Bristol bus v cyclist

Look at the video on this news piece.

When reading it, I was thinking "Blimey, 17 months. It can't have been that bad".

Then I saw the footage - I was wrong.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-17066798

Crikey - that's rather extreme!

Does the cyclist pay road tax? No.

Does the cyclist pay insurance? No.

Does the cyclist have any way to determine if they are capable of a minimum level of skill to use the roads? No.

So they shouldn't bloody be there. Yes this is extreme but cyclists are a bloody nuisance.

Ah - don't get me started on cyclists in general.

My pet hate is those who don't use the cycle lanes, thus creating a tailback of traffic when there are no opportunities to overtake them safely.

exactly. and this guy was in the middle of the road. not saying that he deserved what the bus driver did... but still. What was he doing there?

Perhaps the bus driver was just trying to nudge that cyclist back into the cycle lane Mary?

Actually, I think we could use this scenario as the basis for a new computer game! I'd quite enjoy swiping a few "virtual" cyclists into the gutter.

Already is one.

It's called paperboy and the point of the game is to steer the cyclist into buildings.

Yes, obviously all cyclists are idiots and all car drivers are perfect. I do both. So many car drivers are utter tools it's untrue which is why I have to pay a lot of insurance and also why the fact you have to pass a test does not stop a lot of motorists acting like tools.
And some cyclists are tools....because quite frankly if you are a tool you'll act like one whether you are on a bike or in a car.

Digs... until cyclists are required to become licensed, taxed and insured they will always be something I despise.

Car drivers might act like idiots but when they make a mistake they have financial coverage to deal with anything they have caused. Cyclists do things that would send a car driver to court (such as running red lights, using pavements, undertaking etc)... and they do this with no insurance for when they cause serious issues.

It's a joke. Either get off the roads or pay for the privilege like car drivers have to.

Your logic would also then have to be applied to all pedestrians. It's no different.

Do horse riders have to have insurance before taking their animails out on the public highway?

Just wondered, as although I always slow down to a crawl when passing them, I always feel a bit uneasy as some of the riders seem to be barely in control.

Mary... I lived in Newmarket for a few years.

If a 6 stone boy jockey lost control of a huge frisky racehorse and they damaged your car you could not make an insurance claim against the rider/stable. One reason that I always give horses a wide berth.

I read recently that 1 in 10 of all vehicles on the road are not insured. Not sure if that is an accurate figure, would imagine that it is higher in some inner city areas and less in some rural districts.

But why is it that it is always one of the 10% that crashes into me?

Couldn't tell if there was a cycle lane there or not but on the basis there wasn't, I think a lot of cyclists feel safter if they sit in the middle of their half of the road. Drivers tend to take a bit more notice of who else is using the road resulting in a wider overtaking gap.

Although cyclists are subject to the same road laws as the rest of us, I have yet to hear of any of them being done for speeding. There's a steep hill where I live which extends to at least three-quarters of a mile. The local cycling club used to use it as part of their training route. I've no idea what speeds they got up to but top speed sure didn't stop at 30MPH! I've often wondered whether or not the subsequent speed ramps were put in more for them rather than for any other vehicles!

Ive actually just watched the footage for the first time. The bus driver should be charged with attempted murder, simple as that. Utterly disgraceful.

Agree diggers, I felt that the bus driver was fortunate to be charged with only dangerous driving and causing grevious bodily harm.

The cyclist could have easily been killed. The drivers penalty of 17 months in jail, considered for release after half the sentence, seems lenient by comparison.