Yet Another Down - Aberdeen

daviesee

As the Title - Yet another rider sadly gone.
This time it was a tractor* in Aberdeen.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-n ... d-20419642

More poignant for me as I was on the bike nearby and heard the sirens.
From the photo shot of the crumpled bike on the local news, he stood no chance.

R.I.P.

Be careful out there.

*Edit:- Latest version is that he was hit by a lorry.

Koncordski

This is shaping up to be a really crap year for grim statistics. RIP

daviesee

My take on that is that it is a simple matter of statistics.
Higher number of cyclists = Higher number of incidents.

I see more cyclists this November than I saw in July. Olympics legacy?

Add to that the basic fact that drivers are not adapting well and the conclusions are self evident.

Not connected to the main story Proviso - I still see cyclists without lights. I know we are preaching to the converted here but why can't they see that lights are for their own safety?

cloud

aye sad news, i know someone who worked with the lad but didn't know him myself. i don't know the circumstances of this incident but it's another tragic reminder to make sure we're visible, sensible and safe out there. r.i.p. loon.

rubertoe

daviesee wrote:

My take on that is that it is a simple matter of statistics.
Higher number of cyclists = Higher number of incidents.

I see more cyclists this November than I saw in July. Olympics legacy?

Add to that the basic fact that drivers are not adapting well and the conclusions are self evident.

Not connected to the main story Proviso - I still see cyclists without lights. I know we are preaching to the converted here but why can't they see that lights are for their own safety?

I see people with lights on but they might as well not, either crap lights, not on, low batteries or obscured by something or other.

pete_s

daviesee wrote:

My take on that is that it is a simple matter of statistics.
Higher number of cyclists = Higher number of incidents.

Personally, I think the statistics reflect the standard of infrastructure (or lack there-of) that are given to cyclists. The Netherlands boasts a 30% modal share of transport with 162 deaths of cyclists in 2011. Compared to the UK where 3% (although this isn't the % of people who use it as transport!) of people cycle with 107 deaths in 2011. The Netherlands has the best cycle infrastructure in the world and therefore the lowers rates of fatalities. The UK is just plain and simply inadequate for cycling and this is reflected in the statistics.

daviesee

Sorry, but I disagree.
Motor powered vehicles hit other motor powered vehicles. It just happens that we focus on cyclists.
The main cause for accidents is impatience and bad driving, not the infrastructure.

suzyb

rubertoe wrote:

daviesee wrote:

My take on that is that it is a simple matter of statistics.
Higher number of cyclists = Higher number of incidents.

I see more cyclists this November than I saw in July. Olympics legacy?

Add to that the basic fact that drivers are not adapting well and the conclusions are self evident.

Not connected to the main story Proviso - I still see cyclists without lights. I know we are preaching to the converted here but why can't they see that lights are for their own safety?

I see people with lights on but they might as well not, either crap lights, not on, low batteries or obscured by something or other.

I've noticed the same when driving home, people cycling along, in some cases unlit roads in dark clothing with really dim lights

In saying that, this winter I've also noticed just how invisible pedestrians are even when walking along lit streets. And we don't seem to help ourselves be more visible and wear dark clothing during the darkest time of the year.

jds_1981

There's another time and thread for discussions on visibilty. Thank you.

bompington

jds_1981 wrote:

There's another time and thread for discussions on visibilty. Thank you.

This. Surely not intended, but it leaves a smell of "it's his own fault" where it clearly doesn't belong.

rubertoe

bompington wrote:

jds_1981 wrote:

There's another time and thread for discussions on visibilty. Thank you.

This. Surely not intended, but it leaves a smell of "it's his own fault" where it clearly doesn't belong.

Quite, my apologies.

The Rookie

Agreed, we have no idea in this case, remond people by all means to take all cares they can, but don't raise it as a specific issue.

daviesee

Sorry for the tangent.
I did put in a disclaimer but it was a tangent none the less. :oops:

aberdeen_lune

It's a real shame someone just trying to get home from work. It's a bit scary for me as it's a stones throw from home and I often cycle through that roundabout. Thoughts are with the family.

mybreakfastconsisted

It's worth remembering that unlit cyclists are not a significant factor in cycling RTCs, they account for fewer than 2% of accidents:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ ... ents-study

There are plenty of other things that would reduce the KSI rate, mainly driver behaviour.

unixnerd

Terrible news, I'm in Aberdeen four days a week and do a lot of cycling here. I know that roundabout well. The only thing that might make it safer is traffic lights as used on some of the other Anderson Drive junctions. Big roundabouts are always going to be a hazard when they're busy and there are few alternative routes in Aberdeen.

sheepworryingbhoy

Long, long time since I posted but the lad was a friend of mine who I played footy with for many years, you wont meet a nicer guy......We're not sure of accident details yet but yes that roundabout is real busy & it's not easy to avoid. Thanks for all the kind messages, his brother is also a close friend & I'm hoping to see him at the weekend.

R.I.P. mate