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news
Critical Mass pic credit Lap Fung Chan Flickr Creative CommonsHit and runs reported at London Critical Mass ride + VIDEO
A series of hit and run incidents has been reported by cyclists attending a Critical Mass ride last night in London.
Road.cc has been made aware of a number of eyewitness accounts and videos of disturbing events including at least one female rider ‘run over like a speed bump’.
The cameraman wrote on YouTube: “Unfortunately my video doesn't capture what happened just before. But from what I saw and what I pieced together, the driver of this BWM pushed forwards into someone holding traffic at the junction in the background, they went over onto the hood of the car, their bike went under the wheels.
“He seemed to walk away from that without being hurt. Car then accelerated through and was aggressively weaving though and past other cyclists and then that's when the video picks up. He clips the cyclist next to me, who then falls backwards onto me. “The details then get sketchy here, but another silver car (astra maybe?) also accelerates across the junction further up the road and literally runs over a female cyclist, she was then taken to hospital to check her over.
"It looked like the car had driven over her leg. “Then while everyone is recovering from this and we're talking to the Police a 243 bus then knocks another cyclist over. No details on that one though.”
A road.cc reader, Elisabeth Anderson, contacted us with her eyewitness report of the incident. She said:
We'd cycled past Russell Square and were waiting at the lights to turn left into Theobald's Road and CM was pretty much finishing but there was a short hold-up so we stopped at the lights behind some cyclists on the left of the road.
I was standing next to a friend chatting waiting to move off and noticed a silver Astra in the right-hand lane as the passenger was talking to some cyclists. Initially I thought she was just chatting but after a while I realised she was shouting at cyclists. A couple of people talked to her but then started to just ignore her and she stopped shouting.
A few seconds later I heard a revving engine and the Astra lurched forwards hitting a group of cyclists and knocking them out of the way.
People started to shout to stop but the car accelerated through more cyclists, knocking them to the ground until the driver hit a woman from behind who was waiting at the lights at the junction.
The driver just knocked her over and drove right over the top of her and her bicycle. We were a few feet away and I don't think I'll ever forget the sight of a car driving over a person like she were a speed bump.
The car then accelerated down Kingsway, leaving the woman injured and lying in the road. A number of of went after the driver, although not sure what we would have done if we caught him, but at least managed to get the registration number and description of the vehicle.
The driver ran straight through a series of red lights and after a few miles chase through London, we lost him. A guy that was trying to catch him up realised we'd lost the car.
He got off his bike and doubled up and broke down that we'd not managed to catch the driver.
I phoned my friend and he was still at the ride so I went back, fully expecting to find a dead body, but the woman was miraculously not severely injured. She had scrapes and bruises and was being taken off to hospital as the police took details.
Maybe some people feel that they are held up by cyclists but whatever the reason they justify this to themselves, this person decided to use a vehicle as a weapon against an entirely innocent person but this driver will be going to prison now. There are many witnesses and all of whom will not let this rest until this driver faces the consequences of this violent act.
Critical Mass rides are controversial both within and outside the cycling community.
Five cyclists arrested during Critical Mass on the night of the Olympic Games opening ceremony last July were found guilty at Westminster Magistrates' Court of offences relating to a breach of section 12 of the Public Order Act.
Nine people originally went on trial earlier this month from a total of 182 people originally arrested, but three were discharged earlier on during the proceedings.
In common with most Critical Mass rides around the world, the one in London, which began in April 1994, does not have organisers and is viewed by participants not as a protest but as a celebration of cycling.
It gathers at the South Bank on the last Friday of each month and heads off on an undefined route that will often take in locations such as Parliament Square.
In 2005, the Metropolitan Police sought to have ‘organisers’ submit a route for authorisation six days before each Critical Mass in London in line with Section 11 of the Public Order Act 1986.
One participant sought and obtained a declaration from the High Court that Critical Mass should be exempt from those requirements, and while the police successfully appealed to the Court of Appeal, the House of Lords upheld the original decision that no notification is required.
