Driving in the crisis

Ben Nevis · Apr 26, 2020

Four police killed by truck after stopping speeding Porsche driver

The driver took grisly photos of the crash scene before fleeing on foot.

www.expressandstar.com

soulstyledevon · Apr 26, 2020

Ben Nevis said:
Four police killed by truck after stopping speeding Porsche driver

The driver took grisly photos of the crash scene before fleeing on foot.

www.expressandstar.com

Did you read the story...???

A criminal driving a Porsche over the speed limit in Australia was stopped and tested positive for drugs use.
The Police were then arranging the impound of the vehicle and arrest of the driver, who were then unfortunately stuck by a truck and killed...

Just wondering what relevance this post was to the original thread...?

Troglodyte · Apr 26, 2020

Velma's Dad said:
On the times I have been out I haven't noticed any speeding by cars/vans, quite the reverse so far. But maybe in some areas van delivery drivers might be more pressured than usual to get round a larger number of delivery slots (I'm not condoning).

I would have to say, having been neutral in the recent bikes debate thread, that twice this week when out walking on narrow lanes I've had to practically leap into the hedge to get out of the way of riders going far too fast.

I’ve been doing quite a bit of cycling for my exercise and there seem to be loads of pedestrians ambling up the middle of lanes and roads, I guess because there is less traffic. Also many more who do not know which side of the road to walk, when there is no pavement. As a cyclist you should ride to the speed you can see ahead and stop for hazards, but as it is virtually silent vehicle, it is easy to approach pedestrians walking in the middle of the road without them being aware of you, until the last few seconds. You have to brake and lose your momentum, often on the approach to an uphill. Let’s be honest here, there are bad pedestrians, cyclists and motorists!

Velma's Dad · Apr 26, 2020

Troglodyte said:
I’ve been doing quite a bit of cycling for my exercise and there seem to be loads of pedestrians ambling up the middle of lanes and roads, I guess because there is less traffic. Also many more who do not know which side of the road to walk, when there is no pavement. As a cyclist you should ride to the speed you can see ahead and stop for hazards, but as it is virtually silent vehicle, it is easy to approach pedestrians walking in the middle of the road without them being aware of you, until the last few seconds. You have to brake and lose your momentum, often on the approach to an uphill. Let’s be honest here, there are bad pedestrians, cyclists and motorists!

Maybe, but I'm not one of the bad pedestrians. I know which side of the road to walk on (even on the extremely narrow lanes near our house) and don't expect to have to keep looking behind me every 10 metres to see if another road user is coming up too fast behind me. It wouldn't be acceptable if it was a car driver and is no more okay for someone on a bike. Their desire not to brake and lose 'momentum' doesn't trump my right not to be mowed down if I don't get out of their way.

(Sorry for the rant, but I've just been out this afternoon with the dog and although the handful of cars I encountered slowed right down to creep past me, there were literally dozens of bikes and although 80%+ were riding considerably, a significant minority were not.)

Jabberwocky · Apr 26, 2020

Would a bell help? Just an idea. It's always seemed odd to me that it's not a legal requirement to have a horn/bell on a bicycle.

WelshGas · Apr 26, 2020

Jabberwocky said:
Would a bell help? Just an idea. It's always seemed odd to me that it's not a legal requirement to have a horn/bell on a bicycle.

Is it a legal requirement to have a bell on a bicycle?
Existing laws require bikes to be fitted with a bell when they are sold as new but there is no legal requirement to keep them on bicycles or use them on the road. ... The Highway Code merely suggests that cyclists “should be considerate of other road users, particularly blind and partially sighted pedestrians”.

Jabberwocky · Apr 26, 2020

WelshGas said:
Is it a legal requirement to have a bell on a bicycle?
Existing laws require bikes to be fitted with a bell when they are sold as new but there is no legal requirement to keep them on bicycles or use them on the road. ... The Highway Code merely suggests that cyclists “should be considerate of other road users, particularly blind and partially sighted pedestrians”.

I think my post says its not a legal requirement (I should have added once left the shop/dealer).........That's the bit I am puzzled by.

M&E · May 1, 2020

Velma's Dad said:
Maybe, but I'm not one of the bad pedestrians. I know which side of the road to walk on (even on the extremely narrow lanes near our house) and don't expect to have to keep looking behind me every 10 metres to see if another road user is coming up too fast behind me. It wouldn't be acceptable if it was a car driver and is no more okay for someone on a bike. Their desire not to brake and lose 'momentum' doesn't trump my right not to be mowed down if I don't get out of their way.

(Sorry for the rant, but I've just been out this afternoon with the dog and although the handful of cars I encountered slowed right down to creep past me, there were literally dozens of bikes and although 80%+ were riding considerably, a significant minority were not.)

I had the same with a Prius couldn’t hear it