not sure what to make of this/do you know this person

shouldbeinbed

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manc ... 189702.stm

condolences to the relatives

on my local news at lunchtime pushing that a cyclist has caused the accident.


its a seriously cyley bit of the city right outside the University on the main route from city center south to student accom land and if he's popped off the kerb or through a junction, as the tone of the actual TV footage suggests, or swung out as the link piece does then its not good advert for bicycle riding.

but its a older looking teen/full grown bloke on a BMX, so hardly the regular definition of a cyclist and his ride and clothing is not commonplace for riding around it that bit of town.

Nor is it clear exactly what happened, how or why did the bus driver not see or anticipate this person sooner, necessitating the emergency stop and subsequent injuries.

especially given the regular nature of the cycling round there, the driver should know to be aware of bikes

Its also not common for cyclist injuries and deaths at the hands of other vehicle to receive this level of coverage on the local news.

I understand the need to trace the guy and do whatever to him if he's proven at fault but the whole tone of the piece to me came across as a tad anti bike biased.

verylonglegs

Have to say it doesn't read particularly anti-cyclist to me, could just as easily be about a pedestrian in the road.

Its probably in the news due to the freak accident nature of the passengers death.

redddraggon

I walked past the scene a while after the incident yesterday morning, 5 cop cars and bus was still there, pulled just past where they are knocking down the old refectory. I guess the photo was taken on a onboard camera on the bus. Few cyclists ride down there TBH, most are just people on bikes.

It seems from the photo, that the POB tried to cross the road just as the lights were changing and the bus had just started pulling away, and the driver had to brake late and hard.

I feel sorry for the bus driver, as he'll undoubtedly suffer because of what happened even though it was some kn0b on a bike.

ScaldedCat

Condolences to the ladies family but there's a difference between a cyclist and a chav twot on a bmx.

dag_on_a_bike

While the police will obviously want to discuss this most unfortunate incident with the person on a bike, one image from the onboard CCTV camera would have been released to assist in identifying him, and no more.

Bus CCTV systems (usually up to 8 camera) record over an hour's footage at a time so they will have some idea of where the bike rider came from, but no more than that. The police must have some reason beyond his very presence why they want to seek his input.

It is worrying just how often bikes do something to cause bus drivers to take sudden and emergency action to avoid colliding with the bike rider (and cars too), resulting in passengers on buses being injured.

SteveR_100Milers

how can it be anti-bike? CPC again?

If you behave like a tit on the public highway then you are a tit whether you drive a car or ride a bike, it's got nothing to do with the mode of transport you use. That said, an advanced driver of a motor vehicle should anticipate any kind of danger, and that includes unexpected actions of other road users. There is good reason why it is always the fault of the driver behind in a rear end shunt.

dag_on_a_bike

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

... There is good reason why it is always the fault of the driver behind in a rear end shunt.

But it isn't. Not always. Usually, but not always.

Tom Barton

I don't think that article is anti bike at all. If anything, it was a concise account of what the known events were and what the police wanted. If you do find this anti bike your being over sensitive. Simples..

Team Banana Spokesman

most dangerous cycling road in europe. i'm not suprised.

shouldbeinbed

I agree the article I linked to doesn't come across as particularly anti bike, it was the reportage on TV that I felt was more polarised and which I was referring to as the piece. apologies as re-reading I didn't make that as clear as I thought.


reddragon not sure about the not many cyclists on that stretch comment - elitism doesn't really do us any good in situations like this. Not all of us are roadies doing mega miles a day, that is a main bike commute route and to the uninitiated, anyone on a bike is a cyclist, though I completely agree with you and Scalded Cat about this lump, I tried to say the same thing not as bluntly in the OP

snailracer

To put things into perspective, I wonder how many people get injured on buses being driven jerkily by clumsy bus drivers who aren't even trying to dodge reckless traffic? I often get thrown around as the bus sets off before I have even taken my seat, which I consider dangerous and inconsiderate.

redddraggon

shouldbeinbed wrote:

anyone on a bike is a cyclist

Maybe in a dictionary definition sense, but words mean more than a collection of letters. I'm a cyclist 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, riding a bike is one of the things that defines me. It's not a sense of elitism, it's about taking cycling seriously, you could be a MTBer, a roadie, a commuter, etc but IMO it's your attitude to cycling that determines whether or not you are a cyclist, not just the fact that you are riding a bike.

jim453

snailracer wrote:

To put things into perspective, I wonder how many people get injured on buses being driven jerkily by clumsy bus drivers who aren't even trying to dodge reckless traffic? I often get thrown around as the bus sets off before I have even taken my seat, which I consider dangerous and inconsiderate.

Couldn't agree with you more.


Obviously, thoughts to the old lady's family. The scumbag on a bike hasn't helped matters at all, but bus drivers brake sharply and without warning on oxford road all the time. I'll bet other injuries/deaths have occurred before.