On the night of the Olympic opening ceremony on 27 July, police had warned participants to stay on the south side of the Thames and away from the Olympic Park.
A message on the London Critical Mass website at the time said: "Most London cyclists will know about the regular monthly Critical Mass ride this evening.
“Many will also know that the police seem concerned about it, because of all the Olympic traffic.
"It might be assumed that, as usual, the mood of Critical Mass will be to peacefully assert the right of cyclists to travel safely wherever they want in London.
"But in case the police – who normally leave Critical Mass alone – were to decide to intervene this month, it would be good to have lots of people prepared to be peacefully assertive."
Following the events on the night of the Olympic opening ceremony, the website stated: "It appears the ride was joined by some other groups and it became considerably fragmented, though London CM itself is being given all the credit for what took place."
Latest Comments
- hawkinspeter 3 sec ago
Hmmm - robotic squirrels. I can't see any problem with them inevitably turning against their creators....
- ktache 1 hour 20 min ago
I had been disappointed not to find Giro highlights on Quest, just seen an ad for it on DMax. Happy now.
- Justanotherhuman 1 hour 49 min ago
What's that crap on the left, been in auckland. Really makes those white lines and foldable plastic wands look like a 3 year thought of the idea
- Simon E 2 hours 1 min ago
She will not get many votes for her pledges or policies. Most of the votes will be simply because she wears a blue rosette. The bollocks she spouts...
- Ride On 2 hours 43 min ago
Replies much appreciated.
- chrisonabike 3 hours 16 min ago
You mean like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkCpA91NqBw
- chrisonabike 3 hours 20 min ago
Thanks to locals for reviews. And obviously the people who got this through!...
- Rendel Harris 5 hours 28 min ago
Welcome, hope it works!
- ROOTminus1 6 hours 7 min ago
And if I tried to inspire you that critical thinking isn't just about finding problems with someone else's logic?...
- jonah1961 6 hours 23 min ago
Same here Luca, I subscibed this morning but wonder whether the creaky website takes a while to update?
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76 comments
I hope the injured cyclists recover and their assailants feel the full force of the law.
Unfortunately I don't quite buy the argument that critical mass is just a regular gathering for cyclists. The routes typically wind around the west end at rush hour which is not a good place for a relaxing ride. There's more than enough aggression out there and stoking the fire helps no one and I think turns public opinion against cycling.
I have attended space4cycling as I think there is a constructive goal to be achieved in altering the law for HGV's in particular.
Sure, change is desperately needed but I don't think critical mass is the way to do it
public opinion is not limited to the (mostly) taxis in the west end. Most people that see Critical Mass are not in vehicles, and not held up at all. For many pedestrians and people outside pubs or hanging out of windows, CM puts a smile on their faces, people take photos, applaud/cheer, high five us and ask what's going on. The dissent from pedestrians is almost non-existent.
I don't think anyone expects someone that's just been corked will go home and buy a bicycle, but someone that sees 900 cyclists riding past and having a good time may well consider it.
I guess we can all have our opinions here but really they are irrelevant. The law is very clear on CM. It's legal (much to the mets disgust it should be noted). Therefore anyone being hit by cars is entitled to the full protection of the law and all due insurance claims etc. It is not our job to tell people they should or shouldn't ride them. As for 900 riders causing delays? That's a fart in a stadium in London traffic terms, and doesn't excuse these drivers behaviour.
Gkam, you can't really judge people cycling in London until you cycle in London on a regular basis. Parts are good, parts are abysmal. And you can't say it's the fault of the motorist, or the #bloodycyclists, or the busses, or the lorry drivers. It's the infrastructure of the city that makes us face danger everyday as routinely as we do.
The purpose of Critical Mass is to draw attention to this, and get it fixed. A critical mass ride on adequate infrastructure wouldn't affect motorists at all, just like their movements wouldn't affect cyclists.
