West Midlands Police target drivers too close to cyclists

Amp34 said:
And TBH it's not like being skinny has much to do with fitness, or particularly strength for that matter. :p

Try telling Wiggins or Farah they aren't very fit for example.
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There is a big difference between fitness and tiredness. I am fairly fit, but after a very long bike ride I am pretty tired! The more tired you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes. Be it tired from a 100 mile ride for somebody who is very fit, or tired from a 5 mile ride from somebody who isn't very fit.

I'm not sure what my point is here....
 
Might aswell post here.

Had a very nice chap in a white van try to kill me yesterday whilst on my bike.
On a fairly quiet and large straight road yesterday morning at 8:05. Cycling towards central London, and have panniers full of clothes, laptop etc. So I'm travelling in a straightline at about 15mph, 1.5m from the kerb (big road, little traffic), high vis clothing and panniers, no traffic front of rear for 20m. Mr white van man comes out of a road to my left. Looked like he was going to stop, then just carries on. Hit's me in the side at probably 15 mph, enough to bend in the crank arm on the left side of my bike. I'm just glad to have not broken anything, though I have plenty of bruises.

The guy claims he didn't see me, which actually I believe when I think about how he drove. Of course the implications being that he simply didn't look correctly.

He's said he'll pay for the costs to the bike and if he does, I'll not even bother reporting it to the police. Having said that, got the quote from my local bike shop earlier today and that might have made him think twice as it's over £900. That'll teach him to run over a guy riding a custom built bike made of Ti.
 
When I got hit last August, witnessed by two Police Officers, they told the driver that she had to report it to her insurance even if it was going to be settled between us. They also said that if they hadn't witnessed it I should have rang the Police to report it and at least get an incident number.
What if he decides not to pay up?
 
SexyGreyFox said:
When I got hit last August, witnessed by two Police Officers, they told the driver that she had to report it to her insurance even if it was going to be settled between us. They also said that if they hadn't witnessed it I should have rang the Police to report it and at least get an incident number.
What if he decides not to pay up?
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That's easy. I've given him a firm deadline. He coughs up by the end of play tomorrow, or it does get reported to the police and I go via my insurance.

Clearly it's a lot less hassle if he keeps to his word, but I'll get the dosh, whether it's from him, or my insurance.
 
Interested how it works out (a resilient laptop/pannier - plus yourself)
yes - how come you did not ring the police there and then , since would they not have recorded the circumstances and drivers comments/admittance, details that would be lost irrevocably if they did not attend ? (plus considered prosecution)
I guess it was pretty amicable and you trusted him backed up by your insurance; with £900 costs I would have thought most drivers would take it through their insurance.
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
That's easy. I've given him a firm deadline. He coughs up by the end of play tomorrow, or it does get reported to the police and I go via my insurance.

Clearly it's a lot less hassle if he keeps to his word, but I'll get the dosh, whether it's from him, or my insurance.
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But now he can just say 'what crash?' Best bet is probably to pretend your dying so police have to turn up.
 
Good luck with this police,Christ where i live cars dont have the opportunity to give that much room because the roads are either not wide enough,Or theres a ton of cars parked 50/50 on the road & pavement so with us cyclists going around these parked cars whilst leaving enough room for the open door zone + the car traveling 1.5m away from the cyclist to give clearance the traveling car would end up in the oncoming traffic lane lol.

Plus like mentioned,they have to have the police to enforce it.

We need more cycle lanes in this country i think,some of the foot paths are stupid,They're so wide there really isn't any reason for them to be so wide,they could easily half them and put in cycle lanes.
 
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Nevakonaza said:
We need more cycle lanes in this country i think,some of the foot paths are stupid,They're so wide there really isn't any reason for them to be so wide,they could easily half them and put in cycle lanes.
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Sounds like a terrible cycle lane if it's just the half and half with a painted line. We need more segregated cycle lanes.
 
Lethal` said:
Sounds like a terrible cycle lane if it's just the half and half with a painted line. We need more segregated cycle lanes.
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Cycle lane near me is literally a line down the middle of the pavement, thats OK with me, it's a wide pavement. Problem is the signs showing which side is for walkers/riders keeps flipping. Either someone messed up, a few times, owe we are supposed to corkscrew the whole way.
 
yes they have stupid line down the middle of pavement in Cambridge and no one knows what side they are meant to be walking/cycling .... should just be like a mini-road - cycle on the left, and pedestrians on edges walking towards oncoming cyclists ... but if you want to be safe on a cycle at >5mph better stick to road or the bus lane.
(could have sworn you post originally said Cycle Jane - I was trying to figure out who she was)
 
physichull said:
There is a big difference between fitness and tiredness. I am fairly fit, but after a very long bike ride I am pretty tired! The more tired you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes. Be it tired from a 100 mile ride for somebody who is very fit, or tired from a 5 mile ride from somebody who isn't very fit.

I'm not sure what my point is here....
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Well yeah, but expect previously mentioned skinny guys to last a lot longer than Frank down the pub who weights 16 stone but super strong because his beer gut can take 10 pints.:p
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
snip

high vis clothing and panniers,

Snip.
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Though I do not really know what the answer is

(It is a sort of dammed if you do, dammed if you don't situation)

I for one find "Hi Viz" visually overwhelming and therefore generally unhelpful.

