Boris Johnson's Near Death Experience

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Comments

  • berliner
    berliner Posts: 340
    Thats not nice.
    Clearly one for prosecution of the lorry driver. Stuff falls from the back of lorries all the time.
  • simon johnson
    simon johnson Posts: 1,064
    Well, it may speed up London's 'cycle super highway(s)' at least
    Where\'s me jumper?
  • Red Rock
    Red Rock Posts: 517
    :shock: That looked pretty scary to me, thank goodness no one was killed.

    Red Rock
  • Mike Healey
    Mike Healey Posts: 1,023
    And what, exactly, did the driver think he was doing, overtaking at that point?

    Immediately beforehand he can be seen bouncing over some kind of speedbump, then trying to overtake, at some speed, on a section where ther was clearly not enough space to do so safely, leaving sufficient room for the riders.

    Let us hope he gets severely done over in court
    Organising the Bradford Kids Saturday Bike Club at the Richard Dunn Sports Centre since 1998
    http://www.facebook.com/groups/eastbradfordcyclingclub/
    http://www.facebook.com/groups/eastbradfordcyclingclub/
  • don key
    don key Posts: 494
    I was thinking of such an occurance last friday week riding along on the A12 in Essex, the lorry goes over a speed hump just before the doors fly open, the chance of surviving this with their proximity would be judged near zero but thankfully not a scratch, I did not think I would say that of a Toerag Mayor but he seems to be half human.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    WTF is the lorry driver doing? Some very poor driving there. Glad they are all OK!
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Jeeeeez ! I didnt expect that ! Cant really tell how wide the road is so dunno if the overtake is a problem or not, but man - the way that car was swung round ! Lucky Boris !
  • dilemna
    dilemna Posts: 2,187
    Simon Johnson, any relation to Boris Johnson?

    Shocking. Hopefully other CCTV footage will emerge showing the proximity the lorry and dragged car came to Boris and the other cyclists.
    Life is like a roll of toilet paper; long and useful, but always ends at the wrong moment. Anon.
    Think how stupid the average person is.......
    half of them are even more stupid than you first thought.
  • larfingravy
    larfingravy Posts: 95
    What?? The speed of the lorry can clearly be seen by the way he launches over that speedhump. Total ignoramus.
  • sicknote
    sicknote Posts: 901
    Lets hope the driver does get done big time and how knows it might ( dont think so but have my fingers crossed ), that it will get some drivers thinking about what they do a round cyclists.

    Some very lucky people there.
  • tlw1
    tlw1 Posts: 21,832
    very lucky that it was a near miss & not something worse
  • NWLondoner
    NWLondoner Posts: 2,047
    That was scary :shock:

    It was so fortunate so no one was killed.
  • mercsport
    mercsport Posts: 664
    Am fatalistic about the odds of meeting my end on the road , particularly by way of carelessly secured lorry doors - as here - or load . What can we do about it ? Sod all .

    The real culprit here - methinks - is the speed hump which , I'm guessing , initiated the unhooking of whatever the device was that kept the doors closed . Unless super vigilant , often as not speed humps can be near invisible until banging into them when first encountered , and maybe the lorry driver here was as surprised as anyone else . don't suppose Boris would've known a thing about it had the door clouted him . The creation of speed humps are acts of near criminal civic vandalism by our local authorities and Boris would do us all a favour by getting rid of them all .
    "Lick My Decals Off, Baby"
  • zedders
    zedders Posts: 509
    mercsport wrote:
    The real culprit here - methinks - is the speed hump which , I'm guessing , initiated the unhooking of whatever the device was that kept the doors closed . Unless super vigilant , often as not speed humps can be near invisible until banging into them when first encountered , and maybe the lorry driver here was as surprised as anyone else

    Come on. Can't see speed humps? I bet he was on regular round and knew it was there. Who flies through the streets of London unless they know where there going? I wouldn't blame the speed bump either; he was going to fast surely? Obviously I can't certain from looking at the CCTV but did the driver think for one second to slow a bit and approach the cyclists in front with a bit of caution? Without a moments thought he was going round them and that was it, even with parked cars on his offside. HE SHOULD OF GIVEN THE CYCLIST MORE ROOM AND WAITED FULL STOP.
    "I spend my petrol money on Bikes, Beer, Pizza, and Donuts "

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/38256268@N04/3517156549/
  • sicknote
    sicknote Posts: 901
    +1 zedders

    I have had a lorry driver pull out on me before but it was fun to see his face when I passed him on the in side.
    Too many drivers will take that chance and not think what could happen.

