London Cyclist Battering by Audi(tm)

[SkodaMart]

This thread is just crazy!

I've been a road cyclist since early teens, ridden horses on the road, had a driving licence and owned a car since 1989.

The problem are the silly lines painted on the road.

'traffic calming measures' I believe they are called.

The fact is, because of these stupid lines that the government has painted on the road, motor vehicles and slower modes of transport now struggle to co-exist on the highways.

Boxes before junctions for cyclists are a good idea, it allows a cyclist to position for a left or right turn without fear of death!

Does it give cyclists the right to line up and block motor vehicles? Does it hell, that's just selfish, petty and anal.

Yes I know, cyclists are faster than cars for all of 5ft, but show some courtesy, allow the faster vehicles to pass unhindered.

 

[SkodaMart]

Lets save the 'rage' for the motorists who cut cyclists up either intentionally or carelessly.
None of the cyclists in that video where in any danger IMO.
The 'rage' cyclist brought the smack in the kisser upon himself.

 

[SkodaMart]

This is an example of badly - stupid painted lines.

Cycle lane WTF?

 

[SkodaMart]

Watch this. OMG!

The truck nearly kills the cyclist at 1:50

 

[v0n]

He wasnt in the box, in the video he entered the box from being behind the first white line before the lights had changed which is where the law was broken. you cannot defend the use of violence when it is clearly not called for.

I actually can. Let's look at the event s-l-o-w-l-y

The car is already in the box with entire front and half a wheel when our vigilant camera man arrives. Notice red light. We do not know if he was left there by traffic conditions during last light cycle or stopped there after light changed, all we know - he's already there at the moment of first incident. It's done, offence, if there was one (and we don't have a proof there was) is already committed. Notice red light. Cycling vigilante arrives last.

As more cyclists arrive and spread in front of the car, the driver makes space, by turning as far right as he can without leaving the lane. The cyclists (not wearing any safety clothes or visibility aids) "reverses" to reprimand the driver, in process of which touches the car for the first time with his bike and opens aggro discussion with the passengers of the car. He is ignored and the car drives away.

The crucial mistake is made at the next junction, where the cyclist actively chases the car then starts swearing at the driver, reaches for drivers door handle and asks, quite clearly "do you want a /swear word/ fight?" (not "you run over my foot" as most of the newspapers suggested, listen to original video in HD for yourself)

Notice hand reaching for drivers door:

We then hear a door clunk (that's the passenger leaving the car) and as the cameraman turns around notice drivers door still open:

Passenger then oblige to invitation of fight with almost instant resolution reached in what seems to be relatively well thought through if not trained method, maintaining (almost as if for the purpose of OCUK meme) correct fighting stance at all times. How do we know the defender was a passenger and not the driver? Because after "resolution", as the cycling vigilante leaves the scene crying and turns back down the street (pic below), the man in the shirt reaches for the rear door behind driver and opens it, while the drivers door is being closed from the inside by someone else.

Whoever was driving, whoever was in the front or back of car with darkened windows, I would give their bodyguard bonus or payrise. He was quick, he was effective, he didn't make his shirt dirty and the aggressive punk trying to cling to and later breach inside private property looking for a fight was dealt with with minimum effort by the time the lights changed again.

 

[v0n]

This is an example of badly - stupid painted lines. Cycle lane WTF?

Cyclists screaming at bus driver for stopping at the bus stop. That's just shocking stupidity.

Watch this. OMG!

The truck nearly kills the cyclist at 1:50

What are they doing in that bit. Why is she and the cameraman not in the separated cycle lane to the left? What was she trying to do there? Three lanes of traffic and she's undertaking traffic in the lane going left then tries to turn right or go straight-ish across? Insane lack of logic and awareness. That video contains very weird stuff from cyclists.

 

[SkodaMart]

What are they doing in that bit. Why is she and the cameraman not in the separated cycle lane to the left? What was she trying to do there, turn right/straight-ish away from main road going left while undertaking all cars from the left? Insane lack of logic and awareness.

Exactly!!

The lines are so confusing you can't understand them!

edit: You don't drive a truck do you?

The cyclist was in the correct lane to go straight on, the left lane was to turn left.

Try actually cycling on the roads in rush hour, have a go at a roundabout maybe.

 

[v0n]

Exactly!!

The lines are so confusing you can't understand them!

The cyclist was in the correct lane to go straight on, the left lane was to turn left.

Try actually cycling on the roads in rush hour, have a go at a round about maybe.

Holy! I had to watch it like four times to see it. You have red bus lane on the left, separated by the island, you would expect cyclists to be there, cars are banned, all is good. But the faint CS7 blue cycle lane, right behind the island, leads straight on across main traffic turning left. Jesus! Who designs/paints these. No driver will ever see/expect that. Mother...

 

[Millwall.FC]

Watch this. OMG!

The truck nearly kills the cyclist at 1:50

I know this junction well it is just as you approach Clapham road at the oval cricket ground. It is just one of many poorly implemented "cycle highways" that has had no thought put into it at all just a blue paint path that in most cases they could not be bothered to redesign the junction to make them compatible. Why the bus has it own lane to turn left (which has its own phasing traffic light which is almost always green) is another laugh as that left turn is towards the busy south circular to Brixton although I can not see how the truck did not see the cyclist. Another favourite cycle lane for me is a painted bike back to front contra flowing a narrow 1 way street which is quite common in the city.