As for the hit and run driver, the fact that he ran a series of red lights means he'll have been caught on cctv. Hopefully the courts will hand him down an appropriate punishment for using his car as a weapon too.
I never understand why one car driver being held up by 5-10 mins has more rights to get where they're going than 900 cyclists. It's the same as when a bunch of cyclist on a country road gets abused by a single occupied car for holding them up. Why do the rights of the few trump the rights of the many?
Why motorists think its there god given right to travel at or above the speed limit always baffles me.
Never attended the critical mass protests but I fully support them. Critical mass has its roots in the "stop de kindermoord" campaign in the Netherlands and was instrumental in the development of the Dutch cycle infrastructure. They compliment the other pressure on the authorities to accommodate cyclists on the road.
Without protest of this nature (and the bigger the better) the politicians would do buggerall.
In your opinion, maybe not, but in mine (remember I do NOT drive, only cycle and use public transport and RARELY in London)
So having said that, my opinion on it is, at 6pm, more likely later once everyone gets going. There will still be quite alot of people trying to get home from the city after a day of work, by holding the mass at this time, it DOES cause some serious disruption to those travelling home, whether in car's, vans OR on public transport.
The other factor, I have seen it in most of the mass video's I've watched and I have seen many, they are all pinging bells and blasting horns on a constant and regular rate. Thats a nuisance in itself to the communities they travel through. Those devices are there to make yourself know and for safety, NOT just to make a noise because there is a massive group of you. The other thing, noise pollution, there is almost always some person on a bike with a trailer carrying a sound system.
By all means, go for a ride, but why all the noise and disruption, you don't see this in normal rides that people go on in groups, for instance, sportives.
It DOES get on my nerves that the CM seem to think they are above the law and do cause a nuisance on a regular basis.
There is no right for one group to infringe the right of others to use the road, which happens with frequency on the mass.
There is also NO justification for drivers to mow down cyclists. But as we keep seeing, this is not just happening at the mass. Just because this happened to be caught on camera does not make it any worse than what is happening on a daily basis though-out the country.
By blocking junctions and using the tactics of the mass, it DOES put cyclists in a bad light to those that your are inconveniencing, whether just for 5-10 minutes does not matter. You are not going to convince me anything else.
If you want to block traffic, get the police to ride with you for safety, as they HAVE the right to control traffic, a normal member of society does not.
Also, let buses past for crying out loud, we are looking to get people out of their cars....right? So if they do not want to cycle, they could use public transport, if they are going to be held up, they might aswell just use their car.
I am really hoping to get down to London at some point in the future to be part of the mass for myself and witness just exactly what goes on, for no other reason than personal experience. Because it does look interesting.
This may sound like a ranting troll post. It is not that, just my personal opinion, everyone is entitled to that at least
BREATH.....peace out
Well in my opinion, and evidently in the Mets opinion too given the lack of conditions.
Making noise in the west end is hardly a significant disruption to the community. Its not like we're going into some serene little village in the sticks where you can hear birds tweeting.
You seen to have gone from "I'm not sure this is legal" to "it doesn't matter if it's legal, because I don't like it".I've shown you that what cm does is legal, but you still insist on characterising it as being "above the law"
We can neither request nor prevent the police from escorting us round but I suspect there are better uses of police resources on a busy Friday night in Westminster than babysitting some cyclists.
I agree with you on the buses though.
Totally agree GKam. I find that motorists don't react particularly well when people are dictating terms to them. This sort of action unfortunately atagonises them and then when thick idiots like the Astra and BMW driver see me on my bike out on my own it makes me more vulnerable.
If you want to make a protest or raise awareness there are better ways than riding around like CM. I would go as far as to ask them to stop until they can sort something out more constructively as their actions make me feel unsafe, not safer.
Whatever we do, we must make sure we don't annoy the motorists.