    From what I can see the driver was going too fast for what room he had to go a round them and its jsut luck that no one was killed.
  • mercsport wrote:
    Am fatalistic about the odds of meeting my end on the road , particularly by way of carelessly secured lorry doors - as here - or load . What can we do about it ? Sod all .

    The real culprit here - methinks - is the speed hump which , I'm guessing , initiated the unhooking of whatever the device was that kept the doors closed . Unless super vigilant , often as not speed humps can be near invisible until banging into them when first encountered , and maybe the lorry driver here was as surprised as anyone else . don't suppose Boris would've known a thing about it had the door clouted him . The creation of speed humps are acts of near criminal civic vandalism by our local authorities and Boris would do us all a favour by getting rid of them all .

    This is nonsense. Those speed humps are there to protect an entrance to a park and a popular motor traffic free cycle route linking the Thames Path to the Limehouse Cut and Regents' Canal. The culprit is the truck driver who:
    1. Did not properly secure his doors
    2. Drove too fast for the road
    3. Drove too closely to parked vehicles on his right
    4. Overtook cyclists on a blind corner

    Here are a couple of annotated Google Earth images of the location.
    http://www.britishschoolofcycling.com/i ... ehouse.jpg
    http://www.britishschoolofcycling.com/i ... rrowst.jpg
  • mercsport
    mercsport Posts: 664
    O.K. , you lot win :oops: . I agree , now I've bothered to watch it full screen - as opposed to the near thumbnail vid' - it's a lot clearer ( I was impressed by the fact that you can see Boris' chainside pant leg clipped in - or tucked in his sock - hard to tell ).

    So , yes , evidently , the driver was a man 'on a mission' and was driving far too quickly and near reckless to the proximity of the cyclists . But , other than for the swinging door somehow hooking up on the parked car ( how in heck ...! ? ), a near everyday occurrence for all that . But I still maintain that the final act of fate was the speed hump shocking the door fastenings undone and a near catastrophe . Other than for that it might have passed unremarked except for Boris and his chums giving the driver the finger for his rear view mirror .

    Aside from general nuisance value and the well known green issues overall , speed humps are a nuisance to cyclists as well , y'know . :evil:
    "Lick My Decals Off, Baby"
  • Bhima
    Bhima Posts: 2,145
    Good to see the driver worrying about the important things afterwards - checking the vehicles for damage afterwards and ignoring the (possibly killed) cyclists. :|
  • Speed humps would not unhinge a door if the vehicle was being driven at the correct speed. The humps are needed to deter drivers from completely ignoring the speed limits. The driver needs a good ban and hopefully Boris and the Minister for Transport Lord Adonis (who was with him) will now consider what can be done to make roads safer for cyclists and large vehicles safer for everyone.
    Pain is only weakness leaving the body
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    The safety of the vehicle is the responsibility of the driver - simple as - if he deliberately drives recklessly with an unsafe vehicle, then he should suffer the consequences - if that door had struck a sports car, motorcyclist, cyclist or pedestrian, it would probably have been fatal
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • nolf
    nolf Posts: 1,287
    Amazed that none of the cyclists were hit by that car. A group of them and the car somehow missed them all. A very close call. I noticed the driver checked his vehicle first as well. Hopefully he will get a well deserved slap, a massive fine. Criminal negligence?
    "I hold it true, what'er befall;
    I feel it, when I sorrow most;
    'Tis better to have loved and lost;
    Than never to have loved at all."

    Alfred Tennyson
  • pedylan
    pedylan Posts: 768
    With reference to the safety of the overtaking manoeuvre. Is the street one way? The lane markings would seem to suggest it is but there are cars parked pointing in both directions.

    Mind you after dipsh*t lorry driver had been through there were cars facing in all directions. :lol:
    Where the neon madmen climb
  • Airwave
    Airwave Posts: 483
    You all seem to be putting the blame on the poor lorry driver.Can you not see the reckless manner in which the cyclists are behaving.Having the cheek to ride on the road&they don't pay road tax.
    Surely the highway code does'nt apply to lorry drivers or van drivers.They can use their vast experience to judge any situation & drive as they see fit?After all it does'nt matter if you knock a few cyclist down,just say "i did'nt see the cyclist before i hit her/him" that should do the trick.
  • Mike Healey
    Mike Healey Posts: 1,023
    mercsport wrote:
    O.K. , you lot win :oops: . I agree , now I've bothered to watch it full screen - as opposed to the near thumbnail vid' - it's a lot clearer ( I was impressed by the fact that you can see Boris' chainside pant leg clipped in - or tucked in his sock - hard to tell ).