 

[SkodaMart]

Holy! I had to watch it like four times to see it. You have red bus lane on the left, separated by the island, you would expect cyclists to be there, cars are banned, all is good. But the faint CS7 blue cycle lane, right behind the island, leads straight on across main traffic turning left. Jesus! Who designs/paints these. No driver will ever see/expect that. Mother...

Thanks.

It's the point I'm trying to make.

some of these lines 'traffic calming measures' are deadly.

Now imagine the same in poor weather or at night.

 

[v0n]

I can not see how the truck did not see the cyclist.

He saw the cyclist, he makes that > < much more space on tight corner as well, it just did not occur to him that the cyclists might at that point continue straight on from the left side of the left lane turning left. I wouldn't expect the bike to go straight from that position, not for a second.

I know that road and I had to watch the video several times to realise that this faint grey mess between A2 signage and bus lane is still CS7 cycle lane (pics for those that can't be bothered to rewind the video):

This is where the lane visually ends. Light blue turns into greyish mess. You would just presume that it was one of those cycle lanes that lead nowhere or turn into park. Beyond that point you only get one CS7 sign on the road and by the time you reach the junction, even the white lane to its left is gone.

Just pure license to kill.

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

This thread is just crazy!

I've been a road cyclist since early teens, ridden horses on the road, had a driving licence and owned a car since 1989.

The problem are the silly lines painted on the road.

'traffic calming measures' I believe they are called.

The fact is, because of these stupid lines that the government has painted on the road, motor vehicles and slower modes of transport now struggle to co-exist on the highways.

Boxes before junctions for cyclists are a good idea, it allows a cyclist to position for a left or right turn without fear of death!

Does it give cyclists the right to line up and block motor vehicles? Does it hell, that's just selfish, petty and anal.

Yes I know, cyclists are faster than cars for all of 5ft, but show some courtesy, allow the faster vehicles to pass unhindered.

So you think cyclists should sit on the left? In the least safe place to be at a junction? The whole point of ASLs is that cyclists are visible at the front and can pull away to the left.

 

[SkodaMart]

So you think cyclists should sit on the left? In the least safe place to be at a junction? The whole point of ASLs is that cyclists are visible at the front and can pull away to the left.

Boxes before junctions for cyclists are a good idea, it allows a cyclist to position for a left or right turn without fear of death! Does it give cyclists the right to line up and block motor vehicles? Does it hell, that's just selfish, petty and anal.

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

Can you clarify with a yes or no?

The cyclist was in the right place as he was allowing others to enter the box.

I'm courteous on the road but my safety and the safety of others takes priority.

At this junction in particular the lanes go from one to two and the cyclists move into the bus lane. No-one is held up. The light phases also mean that the next set of lights is always red so there is no point in rushing anyway.

 

[SkodaMart]

Audi was 'too important to wait'
Cyclist was a *****.
I would have just let that one go, like the rest of the cyclists at the lights.

There are plenty of opportunists to rage at motorists, the ones that nearly kill you are a good place to start.

 

[SkodaMart]

Cyclist was in the right place.
However the Audi didn't endanger him in the slightest.

I have been clipped, actual physical contact with a single decker bus.
Now that's grounds to rage!

 

[Gepetto]

Cyclist was in the right place.
However the Audi didn't endanger him in the slightest.

That is the most succinct statement on the OP issue I've read yet.

 

[86JR]

What I find funny about this saga is people are saying the audi driver is in the wrong totally for sticking into the cycle only "space" by one wheel, yet you see in this screenshot that a taxi is doing the same thing, except half of the taxi is in the zone, red light traffic lights, cyclist not having a go at him is he?

Honestly I think it was a case of "I can't afford that nice A7 so I'm going to have a go", why else does he completely ignore the taxi who is as much if not more as fault?

 

[Demon]

Love it.. some great trolling!

I actually can. Let's look at the event s-l-o-w-l-y

The car is already in the box with entire front and half a wheel when our vigilant camera man arrives.

There seems a much clearer shot of the Audi, where you can confirm his wheels are not actually over the line at all.

As more cyclists arrive and spread in front of the car, the driver makes space, by turning as far right as he can without leaving the lane.

That's an odd interpretation, since there are already 3 cyclists, abreast taking up 75% of the box before the Audi moves forward, exactly who is he making room for? The vast majority of the cyclists are already there. Also, if you look at his final position, it does look like he would to have put his front wheel over the central white line to have done so

...

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

What I find funny about this saga is people are saying the audi driver is in the wrong totally for sticking into the cycle only "space" by one wheel, yet you see in this screenshot that a taxi is doing the same thing, except half of the taxi is in the zone, red light traffic lights, cyclist not having a go at him is he?

Honestly I think it was a case of "I can't afford that nice A7 so I'm going to have a go", why else does he completely ignore the taxi who is as much if not more as fault?

Because the taxi didn't pull into the cycle box whilst he was there? Taxi could have been caught in the light phase.

How do you know he couldn't afford an A7? They aren't exactly expensive.