For once, my sympathies are with the cyclist

[denislawsbackheel]

“Clown”??

Read my post.
The clown took no legal advice
Had he done it would not have cost him.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

No I was talking about the poster who called him a twat and a cycling clown.

He was a moron who thought he could represent himself without legal advice. He got his come uppance.

 

[Bluemanc100]

Read my post.
The clown took no legal advice
Had he done it would not have cost him.

Now I get you... yes, it’s pretty naive if he genuinely didn’t think he needed a legal counsel

 

[mccity]

Don't they teach you in road exams that it's your responsibility to be prepared for this kind of thing? I swear I had to do a hazard exam on my theory test for this.

 

[sir baconface]

This case will do a lot to encourage cycling.

 

[inchy14]

Is this the time to introduce compulsory insurance for cyclists and other road users not currently obliged like horses. It would not be cost prohibitive and would have placed the cyclist in question in a more favourable position because at the moment being non insured he owes around 100k and could face bankruptcy.

I've recently signed up to be a member of British Cycling and you get some sort of insurance with it, not exactly sure what it covers tbh and will look into it, only signed up due to other benefits, maybe all cyclists should sign up. £36 per year is nothing.

 

[Two Gun Bob]

Folk walk around in zombified states tapping dross to their cyber chums instead of concentrating on the real world ahead. Motorists are rightly fined for using a mobile device whilst travelling so in order to play devils advocate should it not then follow why not a pedestrian. Accountability comes in many guises.

 

[steviemc]

That is fucking crazy, even allowing for the misleading headline (she got £14k in damages and legal costs). The pedestrian stepped out in front of him without looking as she was using her mobile phone. The traffic lights were green, and he sounded a horn as a warning, and he swerved to try to avoid her. She sued him, and won! The judge ruled that "cyclists must be prepared at all times for people to behave in unexpected ways".She also said: "Mr Hazeldean did fall below the level to be expected of a reasonably competent cyclist in that he did proceed when the road was not completely clear." Staggering. Anyone else off out this evening to find a cyclist to step out in front of?

I'm totally with you on this one Jim. I don't care whether you're driving a mobility scooter or riding a 'Back To The Future' feckin' hoverboard. Somebody carelessly steps out in the road with such such disregard (they you could be taking a selfie or reading a feckin' book), the road user should not be culpable. Simple as. Feck's sake, trams passing through Market Street in Manchester only do about 7mph, how long before we get the 'whiplash' brigade putting up the price of travel for those of us that actually look where we are going?

 

[crazyadi]

The judge ruled that "cyclists must be prepared at all times for people to behave in unexpected ways".

To be fair this is exactly how many many cyclists think regarding car drivers, and everyone really, hence why they ride on pavements, go through red lights, undertake cars turning left at junctions, don't use hand signals, pull out in front of cars to avoid parked cars without even looking over their shoulder , dont give way at give way signs etc etc etc. about time they got a taste of their own medicine.

 

[steviemc]

I've recently signed up to be a member of British Cycling and you get some sort of insurance with it, not exactly sure what it covers tbh and will look into it, only signed up due to other benefits, maybe all cyclists should sign up. £36 per year is nothing.

That's the rub here. If you want to use the roads, you're absolutely entitled to do so, as long as you adhere to the highway code. I've no issue with cyclists that accept this, and I think the insurance cost would be absolutely cheap (proportionately). Unfortunately there are quite a few cyclists (and I know this from friends of mine) that see cycling as a freedom of movement, and don't think the traffic regulations (traffic signals, lane access, insurance etc.) should apply to them. They see it more as an 'anti establishment' campaign rather than a sensible way of travelling from A to B. I think that's what pisses the majority of road users off.