Time again I keep reading everywhere from so called cyclists and cycle advocates that they want the UK's roads to be safer places for its most vulnerable users, but do not want anything to encroach on motorised traffics 'right' to convenience.
They also want more people on bicycles yet moan incessantly about Critical Mass, sportives or any kind of mass ride.
They need to face up to the simple fact that for anything to change on the UK's roads the car has to be made to be the least convenient form of transport. It needs to be made the most expensive option if driving into a city, more so if there's only one occupant.
It seems that underlying all the moaning is the simple fact that those cycling advocates are too scared to stand up to the possibility of inconveniencing motor traffic and, what seem to becoming more apparent, despise the social aspect of cycling, as reflected in the opinion of any kind of such gatherings.
Unless of course, its sponsored by Sky, where everyone is forced to wear helmets and hiviz tabards and accept being barked at by stewards with megaphones!
You are quite the dickhead if you think for a second that we don't SHARE the roads with other road users, especially heavier and more powerful in their capabilities. Gandhi didn't make his point by antagonising the British by stopping them doing what they did, he did it by effective political demonstration. CM seem wide of the mark and they certainly don't represent myself and many other club riders who know the need to exist with other road users.
You can still work the system to get what you want (and I certainly don't think you should tow the line if they are being objurate). But you have to consider the effects of your actions. A controlled protest will seemingly have the establishment support and not wind up the four wheel army.
It has been argued that Gandhi and his methods actually slowed down the process of Indian independence from British colonial rule.
Limiting a campaign to only one form of action is incredibly emasculating and just plain stupid. Non-violence has its place but it is not the only form, or method of protest.
Also, using Gandhi as an icon of protest should come with the knowledge that he had correspondence with Hitler addressing his as "Dear Friend" and was incredibly racist towards Africans when he worked in South Africa.
Have you tried the other route of political action? You adherence to a rather singular approach appears to belie your intelligence....
You ask if I have tried other methods and then smugly make a judgement about my intelligence because you have preemptively answered your own question?
I commented about your insistence (as lots of sopping wet liberal cycle advocates seem to do) that the only way to affect change is by "being like Gandhi" and doing nothing.
I have a plethora of tools at my disposal. I just dont swear off any or pledge a blind allegiance to only one. Nor do I go around telling people what forms of their activism are acceptable in my eyes.
Unlike you.
What a wanker.
because they are in metal boxes and with the push of their foot they can kill us
I used to be on the fence when it came to CM but i'm now leaning more in favour of them. LIke any group there is a small minority that is up for taking it further and I don't condone those actions.
While i'm not up-to scratch in regard to the law and red lights when it's a procession it is actually safer to have large group of cyclists together rather than letting motorists getting caught in the middle of several bunches. From the many clips i've seen (and that is for too many) it seems a lot of the problems do escalate when the above scenario happens and the resulting arguments (sometime violence) actually slow down the traffic EVEN more.
In regards to the ONLY the Police stopping the traffic well here's a simple question WHY DONT THEY?? Surely it's not that difficult to have a dozen or so Police on bicycles to hold (cork) the traffic at junctions so that the Mass can proceed together. That way motorists wouldn't get as pissed off as they are being held by an official and not by some (hipster) as they would no doubt call them.
I have my own opinions as to why they don't (aggravating the motorists and causing flash-points plays into their hands)
I'm looking forward to attending my first mass in August. Like the majority i will be peaceful (well cheering anyway LOL )
A illustrated bit of history.....
As alatronic alludes to, the relationship between Critical Mass and the met Police isn't a good one. It all started back in Sep 2005, when without warning, the Met handed out leaflets saying that if Critical Mass didn't let them know who the organiser was, and where they were going, then it would be illegal, and they would have the option of prosecuting anyone taking part.
http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk/gomm.html
Needless to say the following Mass was HUGE. It was my first Critical Mass and its difficult to compare then to what happens now but I remember there being a marching samba drum band going along with us and lots and lots and lots of bikes. And, I believe, no arrests.
