f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Down in the town this morning walking up the main road and three of our lycra clad cycling fraternity pass me at a fair old lick while a dad and his two kids are approaching the zebra crossing up the road.

The youngest lad (around 8 years old I would say) steps onto the crossing without realising how fast these three are approaching and while his Dad tries to haul him back all three of the cyclists then try to avoid them. In the confusion one of them collides with him and his Dad luckily having scrubbed off at least some speed.

The lad has a cut on his head where the cyclist knocked him over and the cylist is grazed. Then the fun starts. The cyclist goes ballistic at the lad grabbing him and the Dad weighs in giving the cyclist what can only be described as a bit of a slapping. Then his two mates try and break it up. Both lads are in tears and it is all round unpleasantness.

Eventually with the help of some onlookers it calms down and someone has called the police. The Dad is telling the cyclists to hang around for the police, but they decide to get on their way.

By this time I am at the scene and tell the Dad I am happy to be a witness as saw it all unfold so leave him my card. The lads had calmed down by then and were being looked after by one of the staff of the pharmacy.

Bit of blame all round I think, but the cyclists were tanking on and I can't help but think that speed like that isn't the best thing in a busy pedestrian area and without the best stopping power too. Not sure they should have done a runner from the scene either!

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Typical weekend warriors, I cycle most days and I treat all road regulations as I would in a car, 220 pounds of me on a 25 pound MTB plus whatever I am carrying carries a lot of kinetic energy so I avoid pedestrians as I come off and break stuff and potentially I could kill someone. I think cyclists get over defensive sometimes due to the disparity in size between them and other traffic and perhaps forget that they carry a lot more energy at 20 mpg than a pedestrial at 3 mph, especially a small pedestrian.

This is 100 percent the cyclists fault, Zebra crossings are way a pedestrian has right of way and traffic of any kind has to stop, road users need to be aware, ok so do pedestrians but the road users carries the bulk of the responsibility.

Behaviour like this from cyclists does nothing for the image of cycling, there will now be several Youtube vids where the dad in this instance perhaps says **** you and overtakes when he could of waited, then they get all like Ronaldo laying it on for the referee.

Chip

Good on you. Most people would have just walked on by these days.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

What he said.

Poor road sense from the cyclists (anticipation) and grabbing a young lad is never on.

It's a PITA when we (correctly) play the vulnerable road user card but then don't look out for the more vulnerable ones...

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Yeah I here what you are saying but the lad did step out a bit sharpish, I think his Dad took his eye off him for a split second and kids will be lids granted, but you're right the cylists were going a bit too quickly IMO and leaving the scene wasn't cool.

JonMc

iTrader: (51)

Totally agree, the rules of the road apply to all vehicles and only the other day I stopped at a zebra crossing while pounding up a hill only to be met by a comment of 'I wouldn't have expected you to stop going up hill'. Nice sentiment but if the woman had been different and stepped out I would have been screwed had I not stopped.

I hope the old bill find these retards and turn their bikes into bean cans so that decent cyclists stop getting tarred with the same brush

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

I think he grabbed the lad more in a moment of shock than anything, but his Dad didn't wait to see if he would let him go.... as any Dad wouldnt have!

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

Pathetic excuse for bottling it up a hill

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Well it pisses me off when you see things happen and no one else wants to get involved so it seemed the right thing to do!

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Well I have written down as good a description as I can of them and I think I have seen them in the town before so they are more than likely locals.

I think they just panicked when other people started getting involved and I hope they will call the police later themselves.

JonMc

iTrader: (51)

I wish, I still had to get up it, but from a standing start

PaulC72

Well done for helping, cyclist at fault no argument there.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I am worried that everyone is agreeing, can someone mention "Road Tax", "Lycra clad Gayers" and "Cycle Paths" to restore the balance please

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Actually they did look a bit....

To be honest as much as what they did (or one of them did) was wrong it was just an unfortunate sequence of events. I don't think they realised quite how difficult it would be to stop on a greasy road from the speed they were doing and that to me is what caused the issue really and where the fault lies.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

You forgot helmets....

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I once had a young kid, looking over his shoulder, step out in front of me. I shouted "Look out!" or some such thing.
His mother promptly started shouting and bawling at me to "Speak to him properly you piece of **** or I'll rip your f*cking head off.....!"

You can't win......

finalzero

run the bikers over in future

mart360

Bloody pedalists!! Give them a bit of lycra and some cloppy pedals and they think there eddie mercx (sp) lol

Its funny how racing on the public highway is an offence, but pedalists regularly put out "warning road race triangles" and ace round the local high and byways lol

Quick solution

Test, Tax, MOT & Insurance


Mart

davyboy

He just looked on when there was a bit of aggro. Only when they cycled off did he offer to be a witness.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

As it happens I didn't really get to the scene until your lycra clad mates decided to run away, but yeah I sure wish I'd had you number to call you and ask what a real tough hard man would have done!

dpb

I guess the kid wasn't a heffer or he'd a bent the forks?.

nik52wrx

Good job it was a cyclist and not a car that hit him.

Nik

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

trolololol

mrmadcap

As far as I am concerned the pedestrian always has right of way, very poor anticipation on the part of the cyclist which has already been said.

The thing is the cyclist are probably car drivers also, so a very bad attitude was displayed against the pedestrians.

dpb

They'd prosecuted for jaywalking anywhere else

mart360

Mart

Leslie

Certainly poor riding by the cyclists and very bad behaviour too. Glad to hear you stayed to help the father.

Les

Camsedin

not read it all. but even if the little lad ran onto the crossing fast without warning it is still the duty of any cars or people on bikes to stop. and any fault will be with them.

sssssteeeee

A program was on telly recently about this very problem, i see it my self going to work comming home from work, i call them tour de francers they think the world is gona end and so must get that 32 mph and then drive 3 feet from the curb side = accident waiting to happen. they go through a red light and wonder why the car from side hit them ??? hardly rocket science is it. and forgod sake those bloody licra suites!!!! what on earth, hows that going to protect in event of hitting road.when i was younger there were cycling profiency tests. not now

scoobeenut

The prupose of a Zebra Crossing is to allow pedestrians a safe place to cross the road and for drivers/cyclists etc. to know that this is the case. The crossing still requires a degree of mutual understanding and respect by both users.

Pedestrians should stop and wait to ensure that vehicles are going to stop before they cross and likewise drivers/cyclists should always be prepared to stop if thay see someone waiting at the crossing. Pedestrians should not just walk out into the path of traffic regardless.