A Cyclist and Rough Justice

briansnail · Post by **briansnail** » 1 Sep 2019, 4:00pm

A nice lady pauses at a Zebra crossing on the road. She is just about to cross. Unexceptionally her total concentration is on a mobile phone conversation. Just seconds later a cyclist approaches at a reasonable speed.He passes a clear green traffic light and is forced to takes evasive action. He swerves to avoid her. Now alert to her danger the lady also swerves on the zebra crossing.Unfortunately she chooses the same direction and gets badly injured. We feel for her.

It's part of life. We all unintentionally goof. We also feel for the poor Cyclist. The next part is sad. Litigation, eye watering costs and mental torture. The poor guy did not even run a red light . One can hardly blame the lawyers. They are doing what they are paid to do. Getting the best deal for their respective clients. One can 't blame the Judge. She has to follow due process and the Law as laid down.

However there is something clearly that needs to be reviewed.The Law as laid down relating to these cases.Can we change the Law?

Bonefishblues · Post by **Bonefishblues** » 1 Sep 2019, 4:09pm

Does this relate to a real situation that we can read about?

Cyril Haearn · Post by **Cyril Haearn** » 1 Sep 2019, 4:39pm

Look
Zebra crossing
PoF
..
Slow down and be prepared to stop

landsurfer · Post by **landsurfer** » 1 Sep 2019, 4:44pm

Cyril Haearn wrote:Look
Zebra crossing
PoF
..
Slow down and be prepared to stop

+1
And please don't play the "victim blaming" card.

Syd · Post by **Syd** » 1 Sep 2019, 4:45pm

A green traffic light is a completely separate entity to a zebra crossing and should be treated as such,

Oldjohnw · Post by **Oldjohnw** » 1 Sep 2019, 4:52pm

Can you say in what way you feel that the law should be changed.

LollyKat · Post by **LollyKat** » 1 Sep 2019, 4:57pm

If this is a genuine situation and all your facts are correct, then the cyclist is largely to blame:

Highway code rule 195
Zebra crossings.
As you approach a zebra crossing, look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross.

If you are referring to the recent case in London discussed at length in this thread, there was no zebra or even a pedestrian phase on the lights, but even so the cyclist should still have slowed, if only for the sake of self preservation - the cyclist is just as likely to be hurt as the pedestrian. I ride regularly in city traffic and learnt long ago to be wary of them, with or without phones.

The rough justice occurs rather in the many car + bicycle collisions when the driver gets off scot-free even though he is to blame.

landsurfer · Post by **landsurfer** » 1 Sep 2019, 4:57pm

Possibly the use of a portable device during an event should be considered as a contributing factor.

Cyril Haearn · Post by **Cyril Haearn** » 1 Sep 2019, 5:19pm

Syd wrote:A green traffic light is a completely separate entity to a zebra crossing and should be treated as such,

Both are mentioned in the first post, a bit unclear what is meant, a traffic light near a zebra?
..
I often cycle very slowly but even that might not be enough in some situations

Syd · Post by **Syd** » 1 Sep 2019, 5:30pm

Cyril Haearn wrote:
Syd wrote:A green traffic light is a completely separate entity to a zebra crossing and should be treated as such,

Both are mentioned in the first post, a bit unclear what is meant, a traffic light near a zebra?
..
I often cycle very slowly but even that might not be enough in some situations

Yep, the OP is a tab confusing.

My commute takes me down a street with 8 or so traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and zebra crossings along its length. Each is treated in its own right.

Cunobelin · Post by **Cunobelin** » 1 Sep 2019, 7:37pm

Totally unclear what is going on here....

BY "Zebra", did the OP mean Zebra, Pelican, Puffin, Toucan, or Pegasus?

Cunobelin · Post by **Cunobelin** » 1 Sep 2019, 7:40pm

In Iceland (and a few other places) they have played with 3D crossings

Unfortunately, they have been successful as a photo opportunity and slowed traffic too much

Cyril Haearn · Post by **Cyril Haearn** » 1 Sep 2019, 7:42pm

Fortunately, do you mean? :wink:

..
Hope the OP comes by soon to clarify which of those queer beasts he meant
Is a zebra a horse designed by a committee?
How might the law be changed?

Ellieb · Post by **Ellieb** » 3 Sep 2019, 11:26pm

Interesting. Wonder what prompted this as a first ever post by the OP

Redvee · Post by **Redvee** » 7 Sep 2019, 2:03am

Bonefishblues wrote:Does this relate to a real situation that we can read about?

Rings a bell with this case, only one I'm aware of recently.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... ion-london

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