So then for the next 3 years, a member of CM, Des Kay, challenged the police in the courts over the legality of CM and the need to provide advance notice. He won, then the Met appealed and won, then Des appealed again to the House of Lords, which is where the ruling mentioned earlier comes into play, confirming that CM is legal.
During this time, and afterwards as well, there was usually a police escort on the CM rides, on pushbikes, ranging from half a dozen to sometimes 30 or more coppers.
http://www.paulbrockphotography.co.uk/Friends/Critical-Mass-May-2006/352...
http://www.paulbrockphotography.co.uk/Friends/Critical-Mass-May-2006/352...
As you can see, there tended to be a divide at the start. The police kept themselves to themselves and we didn't talk to them. The BIG problem though, was the inconsistency. Some months, the police were brilliant. Friendly,chatty, they corked or were happy for us to do it, defused any confrontations, they felt like regular members of the Mass, except in uniform.
Some months, they were awful. Controlling, aggressive, constantly threatening riders with arrest, blocking off our way forward for far longer than necessary only to repeat it at the next junction;it wasn't much of a ride. On one occasion, one of them waved riders through red lights, only for his colleague a little further up the road to pull those riders over and ticket them! I also recall towards the end of one ride the loudspeakers on a police van were used to shout insults at us - "GO HOME, AND GET A WASH FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIVES YOU SMELLY SODS".
And then....they stopped turning up. And all was good. Till a year ago, when the Olympics happened.
The Met imposed conditions on the ride, but failed to adequately communicate those conditions with the cyclists and arrested 182 people. They tweeted the restrictions 49 minutes after the start of the CM ride.
https://twitter.com/MetPoliceEvents/status/228925116715778048
Most CM cyclists thought it was very heavy handed, most police thought we were troublemakers.
The vans in this video were JUST for CM.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEu_VCqQA94
Most charges were dropped, and only 5 out of 9 (from the original 182) that made it to court were found guilty of breaching conditions applied to the ride.
http://road.cc/content/news/78316-guilty-verdicts-five-critical-mass-par...
So, in summary, I don't miss the police escort. They didn't get what CM was about, even on the 'good' rides, and more often caused problems.
Anyway, back on topic.....
Technically I could be a procession, BUT, it would require certain things to be done. Have they??
Section 11 -
Advance notice of public processions requires at least 6 clear days' written notice to be given to the police before most public processions, including details of the intended time and route, and giving the name and address of at least one person proposing to organise it; creates offences for the organisers of a procession if they do not give sufficient notice, or if the procession diverges from the notified time or route
Section 14 -
Imposing conditions on public assemblies
provides police the power to impose conditions on assemblies "to prevent serious public disorder, serious criminal damage or serious disruption to the life of the community".
The conditions are limited to the specifying of:
the number of people who may take part,
the location of the assembly, and its maximum duration.
Yes the conditions are met. House of lords ruled it met the commonly or customarily held condition of subsection 2 negating the impossible requirement to give details of organisers and routes.http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldjudgmt/jd081126/metr...
And the police have imposed conditions on the mass per section 12,but that was last done a year ago when it coincided with the Olympic opening ceremony. Most months there are no conditions applied.
( A 5-10 minute delay for road users does not constitute serious disruption IMHO)
Suggest those who feel appropriately qualified to do so write to Arriva (either CEO David Martin in Sunderland or Tottenham Depot where 243 fleet is based) asking for their report on the incident and action taken to prevent any recurrence of such driving by the holder of a vocational licence who, for driving on a TfL London Buses contract, should have been through CPC training which includes a module on safe operation of buses and cycles on the carriageway.
Occasionally, heaven forefend that I would advocate this, but in an interaction with a motor vehicle likely to depart the scene, it may be beneficial to 'mark' the vehicle as severely as sensible contact may permit.
NB Arriva are a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn
More of this horrible cyclists-are-not-real-human-beings stuff. Very depressing, worrying and saddening to read.
