[Misc] Dan Walker: Knocked off bike, lands on face.

[Weststander]

Car driver 100% at fault, DW was simply cycling in a lane without any sudden change of direction. Sheer incompetence, DW was in front of him, it was not initially a blind spot incident.

Cyclists are permitted to use that type of road. A cycle lane nearby is an irrelevance.

I recall cycling north a few years back past the Preston Park Hotel (the dump) where an angry bus driver behind me went bananas hooting because I hadn't used the 50m stretch of awful 'cycle lane' (half a pavement with lot of pedestrians on it at that time of day). I didn't do it to annoy anyone, I would've held him up by a few seconds. What a tw@t .... if he'd been taking his bus drivers test, that would've been a fail.

 

[Deleted member 37369]

Car driver 100% at fault, DW was simply cycling in a lane without any sudden change of direction. Sheer incompetence, DW was in front of him, it was not initially a blind spot incident.

Cyclists are permitted to use that type of road. A cycle land nearby is an irrelevance.

I recall cycling north a few years back past the Preston Park Hotel (the dump) where an angry bus driver behind me went bananas hooting because I hadn't used the 50m stretch of awful 'cycle lane' (half a pavement with lot of pedestrians on it at that time of day). I didn't do it to annoy anyone, I would've held him up by a few seconds. What a tw@t .... if he'd been taking his bus drivers test, that would've been a fail.

Precisely!

I've cycled to the Amex this season. It took me a while to try and work out cycle lane/route from the Steine to head north through Brighton. Even now I'm sure I don't do it as well as I could. Cycle lanes have a habit of suddenly coming to an end without any warning and signposting is often shocking to let you know in advance what you need to do. Cycle lanes along the side of a road are also just not safe to ride in due to debris ... smashed glass etc. And shared paths are often hazardous with pedestrians and dogs!

So it's not as simple as ... there's a cycle lane ... why don't cyclists bloody well use them!

 

[chickens]

We seem to have divided into two camps.

Most are agreed that if there was a cycle lane, perhaps Dan could have used it, but we don’t know the stretch of road, whether the cycle lane added significant time to his journey, or is even maintained to a usable standard.

Outside of that we’re split between:

a) it’s the driver at fault.

or

b) it’s the driver at fault, but Dan’s at fault really for not wearing disco lights and screaming ‘I’m Dan Walker!’ at 5 second intervals at the top of his lungs.

 

[Badger Boy]

Well, there are some petulant and thoughtless people in this thread. Very unpleasant comments on the various sides of this.

Personally, I see an accident which happened on a road. A good old fashioned lapse in concentration which, thankfully, didn't cause a loss of life. Sharing the pictures might save a life if someone remembers to wear a helmet having seen the images of Dan and his high likelihood of death had he not been.

Dan could be wearing more visible clothing and have lights on the bike to be easier to see and the driver should have been more careful and better known what was around them. It's a lesson we'd all do well to learn.

 

[AIT76]

Cyclists get moaned at for wearing black, but also for wearing stupid multicoloured gear.
Cyclists are hated by motorists on the road, and also by pedestrians on shared paths.
Cyclists get told off for not using lights, but when they do they're 'too bright and dazzling'.
Cyclists are too slow, or else they're 'whizzing along like they're in the fukkin Tour Der France or summink'

Literally cannot win.

 

[beorhthelm]

Precisely!

I've cycled to the Amex this season. It took me a while to try and work out cycle lane/route from the Steine to head north through Brighton. Even now I'm sure I don't do it as well as I could. Cycle lanes have a habit of suddenly coming to an end without any warning and signposting is often shocking to let you know in advance what you need to do. Cycle lanes along the side of a road are also just not safe to ride in due to debris ... smashed glass etc. And shared paths are often hazardous with pedestrians and dogs!

So it's not as simple as ... there's a cycle lane ... why don't cyclists bloody well use them!

seems should get rid of these cycle lanes, great expense for inconsistent, poor returns.

 

[Horses Arse]

Cyclists get moaned at for wearing black, but also for wearing stupid multicoloured gear.
Cyclists are hated by motorists on the road, and also by pedestrians on shared paths.
Cyclists get told off for not using lights, but when they do they're 'too bright and dazzling'.
Cyclists are too slow, or else they're 'whizzing along like they're in the fukkin Tour Der France or summink'

Literally cannot win.

Absolutely. Cannot understand the hatred for cyclists. Whereas twatish drivers risking the life of others via their incompetence are given a free pass.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Absolutely. Cannot understand the hatred for cyclists. Whereas twatish drivers risking the life of others via their incompetence are given a free pass.

Just watching surgeons on BBC2 - 150,000 trauma patients through road traffic incidents per year. 150,000.

 

[OzMike]

It doesn't look like he had bike lights, or reflective gear on.

 

[Weststander]

Just watching surgeons on BBC2 - 150,000 trauma patients through road traffic incidents per year. 150,000.

Love that series, recording it.

Some UK petrolheads always try to craftily manipulate (as a distraction and to raise the hackles of fellow drivers) all transport/roads discussions into cyclist versus vehicle, missing the elephant in the room that bad drivers hurt/kill huge numbers of vehicle occupants and pedestrians in the UK each year.

133,500 of those casualties are pedestrians, motor cyclists, vehicle occupants.

Cyclists injured 531 others.

 

[Bold Seagull]

It doesn't look like he had bike lights, or reflective gear on.

Were you always the quickest with your hand up at school Mike?

 

[Horses Arse]

It doesn't look like he had bike lights, or reflective gear on.

That won't have helped, it won't be the reason it happened though. That will be lack of car driver concentration (if we are being kind), or anger/annoyance. Unless the car driver didn't have their lights on.

Really, the issue here is that the cyclist wasn't wrapped in a large expensive steel box.

We should have a default legal condition where the motorised vehicle driver has to prove their innocence. Too easy to blame the vulnerable.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Are the advertisements taking the piss now

 

[banjo]

Are the advertisements taking the piss now

View attachment 157497

 

[Stat Brother]

Just watching surgeons on BBC2 - 150,000 trauma patients through road traffic incidents per year. 150,000.

4.5 road deaths a day - but as that's down from 6 it's completely acceptable and a small price to pay for all of our vehicular freedom.

 

[OzMike]

Were you always the quickest with your hand up at school Mike?

I didn't bother with this thread till later and just made an observation, having just seen it.
Yes, I was regularly top of my class, for what it is worth.

 

[OzMike]

That won't have helped, it won't be the reason it happened though. That will be lack of car driver concentration (if we are being kind), or anger/annoyance. Unless the car driver didn't have their lights on.

Really, the issue here is that the cyclist wasn't wrapped in a large expensive steel box.

We should have a default legal condition where the motorised vehicle driver has to prove their innocence. Too easy to blame the vulnerable.

From what I could see, the car had it's lights on.
Looks like the cyclist was riding without due care and attention.
In certain conditions it is hard to see a car without it's lights on, let alone a cyclist..

 

[Horses Arse]

From what I could see, the car had it's lights on.
Looks like the cyclist was riding without due care and attention.
In certain conditions it is hard to see a car without it's lights on, let alone a cyclist..

Only if you aren't concentrating. That said, with these sodding bright modern headlights it is common to be blindsided by oncoming cars these days.

Haven't watched the footage tbh. And who the hell is Dan walker anyway?

 

[Weststander]

From what I could see, the car had it's lights on.
Looks like the cyclist was riding without due care and attention.
In certain conditions it is hard to see a car without it's lights on, let alone a cyclist..