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Bristol Post goes rabid about cyclist "without lights"

Unfortunately, commentors btl have pointed out that the motor traffic is stationary and that the blinking red thing on the clearly visible cyclist's seatpost, also clearly seen, is - in point of fact - "a light".

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/cyclist-death-wish-filmed-dashcam-945450

(I wouldn't... )

'Cyclist with death wish' filmed on dashcam narrowly avoiding crash in Bristol

A cyclist riding without lights or high-vis in the dark has been caught on a dashboard camera maneuvering dangerously in front of cars.

Riding along Coronation Road in Southville during busy post-football traffic on Saturday, December 16, the cyclist appears to cross over - away from the shared cycle lane - towards the oncoming traffic.

The driver who captured the incident at around 5.30pm said if he was driving any faster the cyclist could have ended up under his wheel.

"If I had been going a little faster then he would've been dead," said the motorist who wished to remain anonymous.

"He seemed to have a death wish, he had no lights on, it was dark and on a Saturday evening after the football match at Ashton Gate so there were loads of people. It was so dangerous.

"I couldn't believe what he was doing, he lost control at one point and I had to slam on my breaks and beep my horn.

"If I wasn't a careful driver then I would've run him over and I would've been blamed, it would've been seen as my fault," he added.

"This is just dangerous cycling. He was putting himself and other drivers at risk with his behaviour."

The cyclist rode off into the dark uninjured.

"People really need to be more careful when driving on the road, take proper precautions, make yourself visible. Use your common sense," added the motorist.

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29 comments

Avatar
MonkeyPuzzle | 6 years ago
2 likes

I'm on a self-imposed never-click-on-the-Bristol-effing-Post diet. It's where the expression "going postal" comes from.

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Jeffmcguinness | 6 years ago
5 likes

This is the best bit from the article...

"The cyclist comes perilously close to the cars driving behind."

Just consider that sentence for a second.

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brooksby | 6 years ago
2 likes

The Post has just put up a story about an Avon & Somerset police officer on a bike looking through a Bentley's window at traffic lights and pulling the driver over for using a phone at the wheel yes yes  (unfortunately, doesn't way whether they went ahead to fine them or just 'had a word'...).

If you really want to: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/police-officer-riding-bike-pulls-952101

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maviczap | 6 years ago
3 likes

Looking at his Twitter stuff and as others have said he's very anti cycling. But then if you're stuck in traffic and a cyclist is making progress, it'd make you very anti!

He appears to be blind, as he didn't see the cyclists rear flashing light, although he did post up about Cyclists using flashing front lights causing epilepsy. So he needs to make his mind up.

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Bluebug replied to maviczap | 6 years ago
0 likes
maviczap wrote:

Looking at his Twitter stuff and as others have said he's very anti cycling. But then if you're stuck in traffic and a cyclist is making progress, it'd make you very anti!

Why doesn't he do what everyone else does?

If the cyclist is of the sex you fancy then enjoy the view.

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kitsunegari | 6 years ago
5 likes

I wonder why the "newspaper" deem fit to caption the photograph

Quote:

The cyclist comes perilously close to the cars driving behind.

when the car behind has come perilously close to the road user in front?

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OldRidgeback | 6 years ago
5 likes

Anybody can see that the bike does indeed have lights. What kind of a twerp would write that the bicycle doesn't have lights when it's obvious that it does? doesn't work too well. Clearly the problem is with the driver, who is intent on getting as close to the car in front as possible rather than thinking about the cyclist. The driver seems to think that moving a few metres forward will reduce the commute time.

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Bluebug replied to OldRidgeback | 6 years ago
4 likes

OldRidgeback wrote:

Anybody can see that the bike does indeed have lights. What kind of a twerp would write that the bicycle doesn't have lights when it's obvious that it does? doesn't work too well.

Also high viz isn't always yellow.

The red jacket the cyclist was wearing was loud enough to be seen in the  car headlights.

OldRidgeback wrote:

Clearly the problem is with the driver, who is intent on getting as close to the car in front as possible rather than thinking about the cyclist. The driver seems to think that moving a few metres forward will reduce the commute time.

You mean the driver is a bellend?

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OldRidgeback replied to Bluebug | 6 years ago
2 likes

Bluebug wrote:

OldRidgeback wrote:

Anybody can see that the bike does indeed have lights. What kind of a twerp would write that the bicycle doesn't have lights when it's obvious that it does? doesn't work too well.

Also high viz isn't always yellow.

The red jacket the cyclist was wearing was loud enough to be seen in the  car headlights.

OldRidgeback wrote:

Clearly the problem is with the driver, who is intent on getting as close to the car in front as possible rather than thinking about the cyclist. The driver seems to think that moving a few metres forward will reduce the commute time.

You mean the driver is a bellend?

 

I was thinking something rather more insulting with regard to the driver, but bellend will do.