The politics or employment status of the victims are not relevant in the slightest.
People were f***ing driving into them and running over them. With intent.
Disgusting behaviour
Motrorists running over fellow humans.
Taxi Driver threatening to rape and murder female cyclist
Moped rider hitting cyclists with a baseball bat
London Bus Driver trying to drive his bus thru a group of cyclists
AND WHY??
All because their journey is held up for 10 minutes at a junction.
I was there last night, it was horrific. I'd already gone round the corner so wasn't in the path of the violent driver, but I heard a shout go up and turned round to see a bicycle thrown into the air and the driver speed off. Utterly appalling.
There were in fact 3 intentional collisions in a short space of time, a BMW (in the video) which carried a male rider for several seconds on its bonnet, the Astra, by far the worst collision which knocked down a female rider, and then the bus, which intentionally drove into cyclists that were corking it. The police pulled the bus driver over, cleared it of passengers and spent several minutes talking to him, unsure of outcome. - photo https://plus.google.com/104859346014137939134/posts/ZyqRFtLJRKF
Thankfully, no life-changing injuries reported. Woman hit by Astra spent 7 hours in hospital but has since been discharged and is keen to get back on her bike.
Critical Mass is not a fringe of anarchic extremists. Last night there were 900 riders, and even London Cycling Campaign is (cautiously) offering support. Greenpeace had a presence on the ride. It is cyclists, that's all. We ride around town together rather than individually and have cool sound systems. Drivers get annoyed with us, in the same way that they get annoyed with you when you cycle round on your own.
PS The Olympics quote attributed to criticalmasslondon.org.uk is incorrect. In fact it came from the wholly separate counterolympicsnetwork.wordpress.com. Most media made that mistake though so I'll let you off!
Typical londoners having demonstrations and drivers getting aggressive
just move to the countryside where people are nicer and the pace of life is slower...
I was on this ride last night and was chatting to a friend when a driver (after this clip) rammed through us and ran over his friends bike, trapping her underneath it and injuring her leg that required a hospital visit.
Its annoying to have to point this out but Critical Mass is not a demonstration, nor any kind of protest, so please change the byline and remove the word. It is a 'ride' where people meet underneath Waterloo Bridge on the last Friday of every month then ride around until each individual decides they have had enough.
As I said above, its not a demonstration and if everyone from the cities moved to your precious countryside, I bet you'd be moaning like those nimbys down in the New Forest faster than their eyes swivel.
It is NOT a 'ride" as you say, Its a 'Movement'
It it were a 'ride', then all those blocking junctions would be arrested on the spot for obstructing the flow of traffic. This does not happen....does it? Any other day of the week, get a group together and try blocking the junctions, see what happens.
If it were a 'ride' where people cycling around London until they have had enough and go home, there is NO need to block the junctions.
I am not for or against the critical mass.
I am against what this driver did.
But I am also against cyclists breaking and bending the law to please their needs above all others.
Legally, it's a procession under the 1986 public order act, which is why once the front of the mass has gone through lights the rest can follow even after the lights have changed.
imagine if car, taxi and lorry drivers flocked into to central London and blocked up the streets so no-one else could move... I'm sure the police would move in then in force
oh, that happens twice a day, doesn't it?
when petrol and diesel prices go up lorries bring motorways to a gridlock and close down ports. i'd say that was a bit more extreme than critical mass slowing traffic down for half an hour....
the lorries sometimes get the results they want too - cheaper fuel.
so based on this past success, why dont cyclists hold a critical mass that brings london traffic to a halt for a few days... maybe chose a particular spot that is known as having a bad cycle superhighway, where people often die.
a mojor roundabout for example....
obviously its more difficult for cyclists to blockade a road like a lorry does. but based on precedent it CAN get results.
just a crazy idea i dreamt up
(the campsite at st pauls also caused a lot of attention to an issue)
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