After all Razzle Dazzle camouflage was never intended to make ships invisible, on the contrary, it was meant to make them stand out against the background, but in a way that made it difficult to work out how fast they were going or in what direction they were traveling.

Not a good position to be in if you are a Cyclist or Biker on a busy road!
 
Quick update.
In short, and despite statements of "yep, will pay for the damage...", the offending white van driver decided that he couldn't be bothered to turn up to the cycle shop to pay. Gave him a couple of opportunities to deal with this between us, and clearly he just wanted to string me along. Can't say it impresses me. Still, should I expect otherwise from a guy who's nearly hospitalised me with his ineptitude.

As such, going the formal route. Submitted a formal report (19 pages) on the RTA to my local police station and have instigated a claim via my house insurance company.

I'll keep this thread posted on how it goes. I hope the police throw the book at him.
 
Housey said:
I think what these sorts of threads show is how people make decisions about people without actually knowing them. I see no issue with cyclists on the road, have always given them room and the right of way when appropriate. Sure I see a fair few idiots on bikes, but I see a fair few idiots in cars too so par of the course really. In my experience if you do the right thing most of the time then the other people do the same thing and if they don't then don't sweat it. People with agendas and serious angst and anger issues are all over the place, look at how many sneering angry boys and girls live on this forum for example. Some of them will ride bikes, some of them will drive cars, some both. :D
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Completely agree. I drive, cycle and motorcycle and manage to get through the day without getting annoyed by anyone these days! As with so many things in life, the mantra 'don't be a d***' gets you a long way!
 
jpaul said:
yes they have stupid line down the middle of pavement in Cambridge and no one knows what side they are meant to be walking/cycling .... should just be like a mini-road - cycle on the left, and pedestrians on edges walking towards oncoming cyclists ... but if you want to be safe on a cycle at >5mph better stick to road or the bus lane.
(could have sworn you post originally said Cycle Jane - I was trying to figure out who she was)
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Surely cyclists should be on the road side not just the left.

Other wise you put the most vunerable, pedestrians, in a very awkward situation hemmed in betwen bycicles on one side and cars the other

Also pedestrians are more likley to be going into shops etc so having to cross a cyclelane to getnin and out of buildings seems bizare
 
Further update on recently being hit by a white van.
As already mentioned, the driver who hit me in broad daylight (little traffic), couldn't be bothered to deal with things the polite manner.
As such:
- I dealt with the damage to my bike via my insurance company, who were really good about things and have already paid for the repairs
- Progressed the RTA with the police who've basically responded back that as I've not provided a 3rd party witness, that they're not interested. Rather disappointing to say the least, but at least they've not wasted my time
- Bearing in mind how scummy the driver has been, i.e. "yes I'll make it good, yes, I'll pay.... Can't be bothered to turn up to actually cough up" to simply ignored, I've instigated a personal injuries claim via a group recommended by my employer. Talked to them today and they've taken it on a no win, no cost basis, so clearly they're pretty confident. Let's see how the git feels about that.

As for myself, suspected fractured ribs (now knitted back together and far less painful), but still suffering from pain in the left wrist, hand and ankle, which took the force from him hitting me in the side with his van.
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
Further update on recently being hit by a white van.
As already mentioned, the driver who hit me in broad daylight (little traffic), couldn't be bothered to deal with things the polite manner.
As such:
- I dealt with the damage to my bike via my insurance company, who were really good about things and have already paid for the repairs
- Progressed the RTA with the police who've basically responded back that as I've not provided a 3rd party witness, that they're not interested. Rather disappointing to say the least, but at least they've not wasted my time
- Bearing in mind how scummy the driver has been, i.e. "yes I'll make it good, yes, I'll pay.... Can't be bothered to turn up to actually cough up" to simply ignored, I've instigated a personal injuries claim via a group recommended by my employer. Talked to them today and they've taken it on a no win, no cost basis, so clearly they're pretty confident. Let's see how the git feels about that.

As for myself, suspected fractured ribs (now knitted back together and far less painful), but still suffering from pain in the left wrist, hand and ankle, which took the force from him hitting me in the side with his van.
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Make sure it's actually no win no fee...
Probably find the t&c state otherwise :o
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
Further update on recently being hit by a white van.
As already mentioned, the driver who hit me in broad daylight (little traffic), couldn't be bothered to deal with things the polite manner.
As such:
- I dealt with the damage to my bike via my insurance company, who were really good about things and have already paid for the repairs
- Progressed the RTA with the police who've basically responded back that as I've not provided a 3rd party witness, that they're not interested. Rather disappointing to say the least, but at least they've not wasted my time
- Bearing in mind how scummy the driver has been, i.e. "yes I'll make it good, yes, I'll pay.... Can't be bothered to turn up to actually cough up" to simply ignored, I've instigated a personal injuries claim via a group recommended by my employer. Talked to them today and they've taken it on a no win, no cost basis, so clearly they're pretty confident. Let's see how the git feels about that.

As for myself, suspected fractured ribs (now knitted back together and far less painful), but still suffering from pain in the left wrist, hand and ankle, which took the force from him hitting me in the side with his van.
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I'm not sure why the personal injury lot are so confident if you've got no witnesses.
 
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