Cyclist down (in Cambridge)

gabriel959
gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
edited December 2013 in Commuting chat
Milton Road was closed this eve, now I know why. I use that road almost every day. It is heartbreaking :(

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/Mi ... 193830.htm
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Comments

  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    Thoughts and prayers
  • gabriel959
    gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
    She died.

    http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/16 ... 082021.htm

    Just in case you were wondering, the car driver did not suffer any injuries.
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  • TommyEss
    TommyEss Posts: 1,855
    Horrible - Only 16 as well. Heartbreaking indeed.
    Cannondale Synapse 105, Giant Defy 3, Giant Omnium, Giant Trance X2, EMC R1.0, Ridgeback Platinum, On One Il Pompino...
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,252
    Poor girl, that truly is heartbreaking. Deepest condolences to her family and friends.
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    gabriel959 wrote:
    She died.

    http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/16 ... 082021.htm

    Just in case you were wondering, the car driver did not suffer any injuries.
    Reporting these days really winds me up.
    EVERY.

    SINGLE.

    REPORT.

    Of course they weren't hurt! :evil:

    R.I.P. :cry:
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    To be fair, on this occasion two cars were involved so its a valid point to make that the occupants of the cars weren't injured. Gives some (minor) insight into the type of collision. Not quite the same as where a tipper truck drives over somebody and they STILL feel the need to mentionthat the driver was uninjured...
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    Okay. In this instance I take it back.

    PS:- There is no mention of the driver's conditions in the BBC report. Maybe my stern letter had some effect after all.
    Although in this case it may have been warranted.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    BigMat wrote:
    Not quite the same as where a driver drives over somebody and they STILL feel the need to mentionthat the driver was uninjured...
    FTFY and just to add, they probably need to mention it as if there were other cyclists or family members there then the driver may have been pulverised!
  • gabriel959
    gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
    It is quite surprising that there was an accident there, it is a straight road, not very wide to be honest, and there is a shared path next to it. I personally never use the path because its surface is in really bad condition, with potholes, broken pavement bits, unevenness, etc... There are houses on that road too so there are many people's drives with plenty of blind spots too, that is my reason to avoid it. Last night there wasn't much fog in the city (apart from the river where it was very very dense) so I am wondering if she did not have any lights. I personally do not know.
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  • gabriel959 wrote:
    It is quite surprising that there was an accident there, it is a straight road, not very wide to be honest, and there is a shared path next to it. I personally never use the path because its surface is in really bad condition, with potholes, broken pavement bits, unevenness, etc... There are houses on that road too so there are many people's drives with plenty of blind spots too, that is my reason to avoid it. Last night there wasn't much fog in the city (apart from the river where it was very very dense) so I am wondering if she did not have any lights. I personally do not know.

    Can we please not speculate on the cause until more infomation is released? It's rarely helpful and seems to normally assume the cyclist was in some way at fault. I know someone who recently got hit from behind in broad daylight (escaped with scratches) - until we know we can't assume anything. Thoughts and prayers obviously go to the family at this time.

    I too cycle along there every day and, like you, ignore the shared use path (in my case mainly because the road is faster and feels safer, can't do 20mph+ on the cycle path and cars are more predictable than pedestrians or sideroads).
  • gabriel959
    gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
    gabriel959 wrote:
    It is quite surprising that there was an accident there, it is a straight road, not very wide to be honest, and there is a shared path next to it. I personally never use the path because its surface is in really bad condition, with potholes, broken pavement bits, unevenness, etc... There are houses on that road too so there are many people's drives with plenty of blind spots too, that is my reason to avoid it. Last night there wasn't much fog in the city (apart from the river where it was very very dense) so I am wondering if she did not have any lights. I personally do not know.

    Can we please not speculate on the cause until more infomation is released? It's rarely helpful and seems to normally assume the cyclist was in some way at fault. I know someone who recently got hit from behind in broad daylight (escaped with scratches) - until we know we can't assume anything. Thoughts and prayers obviously go to the family at this time.

    I too cycle along there every day and, like you, ignore the shared use path (in my case mainly because the road is faster and feels safer, can't do 20mph+ on the cycle path and cars are more predictable than pedestrians or sideroads).

    I might have been speculating but in no way I am assuming the cyclist was at fault, as you say there is no information to suggest either. As I said at the end I do not have any more information than what we all know, so I will wait to hear more.
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  • gabriel959 wrote:
    gabriel959 wrote:
    so I am wondering if she did not have any lights.

