Gaz down in Streatham

[benb]

People seem to be getting very confused.

Yes, maybe Gaz could have avoided it (and on another day he may well have). That doesn't make the incident even 1% his fault.

If someone took a short cut through a dark alley and got mugged, is that 50/50 their fault?

 

[Ravenbait]

Bonnets are designed to have some flex, so if a pedestrian gets hit it absorbs some of the pressure and hopefully they get less injuries. But all my weight went on the bonnet and my arm made contact with the engine block underneath.

Dude, you are well hard. Respect! You win the Juggernaut Prize, previously known as the Thulsa Doom Award, given to those who demonstrate the power of flesh to destroy property.

(Someone else will have to link to the well-known viral videon on YouTube in order to present Gaz with his well-deserved prize, because I can't from here.)

Sam

 

[BentMikey]

Yeah, Gaz is almost as hard as my mate Evil Alan, destroyer of taxis. Although in this case, I believe it was entirely Alan's fault. Bombing down Pentonville Rise, on skates, at 30mph, and the lights went red. He thought there was a gap alongside the taxi, and there wasn't. He left a very large Alan shaped dent in the door. The Cabbie got out, white and shaking. Alan paid for it mind.

 

[magnatom]

[QUOTE 1270057"]
That's simply rubbish and I don't think I would have somehow. I've been in Gaz's situation many times and each time I've not so much slowed down but been aware and covered the brakes.

[/quote]

Lee, BM's version of what would have happened to you is just as valid as your version of what would have happened, that is, neither is valid. By that I come back again to hindsight. We all underestimate its power and how empowering it can be to have it at our disposal. There is no way in the world you can transport yourself into that situation and know what you would have done.

For all you know you may have been distracted by the indicating vehicles, you might have noticed a bit of ice on the road, you might have just remembered that you'd left the gas on, you might have noticed a spectacular offer in one of the shop windows, you might have noticed the dancing monkey etc.

(Yes its another caricature...)

 

[Origamist]

For all you know you may have been distracted by the indicating vehicles, you might have noticed a bit of ice on the road, you might have just remembered that you'd left the gas on, you might have noticed a spectacular offer in one of the shop windows, you might have noticed the dancing monkey etc.

(Yes its another caricature...)

They're not "caricatures" as you put it, Mags. Gaz could have just checked his shoulder, looked down for potholes, spotted pedestrian movement to his left, wiped snow from his eyes, had issues with glare etc etc. I'm not saying any of these possibilites played a part, but we should not forget that our brains are tying to make sense of competing stimuli and prioritise accordingly. When we know what's happened we can easily stitch things together and forget about other factors that might have played a part at the time, but cannot be so easily dismissed when you're actually cycling as opposed to watching 720 vids at home.

Watching a vid over and over again allows you to piece cues and clues together - in real time, in a dynamic traffic situation you will not always get it right; as a cyclist human being you must expect a degree of cognitive failure or overload, no matter how defensively you think you ride. If anyone thinks otherwise, they're deluding themselves.

 

[BentMikey]

Did I get a post deleted in this thread or did I just forget to hit 'post'?

I saw the post that was removed, and I think that's unacceptable moderation since the post was mild and inoffensive, and also completely true IMO.

Why do the moderators have this apparent bias in favour of Lee? I'm sceptical of your fairness.

 

[Origamist]

[QUOTE 1270066"]
Not at all, if all else fails reduce your speed which gives you more time to react. And if you can;t see a car 40 yards ahead with the front already over the give way markings therefore giving a strong intention that they intend to pull out then that is a problem.
[/quote]

You've missed the point, Lee - people are fallible (they miss cues or wrongly prioritise them) - even you.

 

[StuartG]

Dare I say there is a lot of confusion about who was in the right and commentary on Gaz's riding style.

Right is what you need in court. It isn't what you need in hospital. This is a case where the driver is clearly in the wrong. But does that give riders cart blanche to ride anyway they want provided it is within the law?

I believe not. That car could just as easily have been a kid running between stationary vehicles (or being waved across by the white van driver). The kid would have been in the wrong and the ratio of damage may well have been reversed. Do we have no responsibility as opposed to blame there?

IMHO the opening up of the road by the introduction of bus lanes has been probably the greatest thing to have happened to bike commuting in London. But I fear it does give a false sense of security to riders which results in speeds I find disturbing. And like motorists on a motorway it is hard to resist the peer pressure of faster riders. None of us like being zapped. And we want to get to work fast and the whole point to many of us is it is faster than by car (or public transport).

Speeds have crept up. I would argue that 40 years ago Gaz's speed may have been seen as excessive (albeit with no bus lane he would be cruising down the centreline). Nowadays many of you including Gaz would see it as normal, nay even conservative. But the risks of unexpected vehicles/pedestrians crossing your path are not a lot different.

And that's the point. We all want to be cycling in 40 years time. Being safe (and maybe a bit slower) rather than right may be the determinant.

 

[BentMikey]

Even Lee, LOL? When I rode with him, he took waaay more chances than I've ever seen Gaz take. Besides, Gaz has far more riding experience than Lee, I think.

 

[Origamist]

[QUOTE 1270070"]
When?
[/quote]

My mistake, Lee is infallible.

 

[e-rider]

hope no lasting injuries result from this crash

the crash was clearly 100% the fault of the driver.

someone cycling at 7mph might have avoided it but that doesn't really change anything - Gaz did nothing wrong and the driver is clearly to blame for crossing the bus lane without looking. If Gaz was a Bus there would have been a bigger crash!

 

[Origamist]

Dare I say there is a lot of confusion about who was in the right and commentary on Gaz's riding style.

You can, as I and a few others have made precisely that point!

 

[Bollo]

Ah, you're one of the 80% who think they are above average...

AKA the Lake Wobegon effect

Having been there, I'd agree with maggers and O that hindsight is a wonderful, rose-tinted, time-travelling X-ray thing. Saying that you would have avoided that incident is like me watching Lost In Translation and then describing what I'd do to Scarlett Johansson if I'd have played the aging actor instead of Bill Murray. Irrelevant, pointless, wishful thinking and not in great taste.

 

[BentMikey]

I've answered them both at least twice, Lee. I thought you had an IQ of 133, else you'd know that too. You're starting to act like a troll again, completely justifying Jezston's post.

 

[mgarl10024]

Just spotted this thread, and feared the worst.
Am relieved to hear that Gaz is ok, as where would I be without his silly-cyclist videos.