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Video: Cyclist-hating truck driver deliberately soaks group of riders and publishes footage to Facebook
A truck driver has been reported to police after filming himself driving through water to deliberately splash a group of cyclists in Sydney on Monday morning.
"So, we hate pushbikes," says the driver at the start of footage he appears to have shot himself. “We're not allowed to run them over," he then laments, before executing his plan.
“Up ahead I see a little bit of water. So, now's a good time to start the overtaking manoeuvre, I believe. Here we go."
The camera then moves to the side window where a group of cyclists can be seen in his mirrors getting drenched.
The incident is reported to have taken place at about 6.30am, heading south on General Holmes Drive near Sydney Airport.
The cyclists were in the middle lane and a post on the Truckin Australia Facebook page read: “While we don't condone doing this we did find it funny.. If these riders were in the left lane they wouldn't have been hit with water and the truck driver might of been a bit less of a prick.”
One of the cyclists in the group, who wished to be known only by his first name of Blake, told The Sydney Morning Herald that he initially thought it was an accident but after later seeing the footage went to speak to the police.
"I felt the splash of water as the truck went past, and I thought 'yeah okay, that's a coincidence, these things happen on the road.' It was only later when I got home... all of a sudden I'm watching myself just being preyed upon, really, by this truck driver with some pretty out there views."
Blake said the group had stayed in the middle lane as it could be "hectic" and dangerous to move there once the left lane ended.
The footage was deleted from Facebook around 11.30am yesterday and the profile of the uploader was later also deleted. A police officer at Blake’s local police station said there wasn't much that could be done with the footage alone, and also said that the person who posted the footage to social media may not have been the driver.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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27 comments
Truck driver now charged with using a mobile and intent to menace
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/truck-driver-charged-after-menacing-filming-sy...
Niiiice!
Thanks very much for all your responses. I will report it to the police. Hopefully they'll deal with Albatross Carpentry in an appropriate manner.
I've lost count of the number of incidents I've had with inconsiderate, dangerous drivers whilst on my bike.
The more I ride, the more immune I seem to get to things which is a shame as when I relate the events at a later date or time, it's apparent just how bad things could've turned out.
The latest incident involved me holding the lane of a country road with nothing coming the other way and a rather impatient mini white van driver behind me. I took a left onto a narrow road with a nice downhill section where speeds can exceed 40mph on a bike. So there I am conitnuing down this road at speed with nothing coming the other way and this cockend in the white van is a couple of metres off my rear wheel. As I approach the end of the road, I start to brake as it goes on to quite a busy road and a police van turns into the road approaching us and I make a gesture to them to bring their attention to said cockend tailgating me but they drive on. At the junction I take a left and can hear a torrent of abuse coming my way from the cockend in the white van. I'm not sure what exactly he was upset by? Was I not going fast enough for him or did he feel aggrieved at my gesturing to the police?
I don't get it but instances like this are becomming more common which is a worry.
Many drivers show a lot of respect to cyclists but unfortunately, some are in such a rush that tailgating, or a close pass at speed seems to be the norm and it only takes a minor error to result in a possible fatality.
I just don't get it?
I'm a little confused by this quote:
"A police officer at Blake’s local police station said there wasn't much that could be done with the footage alone, and also said that the person who posted the footage to social media may not have been the driver."
If a criminal act has been committed, i.e. assault and/or harrassment, then what does it matter who posted it?
As I do not know Australian Law I can only speak from a UK perspective. In the UK deliberately soaking someone by driving through a standing water IS an assault. I suspect it is the same in the Colonies (lol), can we have confirmation from an Aussie please.
Yeah it is assult here. Spitting, spashing water etc all have established case law in assault.
Basically their cops can't be arsed following up. If they wanted to they go and make it stick, and get a caution out of him.
"We can't run them over"
That's another human and a member of somebody's family, you dumb fuck.
I sense a bit of jealousy because he's probably a fat bastard trucker.
What exactly is a "push" bike? Is it like in that Hovis advert, one gear so you pushed it up hill?
Any further run ins I have with van drivers will be reported to the police via 999 as if there is a potential terrorist incident unfolding. You can't be too careful after the dreadful events in Nice, who know I might mistakenly see a gun in their hand too.
