Good luck for Roubaix? Mathieu van der Poel wipes bird poo from helmet mid-race (+ Cav third); Trump supporter falls off bicycle, faceplants... goes viral; Scrap the congestion zone... archers can't take longbows by bus + more on the live blog

mctrials23 wrote:

I think that the government should ban people for short periods much more often. Perhaps if you weren't allowed to drive for a month when you do something like this you would take it a little more seriously. If you are caught driving when banned its upped to a year. 

If you're caught driving, you've demonstrated that you'll ignore the ban. Income/wealth based fine, and confiscate the car for two months. Yes, even if another driver in the household "needs" it.

Were they speeding and got the bend badly wrong, or were they aiming for that junction and didn't anticipate any other traffic?

Were the bikes all OK?

They weren't actually going that fast - consider that they stopped within a couple of car lengths - but in the instant I thought it was a boy racer over-cooking corner.. In discussion she claimed the bend wasn't signed (double whites, big sharp bend with 20mph max sign - not the first sharp bend on a winding road https://maps.app.goo.gl/2Av1vdogs3RMzmdL8) - further evidence of without due care. She had Google Maps running on her phone, no mount, dropped in her lap, so I think it was phone use - which was technically caught in that video.

The "hit" was more target fixation by the guy on the outside who knocked over the other guy onto the bonnet. No damage - but note the state of the car which had obviously bumped a few things.

We were all quite shocked, and I've stopped riding as much on road and doing more off-road. Amazed we didn't swear!

I think they simply weren't thinking about what they were doing. I did wonder whether they were intending to go straight on, but I don't think the track backs that up, and the Google Map display on her screen I saw was heading round the bend.

I've submitted footage to TVP that has resulted in a course for a lot less than that. I did wonder about the pre-existing damage to the car which, if I was the police, would cause me to look a lot more suspiciously at the incident.

In the link to the BBC story below (provided by Chris) the Cycling UK spokesperson says "The Westminster government promised to review these failing laws in 2014 but we're still waiting, and the price of delay is sadly paid again and again by families like that of David Jones." Whilst I don't disagree with a long overdue review, prison sentences for dangerous driving won't in itself saves lives. We need to use the points totting up system in the way that it was intended and get persistent bad drivers off the roads before they kill someone. If this was a  genuine one off mistake then it won't stop the driver using their car. What we need is more action to enforce the already existing laws.

My vindictive reaction was that it was prima face dangerous driving and if it weren't for the fact that we were being a bit scruffy as a group after getting split up at a junction and a fast descent and were actually regrouping at the time it could have been a massive pileup.

The other side of it was the driver, after being on the receiving end of some stern but polite remonstration was pretty much in tears, sjhe had frightened herself and the incident will live with her forever. I think the lesson was well and truly learned - still would have liked some points on her licence though.

IanMK wrote:

.prison sentences for dangerous driving won't in itself saves lives. 

so true. It's not like a handful of drivers are going around maiming and killing people, very many drivers are routinely driving dangerously until they don't get away with it.

It's the routine near misses that need cracking down on. But many forces ignore the video evidence and/because courts are not convicting when it is presented.

IanMSpencer wrote:

. In discussion she claimed the bend wasn't signed (double whites, big sharp bend with 20mph max sign - not the first sharp bend on a winding road https://maps.app.goo.gl/2Av1vdogs3RMzmdL8) -

there is a white line down the middle of the road, it's not like someone IWil E Coyote) painted a drawing of a road on a wall in front of the bend. It's there to be seen during daylight, signs or not.

and reviewing the video you can clearly see the warnign sign at 35s, so if she said to me the bend wasn't signed I would ask her what she thought that sign was. Obviously eyes not on the road.

there is a white line down the middle of the road... It's there to be seen during daylight, signs or not

So writes someone who presumably doesn't live in an area like Lancashire, where dangerous and illegal crossing of single and double unbroken white lines has been entirely legitimised by the comedy police, who ignored all these- I have included a sample from my large collection so people can omit the ones they've seen before

https://upride.cc/incident/p40htn_audi_closepassdwlcross/

https://upride.cc/incident/ku15ekc_royalmailbigvan_dwlcrossclosepass/

https://upride.cc/incident/a19lcw_mercedesmmt_closepassuwl/

https://upride.cc/incident/md68fwc_apcovernight_whitelinecross/

https://upride.cc/incident/yl12ffp_cmax_closepassdwlcross/

https://upride.cc/incident/yf70xwu_aadrivingschool_uwlcross/

Holy s*** that's a scary one. My guess - Google maps said "continue straight on the B4092" and she realised at the last minute that actually meant follow the road to the left.

