Anyone hit a pedestrian at full speed?

BoardinBob

Had a few lemmings step onto the road without seeing me in the last few days. This is despite twin lights on my bars, twin lights on my helmet and a bright green jacket so I'm not exactly a ninja.

I guess we shouldn't have to crawl to a snails pace if we see pedestrians as I feel it's important to keep up with the flow of traffic as much as possible while being mindful of potential suicidal peds.

Anyone ever skelped someone at full speed? I imagine it would be a hell of a mess.

cee

Nup not me...but i was just wondering who would actually come off worse.... sure the pedestrian would get whacked by the bike, but surely the rider is going down down to china town.....

lost_in_thought

I hit a kid on a scooter some years ago at a fair old speed, he came off the scooter, I went over the handlebars.

I think I came off worse, but then I hit the scooter, not the kid. Still felt bad about it, even though the kid had gone across a ped crossing against the light. His mother was unapologetic.

stage_fright

an extreme example - but there was a piece in C+ earlier this year about the TdF, and they mentioned a time in the 1950s when a guy sprinting for the stage win hit an official who had stepped out to take a picture (!!!) - killing the official (the magazine even ran a 'moment of impact' picture!).

Clever Pun

not at full whack but I was turning left at a t-junction with a great view to the right so I'd say mid to high teens... I came round the corner and one dude walked out, his mates had seen me I clattered into him buckling my front wheel and sending him a good 5 foot through the air I nearly did my knackers on the handle bars but got away with it.

they were all very apologetic no one was hurt so we all went on our way.

BoardinBob

I had a girlfriend years ago whos father was a pretty serious mountain biker.

I dropped her home around 1am on a weeknight and we noticed all the lights were on in her house which seemed strange.

Anyway I got home and she phoned me in tears...

Her dad was out on his bike and was cycling alongside a high wall that ran around a walled garden. He had his lights on so was clearly visible. He was approaching the end of the wall when all of sudden...BANG... someone hit him from the right hand side. In my attempt at a diagram below, he'd been coming from the south alongside the wall and meanwhile a young boy about 14 was approaching from the east with no lights, and they hit each other right at the corner of the wall. The dad lost teeth, broken nose, broken jaw, bike heavily damaged. The boy was also heavily injured as well but there was no long term damage for either party. Scary stuff though


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biondino

I brushed a pedestrian at full speed about 5 months ago, and no doubt talked about it on here - slammed into some railings which paradoxically managed to keep the bike upright until I'd scrubbed enough speed to not only land unhurt but somehow land on my feet. And thankfully, the bike - the Focus, on which I'd barely done 100 miles - was okay too, having miraculously not shattered into 1000 pieces as we all know carbon frames inevitably do.

The pedestrian was completely uninjured and I had a couple of nasty scrapes and bruises from the railings. If she'd been say a foot further out into the road then there may well have been some unpleasantness, particularly to her.

ride_whenever

I've been hit by a cyclist coming round a corner on the pavement on a BSO, presumably at full pelt for a BSO.


He came off much worse



I think it depends on relative masses, if the bike and rider weighs about the same as the cyclist+bike then they're going to come off worse, but if you hit someone much smaller then you're going to 'win'

I've also been walked into by pedestrians, they came off worse.

always_tyred

ride_whenever wrote:

I've been hit by a cyclist coming round a corner on the pavement on a BSO, presumably at full pelt for a BSO.


He came off much worse



I think it depends on relative masses, if the bike and rider weighs about the same as the cyclist+bike then they're going to come off worse, but if you hit someone much smaller then you're going to 'win'

I've also been walked into by pedestrians, they came off worse.

Someone's bound to come up with the equation for this.

If were were all hard incomprssible spheres, it would be 1/2mv^2, but I 'm sure that compressibility comes into it somewhere.

I don't know about you, but I'd much rather collide at high speed with Matt Lucas than, for example, Johnny Wilkinson.