    I might have been speculating but in no way I am assuming the cyclist was at fault, as you say there is no information to suggest either. As I said at the end I do not have any more information than what we all know, so I will wait to hear more.

    Left your only bit of speculation that you didn't rule out in the post I replied to. Speculation about how the cyclist was acting - I know very few people on this forum would automatically assume cyclists are generally at fault.
  • oldbazza
    oldbazza Posts: 646
    gabriel959 wrote:
    gabriel959 wrote:
    It is quite surprising that there was an accident there, it is a straight road, not very wide to be honest, and there is a shared path next to it. I personally never use the path because its surface is in really bad condition, with potholes, broken pavement bits, unevenness, etc... There are houses on that road too so there are many people's drives with plenty of blind spots too, that is my reason to avoid it. Last night there wasn't much fog in the city (apart from the river where it was very very dense) so I am wondering if she did not have any lights. I personally do not know.

    Can we please not speculate on the cause until more infomation is released? It's rarely helpful and seems to normally assume the cyclist was in some way at fault. I know someone who recently got hit from behind in broad daylight (escaped with scratches) - until we know we can't assume anything. Thoughts and prayers obviously go to the family at this time.

    I too cycle along there every day and, like you, ignore the shared use path (in my case mainly because the road is faster and feels safer, can't do 20mph+ on the cycle path and cars are more predictable than pedestrians or sideroads).

    I might have been speculating but in no way I am assuming the cyclist was at fault, as you say there is no information to suggest either. As I said at the end I do not have any more information than what we all know, so I will wait to hear more.


    And to be fair to you it's not exactly unknown for cyclists to have no lights in Cambridge :roll:(especially front ones;although I did see someone the other morning coming along Mill Road with a red light on the front.
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  • oldbazza wrote:
    And to be fair to you it's not exactly unknown for cyclists to have no lights in Cambridge :roll:(especially front ones;although I did see someone the other morning coming along Mill Road with a red light on the front.

    I know, and I was probably a bit too grumpy earlier. I don't like speculation, particually around the victim: at best does nothing and at worst twists the truth when the true facts are revealed.

    It also frustrates me that the two bits of speculation I've seen so far both centre around the cyclist and lights. According to various reports I've seen 45-75% of cyclist-car casualties are solely the drivers fault and 15-25% solely the cyclists: yet even here on the most pro cycling forum I'm likely to find the first thing mentioned as a viable possibility is lights. Not speeding, passing too close, inattention (on the part of cyclist or motorist) or mentioning more than one possible cause.
  • oldbazza
    oldbazza Posts: 646
    oldbazza wrote:
    And to be fair to you it's not exactly unknown for cyclists to have no lights in Cambridge :roll:(especially front ones;although I did see someone the other morning coming along Mill Road with a red light on the front.

    I know, and I was probably a bit too grumpy earlier. I don't like speculation, particually around the victim: at best does nothing and at worst twists the truth when the true facts are revealed.

    It also frustrates me that the two bits of speculation I've seen so far both centre around the cyclist and lights. According to various reports I've seen 45-75% of cyclist-car casualties are solely the drivers fault and 15-25% solely the cyclists: yet even here on the most pro cycling forum I'm likely to find the first thing mentioned as a viable possibility is lights. Not speeding, passing too close, inattention (on the part of cyclist or motorist) or mentioning more than one possible cause.

    Well to sort of put this into context as such I had an incident today going down mill road;on my Ridley moving quite quickly and three teens came flying out of a side road making me slam the brakes on,if I had been in a Car or even on my last motorcycle it could have been carnage,and later on there was someone weaving about on his bike while yacking on his mobile.To even the score I had an obviously late commuter at Cambridge station car park do his best to run me over in his Audi :roll:
    I suppose what I'm saying is that whatever the incident there will always be different reactions from whatever side of the divide people are standing,those in the middle unfortunately are usually the ones who get drowned out;in most fatal incidents most of the time there are no winners whoever's fault it was :cry: I actually had a Police accident investigator say something similar to that to me once,he also said the best form of defense on the roads is just treat everybody as idiots whatever they are driving or riding.
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  • In the interest of balance
    Audi A3 Tdi
    Tells me all I need to know. :-\