Peds!

Looks like I ran into the released fucktards hippy missed today, no less than 5 times someone stepped out right into my path without so much as a cursory glance as to where they were stepping. 3 of them caused me to fall off my bike, once pretty seriously, if I didn't move my head, it would have been run over by a taxi that would have never been able to stop in time. Come around 4'o'clock it happens again as I'm going full pelt down Oxford St., the guy is facing away from the flow of traffic and steps straight out in front of me, I had half a second in which I *could *have reacted but the red mist had descended and I rode straight into the fucker at full speed and sent him flying, I fell too but I knew it was coming so I fell into a roll and got up pretty quickly. A bystander thankfully made my point for me by telling the guy he shouldn't have stepped out like that and I could have been a bus and he would be a lot worse off. I did feel pretty guilty about five minutes later when the adrenalin and rage subsided though

you know what? After reading the topic, i'm gonna fit those old fashion horn on my bike and blare at anyone who cross the road poorly.

Ha ha ha, I have honestly been considering fitting one of those air horn jobbies to my handlebars the amount of near misses I've had recently

Not a bad day.. in fact, if you removed the ped fuckheads it was a really nice, fast ride. I must've had a tail wind or something? Oh, I left work at 20:30 which might have helped. But I came so close to completely fucking this bitch up.. you have no idea. I still don't know how I didn't take her down.
The other cunts were just there to make me laugh about the stupidity of people in general.

"going full pelt down Oxford St." - well that one is your own fault and intentionally hitting peds is fucked up.

where's "that shit's fucked up" when you need him…

who the hell goes full pelt down oxford st? Irresponsible move imo

who the hell goes full pelt down oxford st? Irresponsible move imo

Cabs and buses mainly.

was going to pose this question in my very own discussion but this seems as good a place as any.
Broke my leg a few years back, when on a motorbike, not doing more than 10-15mph filtering thru heavy traffic down in brixton, man steps out in front of me, looking other way eating chips, I pull hard on brake, lose front end, knee hits concrete, break leg, more concerned about bike, don't realise leg is broken until following evening. operation, on crutches for four-five months.
Now when the police came out to investigate accident I was told that pedestrians have right of way whether light is green or red, and it's upto me to prove that I was not riding dangerously (I know this conversation was in relation to a motorbike accident) but does anyone know if this legal standing is true. Because pedestrians step out like they've got god on their side, not just the law. And its been hacking me off for years, though I have mellowed somewhat, that they seem to disregard not just their safety, but mine as well.

I don't know what its like in the UK, I would assume it's the same. But in the US All the lights are timed on a computer so If any accidents happen, part of the investigation of who is at fault is determined by who had the red or green light. I can't imagine, unless you live in calcutta, that a ped has the right of way no matter what? I think your met was completely full of sh*t and was injecting his own opinion into the situation. That aint the law! The light is the law! (even though I rarely follow it).

Financially motivated unfortunately (I was at work), it wasn't quite intentional, I would have hit him no matter what, I was just exasperated at someone doing the same thing after a day of people doing it and reacted badly and didn't pull the brake in the half second I had to do so. I completely accept that it was a cuntish thing to do but in the heat of the moment and all.... :s

who the hell goes full pelt down oxford st? Irresponsible move imo

Also when you've just spent ten minutes breathing in bus fumes 'cos you've been stuck behind it and the whole road opens up in front of you as far as you can see it's sometimes hard to resist.

Cabs and buses mainly.

They can't.. they're bumper to bumper.

"going full pelt down Oxford St." - well that one is your own fault and intentionally hitting peds is fucked up.

honestly, anyone who cycle down Oxford Street should always be on the lookout for peds, there's never a time when you go down Oxford Street and not have anyone crossing the road (well apart from night time).

Clean took out a Chinese tourist on Oxford Street about 7 years ago on my BMX. He was taking a photo of something, and just kept walking backwards, I had a finger on my brake but I didn't expect him to walk backwards off the kerb. I just jammed the brake on, skidded sideways motoX style and took out both his legs. He seemed OK, but he appeared devastated about his camera. No idea what he was saying, but the amount of 5-0 around I wasn't going to hang about.

i narrowly missed some fatass pikey woman who stepped out on me, she shouted all sort of profanity at me as i cruised down the road. it enraged me but i couldnt be arsed to do anything and eventially forgot about it.

later that evening i was riding back the same way (falmouth is a small town) and saw her again. i was coming from behind, and as hard as could i slapped her arse.

it was a bit lame but i gave myself a mental high five later.

honestly, anyone who cycle down Oxford Street should always be on the lookout for peds, there's never a time when you go down Oxford Street and not have anyone crossing the road (well apart from night time).

I completely agree, thing is I had alreday caused injury to myself 3 times already that day rather than hurt a pedestrian and then this guy pretty much jumped straight out into my path and I had the smallest flash of exasperation, unfortunately that flash took up the 0.5 seconds of reaction time I had and I hit the guy. Felt like a cunt 5 minutes later. I spend all day cycling round the W1 area so basically I'm on constant ped alert, not just Oxford St., and would have to cycle at about 5 miles an hour to be completley safe all day, this isn't really an ption so I just try and take calculated risks which for the majority of the time come off fine, this was just a really bad day.

avoide oxforde streete.

wigmore street is quite helpful.

i had alot of idiots last night in the cold, but the fact that i was wearing a thermal balaclava and a hoodie scared most of them enough to stop texting, take out their earphones and ring the police.

I completely agree, thing is I had alreday caused injury to myself 3 times already that day rather than hurt a pedestrian and then this guy pretty much jumped straight out into my path and I had the smallest flash of exasperation, unfortunately that flash took up the 0.5 seconds of reaction time I had and I hit the guy. Felt like a cunt 5 minutes later. I spend all day cycling round the W1 area so basically I'm on constant ped alert, not just Oxford St., and would have to cycle at about 5 miles an hour to be completley safe all day, this isn't really an ption so I just try and take calculated risks which for the majority of the time come off fine, this was just a really bad day.

You came off 3 times in a day and don't think that perhaps your risk calcuator needs a bit of re-calibrating?

+1 for wigmore st. though oxford st between 11 and midnight is ok.

2 weeks ago I was overtaking a stopped bus going up charing x road. dude stepped out from behind the bus. I hammered on the brakes and more or less stopped the bike with the front wheel between his legs, albeit with a big old endo as I kept going and caught his chin with my helmet (I can see that phrase is coming back to haunt me). All well and good, but I somehow hurt my shoulder and havn't been able to ride or do anything else fun involving my left arm (ahem) since. Quite pissed off.

This sounds like a good way to improve the gene pool (the tribute-layers, that is):
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-breaking-news/2008/10/29/warning-over-floral-tributes-after-boy-8-dies-on-a19-84229-22147064/

So, in summary what you're saying is...

+1 for wigmore st. though oxford st between 11 and midnight is ok.

2 weeks ago I was overtaking a stopped bus going up charing x road. dude stepped out from behind the bus. I hammered on the brakes and more or less stopped the bike with the front wheel** between his legs**, albeit with a big old endo as I kept going and caught his chin with my helmet (I can see that phrase is coming back to haunt me). All well and good, but I somehow hurt my shoulder and havn't been able to ride or do anything else fun involving my left arm (ahem) since. Quite pissed off.

that would be the long and short of it.

thanks for fixing it for me.

Back on subject, I work on Coxford Street and the propensity for ped pandemonium is alarming at all times, so I keep the speed down and the eyes constantly peeled, although I've got some sympathy with wanting to stretch the legs a little when you see some clear road in front of you and escape the fucking choking fumes for 20 seconds

@Festerban - try leaving a little more space between you and tight spots.

I find riding at them forces them to stay still. slow up and they dither then another comes along, then one tries to nip in and so on. ride hard at the space and let them know you are coming through and its fine.
The exceptions are ipods and phone users but i really have no guilt in mowing them down. that's straight darwinism in action!

I have hit my share but only ever catch them, the only full blown impact i did intend. this fuckwit Homeboy walked into the road, looked at me, blanked me, then carried on shouting into his phone taking his time throwing his arms around, rolling with his ganster limp.
So i thought fuck it, and hit him. i heard him scream and shout some stuff but i wasn't really listening.

It did remind me how important it is to lean into them. the worst think that can happen is to clip them and for it to send you into oncoming traffic. so avoid as best you can and use them as a cushion.

But in the US All the lights are timed on a computer so If any accidents happen, part of the investigation of who is at fault is determined by who had the red or green light.

Well in the states you have your silly jaywalking law, whereas here it's not illegal to cross on a red man as long as you've checked. If you as a cyclist hit a ped who checked but didn't see you and wasn't doing anything stupid, it's up to the cyclist to prove he wasn't cycling dangerously even on a red don't cross sign.

But away from lights? IIRC on a road away from a crossing, in the US the motorised vehicles have right of way and that's it. In the UK (in fact in the whole of europe) the ped does. Basically all other things being equal it's up to the biggest least vunerable road user involved to prove it's not in the wrong. or at least that's how I understand it.