BoardinBob

Always Tyred wrote:

I'd much rather collide at high speed with Matt Lucas

Oh aye

don_don

Not a pedestrian exactly, but I had a lad on a BMX ride off the pavement right in front of me last year. It was a slight downhill and I was doing about 25mph when I hit him square on. Result:

Him - dirty jeans and slight surprise.

Me - deeply grazed nose, lips and chin following head first somersault onto the road. £300 damage to helmet, front wheel, carbon forks, jacket and courier bag :x

Luckily my trusty Pompino frame was unhurt..

mrmo

hit a pedestrian at c20mph, i was minding my own business and she just stepped off the curb infront of me. She was knocked unconcious, lost a few teeth, cuts, bruises etc. As it was a damp road, i just slid, got up went off on one. then went down the bike shop to find out how much her stupidity was going to cost.

new set of ergos, and a front wheel.

obviously she wan't insured, the stupid bint.

ride_whenever

He was probably riding brakeless the fool...

Roubaix Rider

Head to head, cyclist will (probably) come off worse. Speaking as a renegade who will shoulder barge off the pavement any eejit I see cycling toward me that should know better :twisted:

Why?

Because my three year old daughter, when being pushed along in her push chair by my wife, was flung from her push chair by such an eejit (who subsequently scarpered) and maybe I've got a chip on my shoulder..!

Besides, roads are quiet enough down these parts to use them, not the pavement...

JGS

I hit a pedestrian last week after he jumped out on me to tell me not to cycle on a cycle path on a country lane. Fortunately years of riding BMX brakeless means I look a bit further ahead than most people and managed to un-clip and start slowing down before I inevitably crashed into him (swerving into oncoming traffic doing 40mph wasn't an option).

I must have hit the guy at 18-20mph, he got a massive loss of skin to his back and shoulders, along with a nasty bump on his head. I got a slight buckle to my front wheel and a dirty jacket (I made sure I landed on top of him so he got the road rash).

After a brief argument about not cycling on the pavement, I drew his attention to the now quite bloody painted cycle on the path and the sign next to where he was. He still protested that I should have been cycling more slowly, to which my reply was "Why would I need to do that unless some idiot is going to jump out on me?". Suprisingly enough he didn't see the funny side at all.

ride_whenever

Do you think a series of brutal and entirely over the top beating of pavement cyclists might actually stop people do it? If so then I'm all for it.

BoardinBob

If you're riding on the pavement and hit someone then you deserve all you get (and the pedestrian is very unfortunate)

Cycling on the road and having someone step into your path is a different matter entirely.

chuckcork

ride_whenever wrote:

Do you think a series of brutal and entirely over the top beating of pavement cyclists might actually stop people do it? If so then I'm all for it.

I'm not sure that would work, and would probably result in a jail sentence, but I'm with the guy who shoulder charges footpath cyclists, if I felt my child was at risk I'd be prepared to take them out first. Would have to depend on circumstances of course, because you're more than like to be explaining to plod why you did it, but a 15 month old should be safe to walk down a footpath without being knocked down by some dimwit, however old they are.

Anyone however who intentionally steps out into the road in front of a bike having seen them coming is asking for it. They wouldn't be so stupid as to do so in front of a car (though of course many iPed's would) but unlike cars bikes don't stop as fast or as controllably, so if they do so to me, weighing in at 80kg and travelling at 20mph then they'll get hurt.

Saying that I would hope not to run into anyone anyway and particularly children, their stupidity shouldn't be a reason to kill them because that would be the likely result.

woodford2barbican

I hit an old lady (not that old - probably about 65, certainly under 70) when I was 15.

I hit her full pelt when she crossed a road lined with stationary traffic on both sides of the road. The crossing was on green and I being 15 was flying down the inside blissfully unaware of there being any danger to myself or her.

I did not see her as she just appeared from in front of a lorry, and I hit her without braking at all.

To top it off, I was on a boneshaker sit up & beg old enough to have rod brakes.....!

I landed on top of her and was ok - she went off in an ambulance with a head wound.

I was really shaken up though - had her blood all over me from where I did first aid & I was on my way to a GCSE exam!