It would be interesting to see what the British police response is.
I kinda felt sorry for him. He sounded like he wasn't a bad guy - more of a try hard hoping to impress random internet people. Probably bullied a bit at school, or at least unpopular.
I'm kind of surprised that this story even made it into the news. I mean, if there is standing water in puddles whenever I'm riding on the road or riding on a cycle path alongside it then I would lay down actual money that some ar$e is going to just move over, just a little bit, just there, into that puddle. Every time. Like road water is magnetic or something.
This wasn't even a road rage cause by inconsiderate riding or the perception of the driver that the cyclists were doing something wrong or even getting in his way, the cyclists are doing everything correctly, even to the extent of getting out of the left filter lane so as not to hold up traffic. This is purely and simply targeting a group of people because they are riding bicycles, in getting a kick out of causing them distress and without any regard for possible consequences.
Doing this particularly shitty act is one thing, there are arseholes in walks of life but feeling that it is OK to act in this way and then to post the footage to a public forum belies the anti cycling culture that the authorities in Sydney have been fostering for some time. Having the police respond in the way they apparently have makes it worse. Open season on cyclists with no repercussions, at least no repercussions from the authorities? If there is no justice then I wouldn't want to be insuring the guy's truck against fire and theft.
It's sad, but I'd call the sign writers up once a week requesting a visit to quote at various addresses, under a false name. Cost them a few bob.
Totally agree, best way todeal with it.
Your average bogan seems very anti-cyclist. That said some parts of Australia seem very anti-cyclist.
I think if you're a Pom and a cyclist you'd be totally fecked in Oz
were a feckin nuisance anyway lol
A passenger threw a "vape" liquid bottle at me recently from a van travelling in the oposite direction. I was cycling minding my own business in Loxwood, West Sussex. The van was sign-written so I know the business it belongs to - a carpentry business based in Brookwood, Surrey. Is there any point reporting the incident to the police? Would be grateful for advice and opinion.
The police don't care whether you live or die, as long as you are on a bicycle. They definitely won't care about people throwing bottles at you.
my admittedly limited experience of gettng the police involved is quite the opposite. They were excellent throughout proceedings and even gave me a choice when it came to sentencing a driver who knocked me off my bike.
But maybe you're right. If so you've certainly found a good way to get them onside. Well done.
no dont bother, if you still got the offending item, tie to a brick and launch through their window with a polite note saying they must have dropped their vape bottle and thought they'd like it back!
Very difficult to prove anything so extremely unlikely to result in any action.
Might be worth reporting to the company though, at least if it's more than a self-employed operation. They'll know who was driving, and are more likely to have a word. Could even be that they think he's a prick anyway (certainly sounds like it) and would like a reason to tell him so/give him his jotters.
I always send an email to the business/bus company if I experience dangerous/inconsiderate driving. just asking if they would have a word with their driver and remind them of the highway code.
If I was a small business owner who had paid to display my name on the side of a van for publicity and my employees were trashing my good name I would be furious.
Having said that I rarely get a reply. One bus company did send back a bland "we do take safe driving seriously" reply but most ignore it.
Report it anyway.
Yes report it.
I had a full can of coke thrown at me (doing 30mph downhill). I reported to the police as I had the reg number via the online facility. Police called, came around to my house and got some further details, then went to see them. They denied it (police said they didnt believe them). I accept no charges were pressed but police man did say they were quite shocked when they called. They ended up with a 'vehicle ASBO' not sure what the proper name is. So yes I would definately report it.
'Section 59'. If a vehicle has one of these hanging over it then it can be seized if a further incident is reported - intended to empower the Police to stop joyriding, drifting and cruising on housing estates and in supermarket car parks, so the evidential standard is pretty low.
As you say, makes it worth reporting any incident.
I get the impression from this and many other articles on the web that cyclists in Australia are even more vunerable than in the UK. The level of stupidity and aggression from motorists is quite shocking. I can only assume they have an even higher proportion of men with stunted genitalia that feel the need to compensate by being aggressive whilst encased in a metal box.
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