Search found 725 matches

by Phil_Lee
3 Jun 2013, 1:02am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Dangerous driving
Replies: 24
Views: 2872

Re: Dangerous driving

reohn2 wrote:The Rhyl incident :- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/th ... 12717.html

The driver wasn't over the speed limit but it was icy and conditions below freezing the driver had three defective tyres,yet he was fined less than £200 plus points.
There was never any question raised as the fact that he shouldn't even have been on the road at all!
With this kind of judicial system we'll never ever stop or even reduce road crime to a minimum.


Is there any (legal) reason why the driver could not be prosecuted for manslaughter, even at this late stage?
We don't have any statute of limitations, so I can't see why not - and I don't think there can be any doubt that the driver was negligent, and his negligence caused multiple deaths.
It should be a slam-dunk.
by Phil_Lee
3 Jun 2013, 12:52am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: 30kmh – making streets liveable
Replies: 159
Views: 10399

Re: 30kmh – making streets liveable

I'm disgusted that CTC isn't among the organisations listed as supporting this initiative though.
Why on earth not?
Cycling and walking organisations from all over the EU are supporting it, but the CTC is leaving it to 20s Plenty to argue the UK perspective.
We should at least all be signing the petition at This Location individually.
by Phil_Lee
3 Jun 2013, 12:00am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: "Cyclists use cameras to capture dangerous drivers"
Replies: 33
Views: 7185

Re: "Cyclists use cameras to capture dangerous drivers"

thirdcrank wrote:I don't know the carry on in Scotland, especially since there's now a single police force, but in E&W the ACPO line is still significant.

Here's the contentious bit:

... However I found myself unable to understand, still less agree with, his view that action could only be taken against a motorist who had endangered (rather than actually run down) a cyclist if the careless (or dangerous) driving had been witnessed by a police officer. It is almost as odd as Ms Davenport of ACPO's assertion that she had legal advice that criminal proceedings based upon video evidence were unlikely to succeed. (My emphasis)


http://thecyclingsilk.blogspot.co.uk/20 ... group.html

Suzette Davenport, who has recently transferred on promotion to chief constable from Northants to Gloucestershire, is the ACP0 lead on Roads Policing. Whether she is right or wrong isn't really the point: what she says is likely to influence traffic policing throughout E&W. IMO, it needs clarification.


If ACPO is actively suppressing evidence, are they not conspiring to pervert the course of justice?
Suzette Davenport should be a bit careful on that - even being a member of parliament is not sufficient to protect one's liberty in the face of such serious charges. She may find a conviction (or even any substantial allegation) on such a crime just a bit career limiting in her chosen field.
by Phil_Lee
22 Jun 2012, 2:35am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Most inventive insult when cycling
Replies: 47
Views: 14812

Re: Most inventive insult when cycling

Tonyf33 wrote:I was once told by some gonk in a white van who'd attempted to steal the skin off my arm that I was dressed like a condom, inventive in a kind of mentally challenged sort of way...I think he must have had a bang on his head previously or didn't actually know what one looked like PMSROFL :lol:


You could have replied that the dress style is dictated by the close proximity of errant van drivers, but I fear the point would have been beyond him. :mrgreen:
by Phil_Lee
29 Apr 2012, 1:16am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Interesting .......
Replies: 3
Views: 8970

Re: Interesting .......

So from those sentences, we can assume that the courts actually do see a driving licence as a licence to kill.

Chilling, but hardly surprising, that if we want justice we cannot rely on the courts.
by Phil_Lee
1 Mar 2012, 12:22am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Pothole and personal injury
Replies: 4
Views: 2364

Re: Pothole and personal injury

+1 on the above comments.

I'd add that it is worth remembering that damages are decided under civil law, so you don't have any obligation to prove that the pothole(s) caused the accident beyond reasonable doubt, as would be the case in criminal court (although it's great if you can). It will be decided on the balance of probability, which is likely to be much more straightforward, given that the police seem to be fairly sure that this was the case, and I'd expect their report to be of great value in making the claim.

Good luck, and best wishes for your wife's continued and complete recovery.
by Phil_Lee
26 Feb 2012, 2:41am
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Do the cycling press live in this world?
Replies: 27
Views: 2046

Re: Do the cycling press live in this world?

Particularly when the "wise old saying" is actually a recycled advertising slogan.

And people doubt the value of advertising?
by Phil_Lee
26 Feb 2012, 2:32am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: rear light for luggage rack
Replies: 27
Views: 4292

Re: rear light for luggage rack

In my opinion (and I know a few share it) the best carrier mounted rear light available is the Infini Apollo.
Approved to German and French standards, so fully legal, and incorporates a full sized reflector.
Steady and flashing modes (long press of the button switches between them).
It has a "sensor" mode which is supposed to allow you to leave it to the bikes motion and the lack of light to operate it for you, but it has been found to eat batteries if you use that setting - but even without that, it's still an excellent light, you just need to remember to press the button twice when switching it on (the button cycles through off->sensor->on->off)
Fifteen Euros plus postage (which bumps it up a bit as that costs the same again, so best to combine the order with some other stuff as well).
It has proved difficult to obtain for a while, but I've found a source, and have a batch of them on order, to equip the rest of the family fleet.
I'll post a URL when mine have arrived :)
by Phil_Lee
26 Feb 2012, 1:31am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Cycling banned in Cycle Town Woking
Replies: 30
Views: 21482

Re: Cycling banned in Cycle Town Woking

You are now in the situation that was the incentive for the Cambridge Cycling Campaign to be started.
It took them thirteen years to get (most of) the ban lifted for a "trial period" and another two for it to be permanently revoked.
And they will put up the signs, and then start enforcing it (I don't believe they can enforce it until the correct form of signs are properly erected).

