[MR_GRUMPY]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/beijing2...1210131112608.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

On the other side of the world, but crazy as all get out. Luckily, no one was killed.

 

[Ridgetop]

I think about 50 riders need to make a personal visit to the guys house and do some cleaning up.

 

[hclignett]

Hard to believe some drivers, driving by were sneering.

 

[jupiterrn]

At that point it should be assault with a deadly weapon or the Australian equivalent. What an A**.
Heck of a group riders to be out there.

 

[lookrider]

Hard to believe some drivers, driving by were sneering.

Unfortunately, I can be an impatient jerk. Traffic backs up, you're late, whatever. But, when you get up to the scene of the accident with a mangled vehicle or person, doesn't one reevaluate the situation? Anyone can be killed on the road. Accidents are hideous, you'd think that would put things in perspective for these sneering morons. So what, you're late for work or your appointment. Someone just died or was seriously injured. That article was sickening on so many different levels.

How about charging that guy with vehicular assault or attempted murder?

 

[j__h]

Hope the guy get owned in a civil lawsuit.

 

[bmxhacksaw]

One of these days a group cyclists is going to go off on somebody and beat them to death.

That'l lern 'im.

 

[My Own Private Idaho]

One of these days a group cyclists is going to go off on somebody and beat them to death.

That'l lern 'im.

The sad thing is, it probably wouldn't.

That story almost made me ill.

 

[phoehn9111]

With all the news circulating around the world, I am seriously considering increasing
my time on my mountain bikes. At what point do the stats rise to the point that you
should be getting concerned? Bizarre as this may seem, the rate of injury on MTB is
higher, certainly more so if you frequent the more technical terrain, but the nature and
magnitude of the injuries sustained is much less severe if you are appropriately protected.
Add to that all the non-reported and near miss incidents, and the numbers start to loom
ominously.

 

[MR_GRUMPY]

This sort of thing is so rare, that you have a better chance of being killed by robbers, than to be in a major dust up like this. I feel sorry for the woman that had the same thing happen to her a few years ago in Germany, where a teammate was killed. She has to be the unluckyist person in the world.

 

[Cycle_Spice]

He'll get away with it. Most likely he'll get fined and that's it. The riders will need to sue him for damages. He'll walk. Australia is the most bicycle unfriendly place on the planet. There's no real infrastructure, drivers buzz cyclists, commuters are frowned upon, hell even joggers have right of way on bike paths. 100% of all MUT's are more Jogger focused than rider focused.

That's not really a large group ride when you look at it. Most of the big rides happen on the weekend, or generally, Wednesday morning for some reason. Mostly it's 5:00 - 5:30 am and it's normally 2 abreast which by LAW we're allowed to do. But there's been people run down and the driver has driven away.

- Gold Coast Highway, Gold Coast Queensland
- Brisbane's Logan Road
- Emerald Highway just outside of Emerald Queensland
- Rockhampton Queensland
- Syndey
- Brisbane's William Jolly Bridge
- Brisbanes Wynnum Road

People drive cars over people in Oz. It's no joke. The Government needs to introduce Vehicular Manslaughter/ Attempted VM charges that should carry a MASSIVE debt, like Life in Jail. But a Life pill over here is only 25 yrs and most oftern it's only served with 10.

If I have to die on my Bike. I'd rather be killed in relation to HOW I was riding the bike, not BECAUSE I was riding the thing.

 

[Oldteen]

Unfortunately, this kind of garbage happens all over the US too.
My club had 2 experienced members killed last year by an "inattentive" driver. At least "inattentive" was the way the police took it. On a clear day driving a wide country road with a painted shoulder strip, this driver simply veered over and ran down the 2 brightly-clad riders at ~50mph. No charges were ever filed. If a local farmer had killed those cyclists with stray bullets while shooting at vermin you can bet your last $ charges would be made. But it seems folks now have the God-given right to take out cyclists with their cars by claiming "inattention".

 

[Cruzer2424]

Check this out. Reminds me of that. Didn't end with as nearly as many messed up bikes as that.

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=121071

I shoulda posted this in General when it happened. I don't know what I was thinking.

 

[Sashana]

Here in Arizona there is a larger fine for killing a saquaro cactus than killing a cyclist in a road accident. It's happened more than once and it's sickening. When did a human life lose its value over a damn cactus?

I hope the cyclists in Oz all recover and sue the bastid.

Sashana

 

[FTR]

He'll get away with it. Most likely he'll get fined and that's it. The riders will need to sue him for damages. He'll walk. Australia is the most bicycle unfriendly place on the planet. There's no real infrastructure, drivers buzz cyclists, commuters are frowned upon, hell even joggers have right of way on bike paths. 100% of all MUT's are more Jogger focused than rider focused.

That's not really a large group ride when you look at it. Most of the big rides happen on the weekend, or generally, Wednesday morning for some reason. Mostly it's 5:00 - 5:30 am and it's normally 2 abreast which by LAW we're allowed to do. But there's been people run down and the driver has driven away.

- Gold Coast Highway, Gold Coast Queensland
- Brisbane's Logan Road
- Emerald Highway just outside of Emerald Queensland
- Rockhampton Queensland
- Syndey
- Brisbane's William Jolly Bridge
- Brisbanes Wynnum Road

People drive cars over people in Oz. It's no joke. The Government needs to introduce Vehicular Manslaughter/ Attempted VM charges that should carry a MASSIVE debt, like Life in Jail. But a Life pill over here is only 25 yrs and most oftern it's only served with 10.

If I have to die on my Bike. I'd rather be killed in relation to HOW I was riding the bike, not BECAUSE I was riding the thing.

You are on drugs.
Way to overdramatise the situation on the whole.
The incident yesterday and the ones you have listed are all terrible and there is no excuse for the drivers' actions. But put it in context and these incidents that you have listed have been over the course of quite a few years now. I would have to wonder what the numbers of cycling related incidents vs pedestrians vs motor cyclists vs cars would be.
Your comments make out that we have some sort of national pastime of running down riders.

 

[Forrest Root]

Here in Arizona there is a larger fine for killing a saquaro cactus than killing a cyclist in a road accident. It's happened more than once and it's sickening. When did a human life lose its value over a damn cactus?

I hope the cyclists in Oz all recover and sue the bastid.

Sashana

Well, I don't think the cactus is related to the bike issue at all, but it does make for a dramatic question, doesn't it?

If people would calm down and press "pause" on the drama queen tape, they'd realize that if cycling were a priority or becoming a priority to a given state's population, then it would get more consideration at the state level, when it came time to draft legislation. There's no sense blaming the cops, because they don't draft the laws.

Coordinated efforts from cyclists and cycling advocate groups, and more importantly, an increase in cyclists, is what it will take to start changing laws and views. Cyclists' whining won't convince anyone of anything.

 

[kooratz]

Well they've caught him and he had something to say....

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23670161-5005961,00.html

 

[slowdave]

I would like to see "Jason" for a dollar for each brain cell, unfortunatly that won't even replace the water in one cyclist bideon. He will get off but it has again highlighted the need for better road sense by all not just the cyclists ( who from what i read are not at fault)