As always an off-duty policeman saw it happen, and the CPS even went so far as to consider proscution - I still have the letter telling me they wouldn't.

Luckily my bike was in good working order, and she *shouldn't* have been crossing like that and the policeman was able to be a witness to that effect.

But now, knowing what I do, I would never cycle at that speed whilst filtering, never filter on the inside, would never cycle a bike with such dodgy brakes in traffic and I always keep an eye out for peds at all crossings particularly when traffic is stationary.

Luckily, I managed to get a B in my GCSE. This is 20 years ago so you can probably translate that to be a A***** at today's standards.

Being a polite boy, I wrote her a letter & sent flowers wishing her a speedy recovery and apologising.

salsarider79

I think you have to take a number of things into account shoulder barging cyclists off the pavements. If they are stopped, or going VERY slowly and NOT getting in peoples way, wheres the problem?
I agree that something should be done if the cyclist is getting peoples way, being rude/aggressive or just being a tw@t, but at least think before you do anything.
p.s. I have had it done to me when I STOPPED to have a banana. I was pushed in front of a van and several cars. I didn't notice the runner who hit me as I wasn't expecting it, nor was I in the way of anyone. I was VERY lucky not to be hit but decided not to go after the guy and squirt him. It was really stupid thing to do.

Roubaix Rider

salsarider79 wrote:

I think you have to take a number of things into account shoulder barging cyclists off the pavements. If they are stopped, or going VERY slowly and NOT getting in peoples way, wheres the problem?
I agree that something should be done if the cyclist is getting peoples way, being rude/aggressive or just being a tw@t, but at least think before you do anything.
p.s. I have had it done to me when I STOPPED to have a banana. I was pushed in front of a van and several cars. I didn't notice the runner who hit me as I wasn't expecting it, nor was I in the way of anyone. I was VERY lucky not to be hit but decided not to go after the guy and squirt him. It was really stupid thing to do.

Nah. You're safe having a banana stop - assuming you just pulled onto the pavement for your own safety that is! I only do the shoulder barge when they've no intention of slowing down. Have considered using the hook handle of a brolly on a seat post before - takes a bit of timing and looks too deliberate though. A shoulder barge looks more casual...

The upshot of my actions - my daughter says "That's a very naughty man" if she sees someone cycling on the pavement. Funnily enough, that often has the desired effect, especially when she's out walking with her nursery class and they all start pointing at errant cyclists and calling them naughty Imagine 20 odd three / four year olds shouting and pointing at you. Oh the shame of it!!

El Gordo

I rode into the side of a kid on a mountain bike who turned across my path, with no lights, on Hallowean, wearing a mask of The Scream!

I hit him doing about 20mph without braking at all. He ended up in the grass verge I sprawled down the centre of the road.

Neither of us were hurt too bad, just the usual mix of grazes and I was so relieved he was OK (despite it been his fault) that I sorted his bike out and sent him on his way before noticing that my Dyna Tech road bike had a buckled down tube.

dewei

I hit a pedestrian first time ever 10 days ago in Stratford-upon-Avon :oops:
I was cycling uphill towards a pedestrian crossing on top of the bridge across the railway line. There were a few schoolgirls massing on the side of the crossing. Probably only 12-14mph at most as, despite the light being red for pedestrian, one crossed whilst I was a few metres away. Then another one suddenly jumped in front of me, no time to brake.
I can still visualise my new 12 bar yellow/black Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp digging into her thigh. We both fell. She was quickly picked up by one of her friends and hurried away.
I was in shock - not from the fall but at hitting a pedestrian. One of the students asked if I was allright and off I went and cycled 28 miles home.
There was a little scrape to the side of the saddle and the bar tape. More seriously, I could not cycle for 5 days. Let us say it was an injury to a very sensitive area.

