Casualties on the roads today

downfader

Coming up the hill on spring road today my bikecam (a simple nikon L10 fixed to a special manfrotto clamp) started to "wobble" a bit. Tried to keep me eye on it but hit an unexpected bump and the camera went thundering into the tarmac

It made an almighty crunch. I had toi scramble around when cars had passed to find the SD card and the batteries. Weirdly it still works, but annoyingly the footage of its downfall didnt survive.

As soon as I was all set and everything back in the bag. I rode off again. Around the corner I found another type of casualty, a guy in a stretcher having a neck brace fitted around the back of an ambulance. There was the obligatory single bobby there too, taking down statements.

I'd like to say that it was a shock to see the guy there, but sadly it wasnt. I have seen so many near misses for pedestrians and cyclists there and have nearly been off myself. People drive too fast down there, and I know I'm not the only one to have tried to warn the police and the council about it.

Maybe someone will take heed? (Doubt it)

Bikerbaboon

nahh for anything to change you need alot of crashes b4 you get your speed camera ( so that the speeding drivers get something else to think about b4 they hit you) and neer misses dont show up on crash statistics that the police or goverment look at.

chuckcork

Unless vehicles crash into each other each near miss is a non-event and won't be dealt with.

I asked for Richmond Borough to do something about the red light running cars that I was seeing at a particular intersection, and pointed out the number of near misses was soon to be more like actual collisions happening.

Response was basically to be fobbed off with a response that they had studied the intersection and decided nothing was required to be done, but they would contact the police, who I never did actually see there.

downfader

I think its rediculous that we would need lots of crashes. I see it like a man walking around with a loaded gun shouting "I have a loaded gun and I'm thinking of using it", the police would then only investigate if he actually fired. Its that kind of scenario - the road is a loaded gun waiting to go off. :?

I also think the near misses do a lot of damage too. It gets your blood boiling for a start, which cant be good.

aclucas

Are you talking about the end of spring road where is passes under the viaduct thing? I do that once a week, evenings ~9:30... but usually quiet by then. Never been scared there, but will take extra care now.

downfader

aclucas wrote:

Are you talking about the end of spring road where is passes under the viaduct thing? I do that once a week, evenings ~9:30... but usually quiet by then. Never been scared there, but will take extra care now.

If you're heading towards woolston it was just around the corner from the Aldays/Coop/whatever it is now :oops: Before the pedestrian crossing at the back of the schools too.

It seems to be a rush hour and school run thing, you get the odd boyracer down there (caught one on video 2 weeks back who overtook me and nearly crashed into another vehicle)

Beeblebrox

Bikerbaboon wrote:

nahh for anything to change you need alot of crashes b4 you get your speed camera ( so that the speeding drivers get something else to think about b4 they hit you) and neer misses dont show up on crash statistics that the police or goverment look at.

So you'd think... but I know a road being built (I work in an Engineering Consultancy) which is having speed cameras from day one.

We are not impressed by the council.