Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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42 comments
That's the way they treat you in this place.
I suspect Zebulebu is right that it is getting worse out there, maybe because there are more bikes on the road. Whatever, I only really go outside town on Sundays nowdays (early, as we know, is fantastic), as it's impossible to avoid the busier roads entirely. On Sunday the whole vibe is much more relaxed, (supermarket delivery vans excepted). This is in the South East, other less densely populated areas might be a different story. I guess two cameras will become normal over the coming decade.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/40134629
when this doesn't result in prosecution for dangerous driving there is no hope. Seriously the video is clear, driver comes round the corner out if control on wrong side of road and hits vulnerable road users. Driver alertness course is an absolute disgrace. The police that offered it should be charged with perverting the course of justice.
If this is the standard the powers that be will tolerate, then using the roads becomes Russian roulette every time you step outside you wheeled steel safety cage.
Very reserved Adam. Id have asked to see him next Tuesday.
Bloody hell, the pensioner snowflake generation are a bit upset as usual. It was a tongue-in-cheek generalisation. Now go lighten up, find a safe space to enjoy your free money (a particularly lucrative form of participation trophy) and let us millenials get on with figuring out how we're going to pay for it all while sorting out the planet you lot wrecked!
Ha ha! Quite funny that, obviously touched a nerve there. Tells everyone to lighten up but still dishes it out, obviously can't take advice.
Seems that us lot riding our bikes have wrecked the planet. Donald, is that you?
how can you expect us to lighten up when there are so many millennials to shit on, and so little time left to us in which to do it? It's very distressful.
The most rabid anti-cyclist person I know is a Sergeant in the local police force.
He has in the past said all cyclists should be driven into and knocked off the road.
Don't expect any help and you won't be disappointed
I was brought to recall this:-
https://youtu.be/kKukWdXaELA
from 07:15.
Sometimes laughing at the ridiculous is the best option. I'm glad Adam is ok.
People are cuuuunts.
Adam Blythe is a professional cyclist and will therefore do the right thing to not give his sponsors bad publicity. The sensible thing to do was apologise and keep a low profile. Refusing to do so on some moral high ground risks inflaming the situation and upsetting sponsors.
I'm not sure his social media campaign for other cyclists to wave the finger at ths couple fits with your scenario.
Though he was quick to weigh in on poor old Hayden McCormick for employing that same finger...
Had a very similar incident last year while cycling with my wife in Cornwall.
We were both cycling in a narrow country lane when a car from behind accelerated very hard while holding his hand on the horn. In 20+ years of cycling it was the closest past I have ever experienced. If I hadn't dived into the head I would have been hit that is for sure.
I knew there was a junction up ahead so decided to increase my pace to see if I could catch him up. Oddly enough the driver had chosen to pull into a turning space, sat on his mobile phone with the window down. I thought I would approach him as maybe he really didn't realise how close he was.
His reply to my question "was it you that just overtook us back there" was, why you got a problem? To which I told him he was very very close.
His reaction was then to get out of the car and grab a foot long spanner from the door pocket and start waving it at me shouting "you got a problem". With this my wife turned up to which it eventually settled down, after him ranting and raving.
We took the plate and phoned the police, we both refused to cycle off while he was sat there. He even told us to phone the police. He did eventually drive off though, at speed.
After various police phone calls, it turned out he was known to the police and incidents with cyclists. They paid him a visit, funnily he does not remember waving a spanner at us!
The final call we received from the police however was to basically tell us off for approaching him in an aggressive manner, and that I was really in the wrong!
Complete joke and a waste of time!
According to Hants Police this did not meet the threshold for careless driving. They were able to decide this without bothering to view the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OA8jKH7qhQ
Wow, nearly killed but has to apologise. Great to see that tax payers money at work, useless shower.
I can't see any evidence in the story of " nearly killed". Presumably you'd like to see the taxpayers money at work spending thousands on a court case with little different result.
Just for a bit of variation, I had an incident a few months ago where I was punishment passed and then threatened by the driver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LTAKLqYTUc
I did quite a lot of swearing at the time, but the police made no real comment about it after viewing the video. They took action against the driver but treated it as ASB rather than a driving issue - warning under S59 Police Reform Act.
This was Cheshire Police, BTW.
I too would have refused to aplologise. If he was being stupid and if he was old and a man then it was an accurate description and not abusive.
Leave off the police, there's more important areas that need policing, like Twitter and Facebook.
I'd have told the police to sod off and asked them how they intended to take it any further. The man was old and stupid, hence stupid old man. Next factual statements will be deemed hate crimes.
An alternative way of dealing with the problem would have been to drag the man from his car, run him over, put the bike next to him and then it would have cost you £80.
Mr Blythe, make a complaint against police.
If your bike was scratched, and details weren't exchanged, (theirs not yours....) then that is a reportable damage only RTC.
If the PC attending does not know this then he/she is negligent in their duty.
This PC is letting down all the others who are 110% behind the Close Pass Initiative.
Please remember, the police are broadly representative of society, and that includes dumbfucks, unfortunately
Elderly drivers are completely oblivious on the roads. On top of that pensioners are probably the most entitled, selfish group in society. Adam Blythe's a bit of a hothead by some accounts but I certainly wouldn't have begrudged him whacking off a side mirror to wake the pair of coffin dodgers up.
Steady on there youngster, I get a pension and probably fall into the category of what you call elderly. I am not oblivious on the road (to other road users I presume) whether in my car or on my bike. Indeed I regularly report car drivers for close passing and mobile use to our very helpful local police force using video footage and I've confronted other cyclists for running red lights.
Based on your outburst, especially the bit about condoning criminal damage, I might have you down as a shallow, spotty, hoody wearing, work shy teenager that needs to learn and earn some respect. However that would be jumping to conclusions and making generalisations, so I won't do it.
Have a nice day
All generalisations are untrue. (Including this one?)
All generalisations are untrue. (Including this one?)
"We are all individuals" "Yes, we are all individuals" "I'm not"
(I'm sorry, but someone had to say it)
According to the police this doesn't meet the threshold for prosecution, so what does?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1RMtVWItNo&feature=youtu.be
Do you have to be injured before they will take action?
That's not enough. I had my shoulder reconstructed yesterday after I was hit by a van who "didn't see me" (read didn't look properly) - police taking no action.
OT but that's how I feel about the creep towards daylight running lights: if someone doesn't notice an overweight (slightly!) six foot bloke on a bicycle then they're just *not looking*, and fluorescent clothing and DRL will not make a difference...
Shame, isn't it. I had a car pull out in front of me (he must've seen me as he stopped intially) and over the bonnet I went, straight into the curb on the other side of the road & it was lights out.
To his credit, he did ring both police & ambulance and admitted it was his fault.
However, it wasn't pursued by anybody due to a "lack of evidence" of dangerous driving. In spite of an admission of fault, numerous injuries & me being knocked out, an attending ambulance, a hospital report & overnight stay, attending police officers, and bike broken into about 5 peices.
One does wonder what "evidence" is required for the police to actually do anything.
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