In fact living in West Didsbury for 14 years before moving to exmoor means that i've been on that bus route literally thousands of times and i've seen some pretty interesting driving. This type of sharp braking and worse happens every hour of the day. Shame an old lady has to die before anybody gives one.

Miss Manchester though. And the buses.

Tom Butcher

redddraggon wrote:

shouldbeinbed wrote:

anyone on a bike is a cyclist

Maybe in a dictionary definition sense, but words mean more than a collection of letters. I'm a cyclist 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, riding a bike is one of the things that defines me. It's not a sense of elitism, it's about taking cycling seriously, you could be a MTBer, a roadie, a commuter, etc but IMO it's your attitude to cycling that determines whether or not you are a cyclist, not just the fact that you are riding a bike.

I think the term cyclist can be used either way - either to imply cycling is a hobby or a profession or to refer to anybody on a bike - depends on the context.

You may think of yourself as a cyclist 24 hours a day but if you were run over crossing the road on foot it'd be somewhat misleading if the report said the car struck the cyclist - again it's about how and when the word is used.

snailracer

redddraggon wrote:

shouldbeinbed wrote:

anyone on a bike is a cyclist

Maybe in a dictionary definition sense, but words mean more than a collection of letters. I'm a cyclist 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, riding a bike is one of the things that defines me. It's not a sense of elitism, it's about taking cycling seriously, you could be a MTBer, a roadie, a commuter, etc but IMO it's your attitude to cycling that determines whether or not you are a cyclist, not just the fact that you are riding a bike.

You must be like a swift that can sleep on the wing. Be warned, though, I heard mutterings from the eagles & falcons who don't like you saying they aren't birds.

Duggan13

I live in West Didsbury and have cycled down Oxford Road numerous times. As someone else has pointed out, it's a pretty 'interesting' ride.

I only really cycle it to get to the train station so I can go to Mellor and Hayfield for Mountain Biking- and it is without doubt the most dangerous part of my whole day by a country mile.

It's the busiest bus route in Europe (or was at one time) and there are thousands of students who use it as the main cycle route to three separate Universities. Every time I stop at a red light on Oxford Road at least four other people shoot past me on BMX's, 'traditional' ladies bikes with baskets (I don't know what they're called) and all sorts of stuff, almost always without helmets.

I've twice seen pedestrians hit and floored by cyclists running red lights at pedestrian crossings in exactly the same area of Oxford Road, within 100m of where that incident in the OP seems to have took place. Tbf I do work there, but still.

There's a ridiculous amount of buses on that road and as someone else has correctly pointed out, the driving leaves a lot to be desired especially by the cheaper economy student shuttle buses which trawl up and down Oxford Road 24hrs a day.

The one thing that mystifies me is the amount of people who travel to town and back all the way down Oxford Road by bike- it's infinitely easier to go via Upper Brook Street (I think it's called) or though Mosside, and quicker too. I only travel down Oxford Road now down to Whitworth Park and then through Mosside and down Yew Tree Lane which could easily get anyone to almost any of South Manchester.

I don't see why the chap in that article shoudn't be called to account if he's culpible, or questioned and eliminated from enquiries if he's not. Oxford Road isn't a great advert for cyclists and there's no reason why they shouldn't be called to account the same as bus drivers or motorists.

dag_on_a_bike

snailracer wrote:

To put things into perspective, I wonder how many people get injured on buses being driven jerkily by clumsy bus drivers who aren't even trying to dodge reckless traffic? I often get thrown around as the bus sets off before I have even taken my seat, which I consider dangerous and inconsiderate.

I don't disagree, but unfortunately on many occasions the courts do.

In the course of my work I encounter all too many cases of passengers being injured while travelling on buses. Sometimes the bus driver is considered responsible but all too often they're not. CCTV evidence is relied upon invariably.

markmod

When you consider as we get older and too infirm to drive safely, pensioners rely on public transport and the bus pass more and more. Don't know about you but I have been on buses and struggled to stand up even in my forties, god knows how senior citizens manage 0 to 4 G nowadays on a typical bus journey

Gotte

That guy's no cyclist. As has been said before, he's just an idiot on a bike. We have loads of them where I live in Stockport. You see gangs of them weaving around the streets, usually going the wrong way down a one way street. There was a fad last year for wheelies. They were all doing them. Of course, when they get a bit older, they move up to mopeds, then cars. That's why I don;t really class them as cyclists - they just use bikes because it's the only form of transport available to them. Of course, bikes are handy in that no one really enforces the law in the same way they do with cars and motorbikes, so they can treat the road in the same way they treat everything else in life - that is, with no concern at all. It's a real shame the bus driver had no way of knowing the outcome of his actions. If he had, he might have chosen to run the little sh1t over. I suspect I would.

AndyRubio

Team Banana Spokesman wrote:

most dangerous cycling road in europe.

Is it??? Sh*tbags if so.