 1

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P3t3 | 6 years ago
5 likes

That driver deserves a medal - they mannaged not to hit someone they could see in front of them whilst stationary! 

 

The last time this happened one mannaged to run over a small girl who is now working tirelessly to have us all punished by being made to wear helmets.  This guy got off lightly!

 

 

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Hootsy | 6 years ago
0 likes

Avon and Somerset Police have replied to his post on Twitter - interesting to see if they're encouraging him to report it so they can nick him for his driving...

https://twitter.com/Cyrusrecyclings/status/942089479812206592

 

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DrG82 replied to Hootsy | 6 years ago
1 like

Hootsy wrote:

Avon and Somerset Police have replied to his post on Twitter - interesting to see if they're encouraging him to report it so they can nick him for his driving...

https://twitter.com/Cyrusrecyclings/status/942089479812206592

 

If you look at many of his other tweeted videos I have some sympathy with him as it irritates me when idiots on bikes do stupid thing, but then when you read his comments you realise he's a total militant anti-cyclist.

 

And if we wanted to compare cyclists to drivers, just this morning on the commute in, 1) Bloke in silver merc drove straight through a red that had been red for about 5 seconds, 2) (at the same set of lights) Woman in red fiesta drove through red  lights so late that she almost hit me when I was half way over the junction, 3) driver ignored zebra crossing I was half way across and then turned to drive the wrong way around a one way quadrangle before doing a 3 pointer and going the correct way.

From all this I could set up my own anti driver twitter site just in one day.

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wycombewheeler | 6 years ago
4 likes

I love the caption under the still clearly sholwing a rear light (even it is is a bit crap)

"cyclist comes perilously close to the cars driving behind"

Any decent journalist would have called this crap out, not reinforced the view that the cyclist was somehow the one causing the issue. How can a cyclist without a reverse gear ever come perilously close to the vehiclle behind? I wonder if the 'anonymous driver' was in fact the journalist.

Motons complain if you filter on the inside (where they typically leave more room) and now this complaint about filtering on the outside. Cyclist is a bit unsteady when pulling away, a carefull driver would consider that might be a possibility and not be in a mad rush especially as the cars ahead are already slowing down.

On the positive side, the overwhelming majority of posts on the BP website are condemning the driver.

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Hootsy | 6 years ago
3 likes

From one of the comments, I'm pretty sure the anonymous driver is Hamid Parast Rakhshan.

https://www.facebook.com/CYRUS1966?fref=ufi&rc=p

He regularly posts semi-literate anti-cycling stuff on the Alliance of British drivers site.

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Yorkshire wallet replied to Hootsy | 6 years ago
2 likes

Hootsy wrote:

From one of the comments, I'm pretty sure the anonymous driver is Hamid Parast Rakhshan.

https://www.facebook.com/CYRUS1966?fref=ufi&rc=p

He regularly posts semi-literate anti-cycling stuff on the Alliance of British drivers site.

Well he seems as dull as dishwater.

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brooksby | 6 years ago
2 likes

I couldn't work out how to link to the video separately from the post's page, I'm afraid.

I posted it up just because I read the headline and then the article, and then btl, and thought I'd better actually watch it. I had expected the usual hoodie bike ninja wheelying the wrong way into moving traffic, given the vitriol, but The whole thing was just 'meh!'; the only bit that caused any indrawn breath was when the motorist inexplicably accelerates and nearly runs the cyclist down.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that the cyclist did nothing wrong, and I'm damned if I'm going to register on the post's site just to say so...

Given the regular complaints about how bright bike lights are, the oddest thing is the motorist and comments insisting that the cyclist has no lights: I thought that the ones that the cyclist had were actually fine...?

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DrG82 | 6 years ago
6 likes

People moan that the internet is killing local news papers and "proper journalism" and if this is the standard of the crap they put in the paper there's no doubt as to why nobody wants to pay for it.

And now all these rags have got themselves an internet presence, which they mostly fill with irritating and intrusive advertising, they are trying their best to bring the competition down to the standard of the printed tripe. 

A more true headline would be "cyclist rides down road and motorist gets angry because the cyclist is going faster than he is"

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hawkinspeter | 6 years ago
12 likes

I bet that driver is the sort who lives in Clifton and puts spikes on the trees to prevent birds from crapping all over his car.

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Redvee replied to hawkinspeter | 6 years ago
4 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

I bet that driver is the sort who lives in Clifton 

 

Not live in Clifton but did have a coffee shop on Cotham Hill and went under the name of Havanacoffe on Twitter but that account is no longer it seems, the new name he's hiding behind and still posting rare videos of cyclist in the wrong in his opinion is https://twitter.com/Cyrusrecyclings

One of his meaningless  moans is why cyclists aren't using the cycle lane along Baldwin Street, guess it has nothjing to do with the cars parked in the cycle lane then.

