Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

[eileithyia]

Sadly these things happen and have happened for a number of years, back in the 80's I had a couple of poorly aimed beer cans thrown at me, more recently I was hit by what I believe to be a clod of earth from a van that I know contained some gardeners ( I had passed them 2-3 miles back working at a local pub), and more recently pinched on the b*m, (this had also happened to a jogger in the local area that same day), and 11 of us in a time trial were fired at with pellets from an air rifle/pistol.

The van was untraceable, no registration or name on the side and no proof I could give to the police, the pinching incident was taken seriously and all 4 men were detained by police but had their own version of events.... (ie he did not do it officer, despite being threatened with being placed on the sex offenders record and charged with perjury), none of us managed to get the registration of the (suspected) gypsy tarmacking type van, from which we were attacked in the TT... though again the police did take it seriously... due to the nature of time trials it was only when we all back at the HQ and compared stories we realised how many had been targeted and hit.

Stories of cyclists and other users of roads (joggers etc) being targeted so such small minded people can be entertained are not unusual sadly...

[Tigger]

Hi Essexcyclist

That's very worrying indeed... though I already knew there are some mad and bad people in Essex. Last year a woman driving on the A12 near Chelmsford nearly died when a bucket shaped lump of concrete was dropped from a bridge onto her car. There were some other similar incidents too but no proof if it was the same people or not - and no-one has been caught/ charged AFAIK.

Mick: I love your 'Boo' story - perfect timing! - but I wouldn't chance doing it myself.

[Elizabethsdad]

Just reading the article and I note that the main report says the woman was punched then her husband pelted with eggs and at the end thepolice say they had a report of cyclists being pelted with eggs and then one being punched - with that level of distortion of events in just that article I don't hold out much hope for a successful investigation or prosecution in this case.

[ArMoRothair]

I've had eggs thrown at me as a pedestrian.

As a cyclist I had one incident many many years ago in Dublin where someone had aimed his windscreen washer to point at cyclists on his left and was working his way through the traffic drowning us as he passed. It's astonishing how much water a car's windscreen washer can pump out.

I have to admit despite being the wet victim of his joke I did see the funny side.

[tonythompson]

Nasty incident for sure but unfortunately it happens to anyone who appears vulnerable.
I own a narrow boat and there are regular threads on the NB forum about being pelted by yoofs or lumps of brick and stuff dropped from bridges as they go under. As with cyclists you are completely vulnerable on the back of the boat.

In the past I worked with people who had a learning difficulty, the reality was that often they looked a bit different. These guys were regularly targeted by bullies.

So we can only surmise that these criminals are basically cowards and remember they are committing a crime which IMHO should always be reported.
I wonder how we got to this point in our society.

[jonbott]

Ive had a yoof hanging out of a car window scream obsenities at me as they went past
things thrown as they past by bottles and a milkshake(mcdonalds)

[Goosey]

[mark1964]

I stopped once to let a car past along a double-parked road in Bristol. As the car went by, a passenger in the rear leaned out of the window and spat a liquid into my face - tasted like lemonade. Thants what you get for being courteous I didn't get the reg, but what worried me was if it happened in traffic, I could have crashed and maybe been run over. In 2010, we had an ex member of our staff killed in a cycling accident. She hit a pothole and crashed in busy traffic, so it freaked me out enough to invest in a helmet cam.

I have also been pelted with tomatoes from a bridge over the Bristol Railway Path and had a plastic bottle of coke thrown into my path from another bridge by dumb teens. Under the same bridge, I cycled past one day to see a smashed CRT monitor that had obviously been thrown over and once saw a wheelie bin dumped in the same place. Both these would have been nasty if they hit anyone going underneath at the time.

[Audax67]

Last year we re-routed a ride to go south of Montpellier because there were reports of cyclists having bricks thrown at them. Thinking back to the lousy pizza we had in Lattes, I wish we'd risked the bricks.

[LollyKat]

I've had beer thrown over me a couple of times, once from a car and once from a group at a bus stop, fortunately without the containers. Snowballs are inevitable in winter, though not from cars, of course.

[Cunobelin]

The use of a Video camera helps

Had the incident with the shouting passenger, so wrote to the company and complained, and of course the driver denied everything including having a passenger, so then sent the video clearly showing the incident. Apparently it was a mate of the driver and not even an employee of the company.

The driver was given a written warning for carrying a passenger and misconduct, and a formal apology from the firm

Also had the muppets at the Bus Stop, regular users, and occasional verbal abuse that had escalated - so went round a second time and made it clear they were on film. Then put up "mugshots' at the bus stop, with an "anyone who saw these idiots throwing things at passing vehicles, please contact the Police"

They stopped using the Bus Stop, so I suspect they are rather more inconvenienced than I was.

.

[Postboxer]

Genius!

[eileithyia]

Nothing new... just started reading a histort of Le Tour; riders ran a whole barrage of missiles riding out of Nimes on the 2nd running of this, now great race... and even now items have been thrown, or it is used for demonstration purposes..

[NUKe]

Whilst out on Sunday, I had just left my friend and was heading down a road through a residential are when a ford Cmax came along side, the passenger shouted something inaudaible, which made me jump in the back were 3 young children, who also joined in the shout. Adrenalin kicked in from the flight or fright and by the next set of traffic lights I was back along side. conversation went somelike this
"what did you say?"
" It was only a bit of fun mate" he replies "Your back wheel is following your front"
" So you think it acceptable to harras other road users, and teach your kids to do that?"
At which point he showed it was, by abusing me and threatening me further. To the point where he was goingn to get out of the car and punch my lights out. It was at this point his wife or least the lady driving, had had enough told him to grow-up, said "sorry" and then drove off. I could see words being exchanged between them as they sped off down the road.

[eileithyia]

Whilst out on Sunday, I had just left my friend and was heading down a road through a residential are when a ford Cmax came along side, the passenger shouted something inaudaible, which made me jump in the back were 3 young children, who also joined in the shout. Adrenalin kicked in from the flight or fright and by the next set of traffic lights I was back along side. conversation went somelike this
"what did you say?"
" It was only a bit of fun mate" he replies "Your back wheel is following your front"
" So you think it acceptable to harras other road users, and teach your kids to do that?"
At which point he showed it was, by abusing me and threatening me further. To the point where he was goingn to get out of the car and punch my lights out. It was at this point his wife or least the lady driving, had had enough told him to grow-up, said "sorry" and then drove off. I could see words being exchanged between them as they sped off down the road.

hope she gave him hell... to be honest abusive behaviour between 2 people is a cause for concern for child abuse issues... I wonder if abusing other members of society in front of your children could also be treated the same ...