of the situation it would be pointless to answer, but I will just to humour you.

Firstly, I would have been cycling so **** fast I wouldn’t have been overtaken in the first place. 😀
If I had slowed to the speed of the cyclist in the video, perhaps to give myself more time to eye up some skirt on the pavement for instance, I would have either pulled over to the left before my junction, or more realistically caned it across the road behind the last funeral car whilst the white car was still some distance behind.

Out of respect, I would have held back on the wheelies whilst undertaking the manoeuvre.

your weak argument

My argument is not getting run over.
Your argument is getting run over.

I can’t judge the strength or weakness of those positions, but one is definitely less silly than the other. 🙂

RichPenny – Member

I’m considering running sbob over, just to make a point. Not entirely sure what that point would be, but it would definitively be a good one.

Considering my point is not getting run over, you’re not alone in not understanding what you are talking about. 😉

starfanglednutter – Member

Exactly, he wouldn’t have dared to drive into him while he was signaling right, I quite agree. If he had, I think he would have been treated more seriously by the police.

So the funeral cars would have overtaken a car or motorbike on that road?

No they wouldn’t.
Hence why that situation would not have occured.

So the funeral cars would have overtaken a car or motorbike on that road?

No, so the car that clipped the cyclist would not have tried to the cyclist if he’d been on a motorbike. Are you assuming that motorbikes are all really fast and drive in the middle of the road? Shall we call it a pizza delivery moped then? slowing down to turn right? Does that help to visualise it? Why was your last comment provocative? No need for that. Glad you changed it.

Okay, clearly you’re just feeling contrary sbob, so I think I’ll leave you to it with the observation that pulling over to let them past would have meant him stopping at, or very near, either a traffic island or a junction. Personally I don’t think that would have been safer.

And your other apparent option of “just be as awesumz fast as me” might not be quite so easy for a 42 year old carrying luggage on a Brompton.

starfanglednutter – Member

No, so the car that clipped the cyclist would not have tried to the cyclist if he’d been on a motorbike. Are you assuming that motorbikes are all really fast and drive in the middle of the road? Shall we call it a pizza delivery moped then? slowing down to turn right? Does that help to visualise it?

A 50cc moped can do 30mph, so the funeral cars would not have overtaken and the rider (or driver) would not have found themselves in the middle of a procession.
That’s what I meant when I said that the situation would not have occurred.

Why was your last comment provocative? No need for that. Glad you changed it.

Sorry, I thought I had made myself clear when I said the situation would not have occurred, and thought this post;

Exactly, he wouldn’t have dared to drive into him while he was signaling right, I quite agree.

was you deliberately misconstruing what I had said to sarcastically agree with you.
It’s what I get for communicating with GrahamS, I apologize.

Thanks sbob, I’ve figured it out now. You’re a ****, that’s why I want to run you over. It was so simple 🙄

I would have gone on the pavement or got off my bike even, it was a funeral procession, and he wasn’t even close to the kerb

Guys wtf. Why not contact the IPCC with a complaint? Should the cyclist not be on the road?

As a motorist I KNOW I cant overtake a bike inside a traffic island.

Not read the whole thread! Seen the vid though-car driver clearly 100% at fault and the woman really needs to wind her neck in….however, as she was on the way to her grans funeral then she was having a pretty shitty day and I’d be inclined to cut her some slack.

The policeman saying that it was partly his fault needs to be sent on a road safety awareness course!

GrahamS – Member

Okay, clearly you’re just feeling contrary sbob,

I’m clearly contrary to getting run over!
That is all.

so I think I’ll leave you to it with the observation that pulling over to let them past would have meant him stopping at, or very near, either a traffic island or a junction. Personally I don’t think that would have been safer.

Wouldn’t have been safer than actually getting run over?
😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
Pure Guinness.

And your other apparent option of “just be as awesumz fast as me” might not be quite so easy for a 42 year old carrying luggage on a Brompton.

I’m not that far from 42, although I don’t look it, or act it.
I thought the swearing and the smiley made it obvious that the “I’d be going too fast” option was a joke.
The extra clue was the comment about eyeing up skirt, should you have missed the first two.

The third option, which you omit to comment on, is as stated what I’d probably have done.

Ps. Yes I do ride on pavements.

RichPenny – Member

Thanks sbob, I’ve figured it out now. You’re a ****, that’s why I want to run you over. It was so simple

I’d report your post but frankly I couldn’t care what you think.
😀

Wouldn’t have been safer than actually getting run over?

When weighing up my options I don’t usually consider “What if the driver of that car is a borderline sociopath who will deliberately ram me off the road?”

If I did then I’d conclude there were no safe options. Ever. And I’d probably take the bus.

The third option, which you omit to comment on, is as stated what I’d probably have done.

So you’d have “caned it across the road behind the last funeral car whilst the white car was still some distance behind”? That option?

I don’t understand. Caned it across the road to where? The junction was still some way off at that point?

And whose to say the white car driver isn’t also a nutter who’d have run you down for caning it in front of him?

mtfu

looked to me like the cyclist swerved quite erratically each time he looked over his shoulder.. was he drunk at the time..?

I nearly die inside when I do that on the road, let alone doing it repeatedly in the midst of a funeral procession..

Poor bloke.. lucky he didn’t get hurt

FWIW I would have pulled over, respect for the dead and all that

Sorry, the trolling pattern is currently full of sbob.