My other theory is she was pissing herself laughing at Dogbut Lane - after all, I still snigger after 15 years of riding past it. 

IanMSpencer wrote:

My other theory is she was pissing herself laughing at Dogbut Lane - after all, I still snigger after 15 years of riding past it. 

There are many funny place names around my area, but this one on one of my bike routes is my favourite. The reason for the 1.5t stone is because people kept stealing the regular name sign.

I don't think a course is harsh enough, but at least it is something.

I had a similar incident back in the mid-90's: A teenage chav in an Astra comes hooning around the bend, wheels locked up, tyres smoking and screeching, sliding towards me. You really are a sitting duck on a bike in that situation. Thankfully they just missed me and smashed head-on into the car that was behind me. Both cars write-offs, luckily no injuries. Shook me up for a while.

Agree. Proper consequences are required for law breaking drivers who could potentially kill - this incident could have been a whole lot worse. Tears are not enough (as an 80s song title goes).

Back in the day, Johnny Ball on Think of a Number  (I think) did a piece about not being allowed to carry a 6ft snooker cue on a bus due to a maximum luggage length limit. Solved by placing the cue diagonally inside a 4ft by 5ft case. Same approach for the longbow would leave room for the arrows, suit of lincoln green etc.

I'd thought that modern archery uses a compound bow which is broken down into a carrying case anyway...  I doubt that there are many people doing archery with a full-on longbow.

The challenge was also about 2 primary school children - they are renowned for their ability to pull a long bow bigger than them !
Also already covered in drivers and their problems - do keep up road.cc !

Have you recently changed your username back?

Been wondering which of the regulars had the amusing change...

Yes - I did toy with some other ideas but decided to revert.
Looks like the long term troll is gone.

Something worked.

More pleasant.

Have been enjoying that; a large amount of pointless (to me - the odd classic put-down aside) sniping and knockabout has gone.  Of course self-regulation would help but we know how that goes in other spheres (e.g. the roads!)

Compound or recurve bow, usually, but it could be a longbow if they're into re-enactments. But probably not a full sized longbow for a kid unless they're abnormally strong!

I can't see why a longbow would fit in a car but not on a bus.

Roofrack - or increasingly "pickup" because we all need that carrying capability?

Bigfoz wrote:

Surely a longbow unstrung is just a stick. Like a walking stick or pool cue or shepherds crook. Why would that be problematic on a bus?

because "it could be strung and loosed in minutes", and how can people not be concerned by the possibility of (not very) sudden violence.

wycombewheeler wrote:

Bigfoz wrote:

Surely a longbow unstrung is just a stick. Like a walking stick or pool cue or shepherds crook. Why would that be problematic on a bus?

because "it could be strung and loosed in minutes", and how can people not be concerned by the possibility of (not very) sudden violence.

Probably a bit longer than that, it took 10 years for the bow of Odysseus to be strung.

wycombewheeler wrote:

how can people not be concerned by the possibility of (not very) sudden violence.

For some reason this conjured up the Austin Powers steamroller scene in my mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_PrZ-J7D3k

Also presumably the "excellent public transport" would be impeded by all the cars if they did improved that first?  If indeed all those complaining are driving as much as they say they "have to".

To some extent yes, but there would be ways to improve the public transport anyway. For example I had a friend who lived in one of the villages relatively close to Cambridge and the last bus back to that village left at something like 6:30pm. So fine if you're heading straight home after a "normal" 9-5 but useless if you worked different hours or wanted to do anything in the evening before heading home.

It would probably be possible to get a few more people onto buses by extending the coverage.  However the private car is a 24/7, no-wait, door-to-door service we've grown to expect as standard.  There will be a point of diminishing returns with trying to get people using buses which we may be close to - especially while there is still a car option.  Certainly reliability and resiliance is a concern.  Even though the bus may be more reliable when summed over all the people using it versus using their cars.  However that's not the sum we care about - we just notice when we were delayed.

It's not a zero-sum game but while it's still possible to drive those journeys many will indeed still be driven.  Extending coverage will likely need lots of subsidisy.  (Again overlooking the fact that we're all subsidising motoring since motorists don't pay the full cost of the negative consequences of that activity).

Assuming there is a bus route you can use - having discounted the costs of just owning a car (as people do) the journey cost may well be less!