It's a shame it got through to start with, because it's FAR more difficult to get it revoked than to prevent it.
by Phil_Lee
25 Feb 2012, 1:10am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Bad driving
Replies: 19
Views: 2987

Re: Bad driving

meic wrote:You are forgetting that the CPS has the power to step in and take over any private prosecution and to then drop it.

I think with their "no blood, no action" philosophy they may just do exactly that.


It seems utterly ridiculous that the CPS pervert the course of justice in that way, and even more bizarre that they are allowed to without penalty. Surely their repeated actions in this way should be of interest to the Serious and Organised Crime Unit?

I'd abolish them, and have the prosecutions done by victims solicitors (it works well for civil law).
Cameron is keen on getting rid of qangos and saving money - it should be right up his street.
by Phil_Lee
20 Feb 2012, 12:48am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Rechargeable battery life: B&M Ixon IQ Speed
Replies: 24
Views: 3917

Re: Rechargeable battery life: B&M Ixon IQ Speed

I don't think it's necessarily the occasional use, provided they are stored correctly and charged occasionally.
The bigger problem is the fact that the cells are pre-assembled into packs, and charged in series rather than individually.
The solution is to make up a 5 cell holder and use separate cells in it, so each cell can be charged to suit it's own requirements, which both helps prevent a weak cell developing, and allows one to be replaced individually if it does.
With some sensible design, packs can be daisy chained in parallel to give extra capacity if 6v 2AH is insufficient (you can have nearly 3AH from AA cells, but not in low-self-discharge form).
A switched bridge wire can be fitted past one holder in each pack of 5 to allow 4 alkalines to be used instead of 5 NiMH should the need arise.

Oh, and +1 on the MH-C9000. Excellent charger/analyser.
by Phil_Lee
19 Feb 2012, 11:30pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: clipless or toe clips?
Replies: 53
Views: 3168

Re: clipless or toe clips?

I find that SPDs have sufficient float, even for my screwed up knees.
When going clipless I considered speedplay for the extra float, but (much to my relief) didn't need to.
SPDs certainly beat the zero float offered by toeclips/straps or pinned flats.
And you can fit reflectors to SPDs with no difficulty, as long as you choose the right ones (I like 324s for that reason).
I may change to a double sided design now I have no reason to want to ride without being clipped in - riding a recumbent changes the situation a little, since the reflectors become pretty much irrelevant (they would be pointing in the wrong directions even if they weren't hidden), and having a foot slip off is both more likely to happen and potentially more dangerous (although not as bad on a 2 wheeled 'bent as on a trike).
by Phil_Lee
19 Feb 2012, 6:49am
Forum: On the road
Topic: "Breaking" news.
Replies: 55
Views: 3366

Re: "Breaking" news.

thirdcrank wrote:I wouldn't get too hung up over which version of GBH was charged. It's almost certainly section 20 (max impt 5 years.) Section 18 is harder to prove because in addition to the normal guilty intention needed with every crime, s 18 includes an intent to cause the GBH. As an aside, the Offences Against the Person Act, 1861, is the last survivor of the various landmark statutes passed in 1861. Malicious damage and theft have both been modernised in our time (or at least, in mine, because I had to forget the old stuff and learn the replacement.) The act has all sorts of things which are hard to understand. eg it created two separate offences of common assault (both now obsolete)ie s42 which could only be prosecuted privately by the victim and s 47 which created both indictable common assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm both coming in at 5 years, in common with s 20. This act also created the offence of causing injury by furious driving.

The main point here IMO is that an appropriate charge has been used and has lead to conviction. Judges are constrained by sentencing guidelines. And the system does recognise that carrying a weapon implies premeditation. There's always a grey area if somebody has an otherwise innocent item like a jack handle under their car seat. I don't think anybody becomes a bus driver so they are "tooled up" for aggro.


But isn't that exactly what the sales of larger and larger private vehicles is all about?
IMO, the overwhelming majority of urban 4x4s are chosen for precisely that reason - being "tooled up" as you put it, to cope with aggro.
by Phil_Lee
18 Feb 2012, 6:17am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Hit and Run Victim Letchworth 18:55 hrs
Replies: 33
Views: 2534

Re: Hit and Run Victim Letchworth 18:55 hrs

reohn2 wrote:
[XAP]Bob wrote:Now that is scary.

What I find scary this that the police and therefore the CPS,government etc,know about it and have known about for sometime,yet still nothing is done.Furthermore the penalties are paltry.

What that 30% of people who break the law are also breaking the law?
Maybe plates should be RFID devices as well - embedded into vehicle chassis (maybe at MOT time)

That and other methods would be an obvious course of action to to "stamp" it out along with some serious penalties.


I don't think the penalties are all that paltry.
Attempting to pervert the course of justice is treated pretty severely - it's no different to giving a different driver's name when the NIP comes through the post - maybe one who has less points on their license.
by Phil_Lee
18 Feb 2012, 6:03am
Forum: Non-standard, Human Powered Vehicles
Topic: E bikes ??Pulling power
Replies: 15
Views: 28659

Re: E bikes ??Pulling power

andyh2 wrote:You'd be OK using trike power limits anyway. I don't think there's any difference in power limits for bicycles or trikes under the EU regs which should have been incorporated into UK law some years ago.

Most manufacturers use the EU regs rather than old UK regs anyway.
Simple summary is;
250W continuous power rating for motor -the peak output will be considerably higher.
25kmh max assist speed -you can pedal the bike as fast as you like, but the assistance should stop at 25kmh.
With a pedelec sensor -ie motor should only operate when pedals are turning.


THe problem with that is that it hasn't been incorporated in UK law yet, so you need to meet C&U regs, register it, tax it, wear a motorcycle helmet, have motor insurance for it. . .
Seems like a lot of hassle for 50w.