What I've learnt is to take care with schoolchildren huddling on roadside and attempting suicide jumps!

dewei

I hit a pedestrian first time ever 10 days ago in Stratford-upon-Avon :oops:
I was cycling uphill towards a pedestrian crossing on top of the bridge across the railway line. There were a few schoolgirls massing on the side of the crossing. Probably only 12-14mph at most as, despite the light being red for pedestrian, one crossed whilst I was a few metres away. Then another one suddenly jumped in front of me, no time to brake.
I can still visualise my new 12 bar yellow/black Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp digging into her thigh. We both fell. She was quickly picked up by one of her friends and hurried away.
I was in shock - not from the fall but at hitting a pedestrian. One of the students asked if I was allright and off I went and cycled 28 miles home.
There was a little scrape to the side of the saddle and the bar tape. More seriously, I could not cycle for 5 days. Let us say it was an injury to a very sensitive area.

What I've learnt is to take care with schoolchildren huddling on roadside and attempting suicide jumps!

giltkid

I had a head on collision with another cyclist on a blind bend under a tow path bridge - lucky not to have taken a dip - her bike was one of those Amsterdam type things made out of old scaffolding poles - I just remember me and my bike just sort of wrapping ourselves around this immovable 60 lbs of steel and chrome - we were both knackered whilst she just made her apologies and serenely rode off totally unharmed

AndyManc

Anyone hit a pedestrian at full speed?

Alas no.... I've tried loads of times but the sneaky b******** keep jumping out of the way. :?

Greg T

AndyManc wrote:

Anyone hit a pedestrian at full speed?

Alas no.... I've tried loads of times but the sneaky b******** keep jumping out of the way. :?

Come at them from behind and keep your cranks turning, that way you don't give away your approach with any freewheel clicking.

Slick tyres will minimise road hum and have them pumped up fully for super "stealth" hits.

cygnet

Stage Fright wrote:

an extreme example - but there was a piece in C+ earlier this year about the TdF, and they mentioned a time in the 1950s when a guy sprinting for the stage win hit an official who had stepped out to take a picture (!!!) - killing the official (the magazine even ran a 'moment of impact' picture!).

It happened in a later tour (too?) - the policeman got a broken leg (he was cleared re: taking a photo)

The internet tells me it was stage 1 1994 if you want to look up footage. (Not if you're squeamish though.)

jedster

Look, I realise that after this I'm bound to clean up a ped on the way home but I don't really get the "they just stepped off the kerb in front of me and I didn't have time to avoid them" thing.

First you shouldn't be in the gutter, this should give you time and room to manouvre.
Second, if you see a ped wandering towards the road gormlessly do you
a) ignore them, they'll probably stop and if not tough sh1t
b) slow, move out into the road, shout, etc.

Personally I always give peds a good deal of room just in case.

J

chuckcork

jedster wrote:

Look, I realise that after this I'm bound to clean up a ped on the way home but I don't really get the "they just stepped off the kerb in front of me and I didn't have time to avoid them" thing.

First you shouldn't be in the gutter, this should give you time and room to manouvre.
Second, if you see a ped wandering towards the road gormlessly do you
a) ignore them, they'll probably stop and if not tough sh1t
b) slow, move out into the road, shout, etc.

Personally I always give peds a good deal of room just in case.

J

And if you are moving in a cycle lane alongside traffic that has stopped, and some twit decides to walk through the traffic while paying no heed to the detail there is a cycle lane there?

You can't always see everything all of the time.

Doesn't help also if someone looks straight at you and steps out anyway, f*ckers are asking to be hit.

downfader

jedster wrote:

Look, I realise that after this I'm bound to clean up a ped on the way home but I don't really get the "they just stepped off the kerb in front of me and I didn't have time to avoid them" thing.

First you shouldn't be in the gutter, this should give you time and room to manouvre.
Second, if you see a ped wandering towards the road gormlessly do you
a) ignore them, they'll probably stop and if not tough sh1t
b) slow, move out into the road, shout, etc.

Personally I always give peds a good deal of room just in case.

J

I dont think its always that simple. Both my bro and I have experienced the sudden detour of the pedestrian on their phone or ipod right out into the road. Bro gets it worse as he has to cycle in and out of the Uni where he works.

I have on occassion stopped traffic to allow the elderly or disabled to cross. :oops: