“F*ck people who don’t have their dogs on the lead” – actress Rebel Wilson after London bike crash

Philh68 wrote:

So the dog failed its audition for Pooch Perfect 😂 I'm conflicted about this, it's very wrong for dog owners to not control their pets, but on the other hand she was in Cats, can you really blame the dog?

Oh come come, Cats was an utter crime against humanity, but still not sure she deserves to be knocked off her bike

Dogs chase cats, you can't fight their natural instinct…

OldRidgeback wrote:

I keep my dog on the lead if we're not in the park. I keep him on the lead if we're on the path as a rule. But it's worth remembering that in London parks at least, the paths are shared and cyclists are expected to ride with care and allow pedestrians priority. I do see plenty of riders blasting through busy parks with no thought for the fact that there are dogs and children about.

All agreed but dog owners (of whom I'd love to be one if I could afford a big garden) need to show a bit of sense too. I ride through Battersea Park every day, there is a perimeter road (once used for motor traffic, now closed) which is the only place cycling is permitted. Dog owners have all the rest of the park to walk in, numerous (concrete) paths and vast swathes of grassland for the dogs to play in, yet I would estimate that 95% of dogwalkers walk round the perimeter road where they know there will be cyclists. It simply makes no sense.

I don't got to Battersea Park that often but I'd assume there are signs up saying cycling is permitted but that pedestrians have priority. I cycle across Brockwell Park, Dulwich Park and Burgess Park most often and there can be a lot of people, kids and dogs about. You just have to take care and go slowly.

OldRidgeback wrote:

I don't got to Battersea Park that often but I'd assume there are signs up saying cycling is permitted but that pedestrians have priority. I cycle across Brockwell Park, Dulwich Park and Burgess Park most often and there can be a lot of people, kids and dogs about. You just have to take care and go slowly.

Sounds like you're from my neck of the woods, I'm just about equdistant from Brockwell and Burgess. Yes of course one has to be careful and I check my Garmin to make sure I stick to the posted limit in Battersea Park (12 mph). Just questioning why people want to use the only path permitted for cyclists (and sigh and tut and occasionally shout about their presence) when there are nicer paths from which cyclists are banned a few feet away.

There are better rides in South London. I blasted down Fountain Drive/College Rd in Dulwich on Sunday, which was a hoot as I was bunny hopping the speed bumps on my MTB. If you don't know it, check it out.

But be careful. A mate lives there and saw a roadie taken out by a bloke in a slow moving 4WD who turned right.

OldRidgeback wrote:

.......

All that said, I did get taken out by a dog on my motorbike many years ago now. This was on the A3 at Wandsworth, not a little back road. ......

What was a dog doing on your motorbike?

And more importantly, was it wearing a helmet?

"Some idiot let his dog off the lead and it ran across the road in front of me. I hit it and came down hard, crushing all my toes on my right foot and tearing a bunch of ligaments in my right ankle"

Yep, I know you meant it as a joke. But I've had pain and discomfort at various times in my ankle for decades now and just because somebody else was irresponsible. Yep, I do go running but the ankle injury flares up every now and then. I don't find it very amusing, sory.

OldRidgeback wrote:

"Some idiot let his dog off the lead and it ran across the road in front of me. I hit it and came down hard, crushing all my toes on my right foot and tearing a bunch of ligaments in my right ankle"

Yep, I know you meant it as a joke. But I've had pain and discomfort at various times in my ankle for decades now and just because somebody else was irresponsible. Yep, I do go running but the ankle injury flares up every now and then. I don't find it very amusing, sory.

Sorry dude, you're right. flippant comment.

No sweat - sense of humour failure on my part - the ankle injury bothers me on and off and has done for years. Sometimes the ankle just gives way when I'm going down stairs and as one toe was particularly mangled, I'm expecting arthritis in the joints as I get (even) older. 

OldRidgeback wrote:

No sweat - sense of humour failure on my part - the ankle injury bothers me on and off and has done for years. Sometimes the ankle just gives way when I'm going down stairs and as one toe was particularly mangled, I'm expecting arthritis in the joints as I get (even) older. 

Ah f#ck man, that sucks, particularly as it didn't need to happen as you say but for someone's else's negligence.

Had similar happen to me when some drunken fool allowed his gorgeous chocolate staffie to slip her lease at the Hillingondon ciycle circuit, in a park but by-law makes leads mandatory for obvious reasons, as I passed in a race bunch at 30mph.  £3K frame snapped, concussion, rotator cuff and chipped elbow.  Staffie was covered in cuts, and odds on the idiot didn't take her to the vet to get checked.  He also gave false details.

Shoulder and elbow still give more than occasional pain a decade later.

The fault of the idiot dog owner. You and the poor pup suffered for his stupidity. I like dogs. I don't like irresponsible owners. 

hirsute wrote:

Actress?

Bit old school

I don't understand...?   Do you mean you think Cats killed her career?

I think it might be more that the media style fashion these days is that men and women (and others) are all "actors". 

Oh, OK - I think I missed that memo

They still do a best actress whilst refering to all as actors.

I'm sure it makes sense somewhere.

Kermit77 wrote:

I saw her video on the Daily Mail and she is cycling round one of the busiest cities in the world wearing headphones, no doubt noise cancelling...she's asking to have an accident. 

Socrati? Is that you?

Kermit77 wrote:

I saw her video on the Daily Mail and she is cycling round one of the busiest cities in the world wearing headphones, no doubt noise cancelling...she's asking to have an accident. 

Not a fan of headphones for cycling on the roads myself but a) if she was riding around Buckingham Palace/Green Park/Hyde Park she was probably on the offroad cycle paths, on which headphones can safely be worn, and b) headphones are not "asking" for a dog to run in front of you and doubtful if clear hearing would assist in avoiding it. If my recent experience of Battersea Park is anything to go by, you certainly won't get a warning shout from the owners as they're too busy on their phones to watch what the dog's up to.

Kermit77 wrote:

I saw her video on the Daily Mail and she is cycling round one of the busiest cities in the world wearing headphones, no doubt noise cancelling...she's asking to have an accident. 

You mean: "Pleeease, will somebody hit me with their car dog and injure me!"

I suspect not...

Kermit77 wrote:

I saw her video on the Daily Mail and she is cycling round one of the busiest cities in the world wearing headphones, no doubt noise cancelling...she's asking to have an accident. 

Would that be the same way that deaf people are asking to have an accident? Of course a dog would never run into someone without headphones would they and personally, I'd just cover my eyes and only use my ears to avoid any dogs running loose.

hawkinspeter wrote:

....

Would that be the same way that deaf people are asking to have an accident? Of course a dog would never run into someone without headphones would they and personally, I'd just cover my eyes and only use my ears to avoid any dogs running loose.

Quite, or for that matter for car drivers with their windows up, or radio on to be "asking for an accident".....

Kermit77 wrote:

I saw her video on the Daily Mail and she is cycling round one of the busiest cities in the world wearing headphones, no doubt noise cancelling...she's asking to have an accident. 

In addition to the other responses, I've always hated the thought of using headphones whilst walking in busy places cos I want to know if anyone's behind me (of course if someone was close behind me with mal-intent it's unlikely they'd announce their presence, but hey, who said we're always rational)

On discussing this with Mrs Badger, and expressing surprise at how many women wear headphones with this in mind, she pointed out to me that sometimes women wear headphones as a prop, so that they don't have to respond to unwanted attention, or can ignore attempts to engage in conversation with less fear of confrontation. 

Not that it always works - some men will actually hook earphones out in (very creepy and intimidating) attempts to engage.

TLDR it's not inconceivable that headphones are in and not switched on. In any case, I don't believe that use of headphones is a factor in cycling collisions, and unless you have figures that demonstrate otherwise I'd quit the victim-blaming. At face value this collision was caused by a negligent dog owner who was not in control of their animal

Kermit77 wrote:

I saw her video on the Daily Mail and she is cycling round one of the busiest cities in the world wearing headphones, no doubt noise cancelling...she's asking to have an accident. 

You do realise headphones go over the ears, and not over your eyes right? This doesn't prevent a dog running in front of a cyclist, with little time to react.