Under his previous Twitter account he filmed stuff on a phone allegedly on a windscreen mount that wobbled around as if it was handheld even showing the dash of the car.

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Yorkshie Whippet | 6 years ago
8 likes

Stationary car in traffic. Cyclist clear moves in front of said stationary car. Car sets off and nearly drives into the back of cyclist. Driver rants about lights on bike and moving faster.

Conclusion,

Car lights are not big enough or bright enough to light up things less than metre away.

Or

Driver not paying attention whilst stationary nearly knocks off cyclist.

 

 

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Dnnnnnn | 6 years ago
2 likes

An utterly pathetic non-story.

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Canyon48 | 6 years ago
6 likes

Usual utter rubbish from BP.

The cyclist even had lights as well.

I know one of the journalists who works there, should probably ask why the publish total rubbish on a daily basis.

Most Bristol Post articles start with "This Is Why" or "This Is What" and then proceed to ramble about pretty much nothing.

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SingleSpeed replied to Canyon48 | 6 years ago
4 likes

wellsprop wrote:

 

I know one of the journalists" who works there, should probably ask why the publish total rubbish on a daily basis.

Most Bristol Post articles start with "This Is Why" or "This Is What" and then proceed to ramble about pretty much nothing.

 

This is basically the demise of print and the erosion of journalistic standards in the millenial society. Nobody writes anything of worth, it's why news sites (Road.CC included) don't employ anyone who writes quality original content and it's why the Bristol Post or the Exeter "Excess and Error" (Express & Echo) post Cyclist VS Car stories, Dog Walkers Vs Runners, Gardners VS Youths stories.

It's click bait simple as...install a powerful adblocker, block your Localhost DNS servers or do whatever it is possible to do to prevent websites who monetise content profiting from the tripe they publish.

 

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Jimmy Ray Will | 6 years ago
11 likes

Am I the only one not seeing what the cyclist did wrong there?

When he initially puls into the highway, raffic is stationery, so hardly a dangerous move.

He themn pauses for oncoming traffic to pass, before setting off on his way. 

Not dangerous.

The only possible complaint could be that he was a trifle clumsy setting off. 

However the only thing I see is potentially poor driving where a car driver initially attempts to undertake a cyclist in the carriageway in clear view in front of him. 

when the cyclist moves in, the car driver realises that option to illegally overtake is not possible and he brakes. 

Thats what I see. 

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hawkinspeter | 6 years ago
2 likes

What a joke. I often cycle down Coronation Road and when the traffic is heavy, you're faced with a choice of overtaking on the inside (my preferred option when there's room) or overtaking on the outside like this chap did. It's a bit scary going to the outside of the stationary traffic as the oncoming vehicles tend to go quite fast (there's less traffic going that direction) and they don't care if you're within the dashed lines or not.

I can't see anything particularly wrong with what the cyclist did here. If they had video of my riding, it'd probably look a lot worse as I often switch from inside to outside of traffic depending on space - a classic "weaving in and out" to really wind up the metal box people.

Sometimes, the motons can get really wound up if they're not used to that road as there's a "shared path" on the pavement, but it's typically useless with the cycling side having lots of lampposts and trees (big enough to completely block the cycle side).

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don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
5 likes

Quote:

The driver who captured the incident at around 5.30pm said if he was driving any faster the cyclist could have ended up under his wheel.

WTF is this supposed to mean?

Driver could see cyclist, so no issue.

Driver wasn't driving faster and I assume always drives within conditions and therefore able to stop within the distance they can see, so no issue.

No one got hurt, so no issue.

Hi viz, not a requirement, so fuck off!

Nothing actually happened except in the mind of the driver.

If i had £1.00 for every "what might happen" when out driving, I'd be quite wealthy.

If. buts and fucking maybes...

Driver dude, if you were driving slower, you wouldn't have even seen the fucking cyclist.

If I won the lottery, I wouldn't be reading this crap.

The second fucking conditional is used to talk about a past event didn't fucking happen and its potential consequence. IT DIDN'T FUCKING HAPPEN, SO MOVE ON!

Apologies, but using second conditional to make up stories really, really, really, really pisses me off!

... And breathe... yes

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PRSboy | 6 years ago
10 likes

Extraordinary.  The 'careful' driver gets too close and nearly drives into the bloke on the bike who'd cycled off slower than he'd expected, then has the gall to say it was the rider's fault.

Sums up what is wrong, generally, with drivers.  This guy actually thinks he's a careful driver.

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Yorkshire wallet | 6 years ago
5 likes

Good job nobody ever forgets to put their lights on when driving cars. The results would be almost unimaginable.

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davel | 6 years ago
5 likes

"The cyclist rode off into the dark uninjured."

The only 'news' in that whole segment isn't even newsworthy. What a nasty rag.

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