Beware The Consequences Of Pedestrian-Rage

[Canary42]

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/pedestrian-caused-cyclist-fall-front-115813701.html

[naomi24]

This seems wholly disproportionate. Apart from that I can’t see the point of jailing her. To deter her from re-offending? I doubt it.

[Barmaid]

I know this bit of road well and it is a very busy dual carriageway (it is the ring road round Huntingdon). There are shops and a park on one side and largely residential on the other side. There are quite a few roads leading off to either side and the lanes are quite narrow. I know that on one side of the road, the pavement has the pedestrian/cyclist blue signs. I do not know about the other side of the road. I am not surprised that this cyclist was on the path though and I cannot remember ever seeing a cyclist along there who is NOT on the pavement. Apart from anything else, the road surface is shot to bits and it's bad for a car, never mind a cyclist. It is a horrible bit of road and I hate driving that section. It is only a few hundred yards from the police station too.

Initially it was rumoured that the cyclist had been pushed. However, the video shows that is clearly not the case. So it does seem an exceptionally harsh outcome for the pedestrian.

[choux]

Barmaid, sorry I cannot agree with your post: "However, the video shows that is clearly not the case."

I have just replayed, yet again, Canary's link and looking at 39 secs and 50 secs I am sure that the pedestrian falters in her gait and appears, to me anyway, to lean towards the cyclist. Her motive for so doing - either to remonstrate further or to come into contact with - remains a mystery.

[Barsel]

It does say it was a shared path in the article.
If I was cycling on that shared path because it felt safer than the road and someone was walking towards me with a white stick or a dog for the blind, I would immediately stop until that person had passed. I don't think this woman had either.
If I was a pedestrian walking on that path and an elderly woman was cycling towards me, would I start shouting, swearing and waving my arms about? No.
Although it was right at the end of the film, I think the pedestrian accidentally or purposely pushed the cyclist and so I would say yes, she does deserve to go to prison.

[Old_Geezer]

It was the judge who described it as a shared path, other accounts suggest otherwise. And if unmarked it can't be assumed that cyclists are allowed to put pedestrians at risk, therefore in such circumstances it is a pedestrian pavement.

[ZebuSanctuary]

// when you are partially sighted as this lady is //

Being partially sighted ought she be carrying a white stick to alert other pavement users?

[Barsel]

ZebuSanctuary, No, she should be using a white stick for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists to be aware that she is partially sighted.

I've watched a few different videos of this and it does look like the way she was waving her hand about that she did actually catch the cyclist and cause her to become unbalanced, imo.

[sunny-dave]

I've run the clip frame by frame, many times, and am convinced that the pedestrian *did* make contact with the cyclist.

She certainly lost her temper and acted without any thought for the consequences of her actions.

I'll leave the sentencing to the judge, who had far more information than any of on here.

[Barsel]

What if the elderly lady that died had been on a notability scooter on the pavement?
Would the other woman have still shouted and swore at her and tell her to get on the road?

[Old_Geezer]

Probably not. They have to be going less than 4mph and then most are obliged to be on the pavement. Only certain classes are allowed on the road.

[jno]

I doubt it, Barsel: there are comparatively few people on motability scooters and people know that they're used for medical reasons. There are lots of people on bikes who are able (and required) to use them on roads.

[Barsel]

I've lost count of the number of times some youth on a bike has been on pavements, doing wheelies on the road, riding a bike as fast as they can trying to beat you away from the lights.
I'm sure this 77yr old lady was doing none of those things and would not have caused any harm to this other woman by avoiding her and probably giving her a wide berth, but it does look like the pedestrian was gunning for her and although she probably didn't realise the consequences of her actions, at the end of the day, she is responsible for that poor woman death by sheer temper.

[royfromaus]

Should have been given medal is you ask me.
_______________________________

Top buffoonery from TTT.

[Atheist]

roy; Who should have been given a medal?

[Barsel]

royfromaus Who should have been given a medal?

[Atheist]

roy; I've just noted that you were quoting TTT. I agree with your post.

[Barsel]

Apologies Roy. I hadn't read TTT's post properly because he was referring to the elderly woman as a man, I just thought if he can't be bothered to read things properly he doesn't deserve to be taken seriously.

[Barmaid]

I cannot find the Judge's sentencing remarks (which are always a good indication of the evidence that was heard). What I have read (and unless I have read the full remarks, I always read with some circumspection) the Judge was of the view that the pedestrian was aggressive about protecting the pavement and that her actions were not explained by her disability. I gather that her eyesight was not such as to require additional aids.

I do wonder if that level of aggression was necessary. This was an elderly lady on a "shopper" type bike rather than someone on a racer speeding down the pavement.

I do not know if the evidence found that there was any contact. But if not, the aggressive waving of arms with shouted expletives can amount to an assault (for an assault physical contact is not necessary), and unfortunately the results were tragic for the cyclist and also for the driver of the vehicle.

There does seem to be an element of aggression on the roads these days and a tension between pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. I have recently been subject to some really awful behaviour by a group of very unpleasant cyclists who felt that they were entitled to take up the whole of the road and expected me to put my car in the dyke to allow them to pass in threes! I was informed in neanderthal language that I would be reported to the police. Given that I was stationary with my vehicle as far over as possible I said to go ahead. Didn't stop one of them thumping the window as they went past. Completely unnecessary behaviour.

And that is the problem, completely unnecessarily aggressive and terretorial behaviour.

[Ellipsis]

What a sad story. The pedestrian has cerebral palsy with sight issues, the cyclist was 77 and the woman driver is only just able to start driving again.

I would say that the cyclist should have seen the problem and stopped - she should have had control of her own bicycle. The path was very narrow, especially as they met at a lamppost, and it was not a shared path - the nearest sign was 100m away and there was nothing on the path marking.

You could part some of the blame from the driver, although it's a bit harsh to say so. A good driver would have seen what was could have happened and slowed and move right a bit just in case.

That said, the pedestrian must have some part to blame too. Whether it's as much as the judge said, I can't see ... it seems harsh. However, it certainly did not help that she didn't stop after the accident, but carried on walking to Sainsbury's and left it to the driver to deal with. I really help that her disabilities gave a decent explanation, rather than she was just callous.

[Barsel]

Ellipsis. Judge Sean Enright, sentencing Grey to three years in prison, said “these actions are not explained by disability”.

He said that Grey, of Huntingdon, had no mental disorder or learning difficulties and he said the pavement was 2.4 metres wide at the relevant point, describing it as a “shared path on the ring road”.