    So , yes , evidently , the driver was a man 'on a mission' and was driving far too quickly and near reckless to the proximity of the cyclists . But , other than for the swinging door somehow hooking up on the parked car ( how in heck ...! ? ), a near everyday occurrence for all that . But I still maintain that the final act of fate was the speed hump shocking the door fastenings undone and a near catastrophe . Other than for that it might have passed unremarked except for Boris and his chums giving the driver the finger for his rear view mirror .

    Aside from general nuisance value and the well known green issues overall , speed humps are a nuisance to cyclists as well , y'know . :evil:

    1. Speed humps difficult to see? Rubbish - I've never not seen one

    2. Given the nature of the road, the positions of the cyclists (also difficult to see?) and the clear view he had of the parked cars, he was going too fast.

    3. The speed hump "shocking the door fastenings undone? Drivel. If they could be shocked undone, they were not safe. If they were safe, and the shock was so great that they became undone, he was obviously going so unsafely fast, that he was driving dangerously fast for the conditions

    He overtook when it was not safe for him to do so - there was nowhere near enough room for him to do so in line with the HC requirement to give a cyclist the same room as a car. You can see, as he started to overtake, one of the cyclists move sharply towards the kerb, i.e. the rider was clearly aware that he was being overtaken at a point where there was not enough room.

    The short, and logically coherent, answer is that he should not, under any circumstances, have been overtaking where he did. It was his manner of driving which led to the whole deranged and potentially fatal manouevre, period.

    He was a reckless, selfish idiot.
    Organising the Bradford Kids Saturday Bike Club at the Richard Dunn Sports Centre since 1998
    http://www.facebook.com/groups/eastbradfordcyclingclub/
    http://www.facebook.com/groups/eastbradfordcyclingclub/
  • mercsport
    mercsport Posts: 664

    1. Speed humps difficult to see? Rubbish - I've never not seen one

    2. Given the nature of the road, the positions of the cyclists (also difficult to see?) and the clear view he had of the parked cars, he was going too fast.

    3. The speed hump "shocking the door fastenings undone? Drivel. If they could be shocked undone, they were not safe. If they were safe, and the shock was so great that they became undone, he was obviously going so unsafely fast, that he was driving dangerously fast for the conditions

    He overtook when it was not safe for him to do so - there was nowhere near enough room for him to do so in line with the HC requirement to give a cyclist the same room as a car. You can see, as he started to overtake, one of the cyclists move sharply towards the kerb, i.e. the rider was clearly aware that he was being overtaken at a point where there was not enough room.

    The short, and logically coherent, answer is that he should not, under any circumstances, have been overtaking where he did. It was his manner of driving which led to the whole deranged and potentially fatal manouevre, period.

    He was a reckless, selfish idiot.

    " Rubbish" ? " Drivel " ? I envy you the world of certainties that you inhabit . How wonderful it must be .

    However , I'd suppose , ... sic transit gloria mundi . :cry:
    "Lick My Decals Off, Baby"
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    Sicknote wrote:
    +1 zedders

    I have had a lorry driver pull out on me before but it was fun to see his face when I passed him on the in side.
    Too many drivers will take that chance and not think what could happen.

    From what I can see the driver was going too fast for what room he had to go a round them and its jsut luck that no one was killed.

    You passed a truck on the inside?

    /shudder
  • Porgy
    Porgy Posts: 4,525
    Speed humps difficult to see? Rubbish - I've never not seen one

    In twenty yeaars of driving I think I've been caught out by two or three speed humps in total - none during daylight.

    More likely the lorry driver thought he needed to be in front of the cyclists - it happens all the time - they rush to get past you in the most dangerous circumstances possible, often nearly causing an "accident" in the process.
  • sicknote
    sicknote Posts: 901
    dodgy wrote:
    Sicknote wrote:
    +1 zedders

    I have had a lorry driver pull out on me before but it was fun to see his face when I passed him on the in side.
    Too many drivers will take that chance and not think what could happen.

    From what I can see the driver was going too fast for what room he had to go a round them and its jsut luck that no one was killed.

    You passed a truck on the inside?

    /shudder

    I had two choices :wink:

    Go into the back off him or go a round and as he was on the middle line it was the only room I had plus I was late for work :wink:
  • passout
    passout Posts: 4,425
    Crikey, that's impressive!
    'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.
  • Monmouth
    Monmouth Posts: 71
    I can only echo what others have said - driver seems to be going to, not enough room to pass cyclists. Scary to think if it had been the other door that had swung open, or if there had been cars or bikers coming in the other direction.

    If there is a plus to be gotten out of this, it happened right in front of the mayor who was on a ride to look into cycling issues.
    Destroy them! Utterly!!