Driver takes out 50 cyclists

One other thing I must add...

Some cyclists ride dangerously/arrogantly. Some because they are idiots, but some because they are frustrated with one-person Jags, Mercs, and other wholly inappropriate methods of city transport.

This is of-course still in-excusable... but it is no worse than other drivers acting on their frustration.

I agree to a point...but I think we need to separate frustration of some one else's choice of transport and bad driving. There are some one person drivers, of mercs and jags that are good considerate drivers. As there are considerate cyclists who stop at red lights.

yeah but remember the aussie who tried to run over 50 cyclists? cunt.

yeah but remember the aussie who tried to run over 50 cyclists? cunt.

Yeah I think I called him the same thing and suggested he be tied to the ground so the 50 cyclists could take turns riding over him.

I plan to be a cyclist until the day I die. But it will be a sad day if I have to registrar my bikes and pay the government and local council more money than I already do.

I'm hoping London cyclists begin to learn a little discretion before its too late. I just hope this news story doesn't fuel more bad cycling.

Trust me, if you ever see me in the street I will be smiling at you.
I've never, ever been grumpy when on my bike in London. Also any cyclist I see gets a cheery grin, like the idiot i am.

Oxford, on the other hand is a different story, I have gotten and will remain to get very frustrated by the shocking provisions here for a city that is predominantly bike-based. But still, as a rule of thumb, I find myself inanely grinning as I ride around.

this has nothing to do with bad cycling and everything to do with bad driver attitudes.

remember this was a bunch of very experienced, semi-pro/olympic level cyclists, not muppets or smart-arses. there was no indication they did anything wrong. some prick just had a hate-wish.

luckily the law on dangerous drivers in australia is harsh - trust me i have personal experience.

this has nothing to do with bad cycling and everything to do with bad driver attitudes.

remember this was a bunch of very experienced, semi-pro/olympic level cyclists, not muppets or smart-arses. there was no indication they did anything wrong. some prick just had a hate-wish.

luckily the law on dangerous drivers in australia is harsh - trust me i have personal experience.

I was talking about here in London. I used the post of the article as a spring board to discuss a bigger issue.

I'm hoping London cyclists begin to learn a little discretion before its too late. I just hope this news story doesn't fuel more bad cycling.

self-loathing/victim-blaming.

A$0.02

{edit} posted before i read your reply

it is true that some cyclists behave badly, which frustrates motorists. on the whole (having recently moved here) i think this frustration is much less prevalent in london than it is in my home country (australia).

without wanting to excuse bad behaviour by cyclists, i think we need to apply some sort of proportionality here: bad behaviour by cyclists is nowhere near as dangerous as bad behaviour by motorists.

in this case, we're not talking about "dangerous behaviour" or running a risky red light, we're talking about a driver who has consciously and deliberately caused a crash, knowing it would injure a large bunch of cyclists. this was no careless accident, it was a calculated violent act intended to cause injury/death and property damage.

there are no excuses for this sort of behaviour, and there is nothing that can justify it. frankly, frustration at the bad behaviour of some cyclists (RLJ's etc) is just not in the same order of magnitude. and to be honest, cyclist behaviour and law-abiding in australia (sydney or melbourne) is FAR better than in london. [edit] the roads here are much easier and more susceptible to RLJing {/edit}

this fucker is a fucking cunt, no two ways about it.

it is true that some cyclists behave badly, which frustrates motorists. on the whole (having recently moved here) i think this frustration is much less prevalent in london than it is in my home country (australia).

without wanting to excuse bad behaviour by cyclists, i think we need to apply some sort of proportionality here: bad behaviour by cyclists is nowhere near as dangerous as bad behaviour by motorists.

in this case, we're not talking about "dangerous behaviour" or running a risky red light, we're talking about a driver who has consciously and deliberately caused a crash, knowing it would injure a large bunch of cyclists. this was no careless accident, it was a calculated violent act intended to cause injury/death and property damage.

there are no excuses for this sort of behaviour, and there is nothing that can justify it. frankly, frustration at the bad behaviour of some cyclists (RLJ's etc) is just not in the same order of magnitude. and to be honest, cyclist behaviour and law-abiding in australia (sydney or melbourne) is FAR better than in london.

this fucker is a fucking cunt, no two ways about it.

Sorry maybe I didn't explain properly with the first post. I agree with you about the guy in oz. I was discussing the situation here in London. Them (drivers) and us (cyclists) mentality that is forming. While pedestrians often shit their pants because a cyclist has decided to run a red (not literally shitting in their pants).

What do you think we can do about the bad driving?

Imagine we think up a really good solution. Would we be able to get it introduced. What would the immediate reaction of drivers be?

Do you think everyone is going to forget all the bad cyclists? the large number that continue to jump the lights and endanger pedestrians?

What do you think we can do about the bad driving?

Imagine we think up a really good solution. Would we be able to get it introduced. What would the immediate reaction of drivers be?

to be honest, if you'd asked me before i moved to london, i would have said "better driver education".

now, i say "get more cyclists on the road and improve peoples' awareness"

the reason i say this is because despite the much greater traffic density here, i personally feel that the traffic is much more accepting of cyclists. i'm pretty sure the difference is not one of education. i think it's because of two reasons:

a) the traffic is slower - therefore the traffic doesn't feel like cyclists slow it down (cyclists mostly travel at a similar speed to cars in london). cars don't have as much reason to get aggressive.

b) drivers know there are shitloads of cyclists, and are forced to look out for them. i know people complain about drivers not looking, but it's FAR better here than it is in melbourne!

so i feel significantly safer on the roads here, despite the much higher traffic density (and bendy buses). i don't think education works as well as forcing people to pay attention through experience does.

feeling safer in heavier traffic may sound counter-intuitive, but in london i'm the quickest thing on the road. drivers are forced to be aware (to avoid hitting other cars, pedestrians, bikes). in australia i'm constantly getting passed by vehicles travelling 2-3 times my speed, and the drivers don't give a fuck about cyclists.

but to be honest, my dad used to tell me stories about things drivers used to do to him while he was riding, and based on that it's far better than it was 20 years ago.

Some good points. I feel safe-ish on London roads as well. I just presume no one has seen me so expect the driver to take the next left as I'm coming up on the inside etc.

The bad news is the girlfriend wants us to move to oz in the future (she is half Australian). She won't be pleased that you gave me a reason not too ;)

Some good points. I feel safe-ish on London roads as well. I just presume no one has seen me so expect the driver to take the next left as I'm coming up on the inside etc.

The bad news is the girlfriend wants us to move to oz in the future (she is half Australian). She won't be pleased that you gave me a reason not too ;)

try it. the lifestyle is better there, no doubt. the money isn't (which is why i'm here). i'm going back as soon as i'm ready to think about kids ;)

also, assuming the driver hasn't seen you is always the best assumption.

also, you're much better when you're not being a twat.

i think the cycling is better in melbourne than in london. easier to get out of traffic, better air and more scenic.

better for road, better for MTB and many more velodromes.

no offense, london.

i think the cycling is better in melbourne than in london. easier to get out of traffic, better air and more scenic.

better for road, better for MTB and many more velodromes.

no offense, london.

Sunday riding for me is MTB. Mainly x- country, single-track and a little light down hill.

I haven't yet looked to see what oz has to offer in that department. Glad to hear positive stuff.

driver has been playing on GTA too much

Doubt it, you don't get 50-strong packs of cyclists in GTA, not even GTA 4!

As for the driver - what a cunt.

Lol if it was a car that jumped the lights I would be frustrated too. And read the post again. I don't drive anymore. As a cyclist I get annoyed by cyclists jumping the lights. When you consider the statistics. TFL "83% increase in cyclists in the last year. RAC 50% of cyclists jump lights. How long do you think its going to be before we all have to pay to register our bikes? How many bikes you got?

Again ill repeat there are many bad drivers. MANY but that doesn't excuse the bad cycling.

Ok, I've read your post again. I'm glad you don't drive any more.

Ok, I've read your post again. I'm glad you don't drive any more.

I was also glad until about 2 days ago.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/08/1210131112608.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

just awful innit.

these people are out of control !

Duplicate post..
http://www.londonfgss.com/thread5590.html

Merged ;)

Smarty pants..

oops. i had not seen the original.

well spotted.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/13/1210444378585.html

'The driver, calling himself "Jason", telephoned Macquarie Radio last Friday and claimed his car had stalled after "the airbox popped" and blamed the cyclists for failing to watch where they were going'

Yeah, right......

Free 'roids for the trackies and 5 minutes alone with him.

Sydney crash driver misses court - again

By John Stevenson, BikeRadar.com
The driver accused of causing a multiple-bike crash in Sydney, Australia has again failed to turn up to court to defend himself against charges arising from the May 8 incident, according to The Australian.
Thirty-four-year-old Hassan Bakr was due to appear on Tuesday but on Monday sent Waverley Local Court a note saying that he would not be attending and nor would his lawyer.
Bakr was initially charged with not supplying particulars, but charges were recently added of negligent driving, cutting in front of a vehicle and travelling in a transit lane.
In his note to the court, Bakr asked to enter a plea of not guilty to all charges.
He was due to face court last month, but failed to attend, claiming mechanical problems with his car prevented him from getting to Sydney from the country town of Albury, over 500km to the south-west.
On May 8 Bakr is alleged to have stopped suddenly in front of a group of about riders including top track rider Ben Kersten and Kate Nichols, a survivor of the 2005 crash that killed Australian team rider Amy Gillett. Kersten was injured in the ensuing crash.
Eyewitnesses described the driver's actions as intentional.