Charlie Alliston case - fixie rider accused of causing pedestrian death

[srw]

who has just condemned himself to boot

Well - not necessarily. That's for the jury in the trial that's still ongoing to decide.

We get a partial and prejudiced report of what's going on in court, inevitably coloured by the stage of the trial we're at.

 

[srw]

[QUOTE 4922076, member: 1314"]simply countered a point made by one or two that he is a 'kid' and, secondly, the linked false extrapolation that 'kids' are a menace on the roads. This is self-evidently untrue.[/QUOTE]
"Kid" doesn't mean "person below the age of legal responsibility". It means "young person". And I'm afraid it is absolutely true that "kids" on the road are a menace. The most dangerous road users bar none are young men in cars - there's a reason it costs an arm and a leg to insure them.

 

[KneesUp]

[QUOTE 4922116, member: 1314"]Ok.

Once more - he was an adult when he was involved in the incident. NOT a kid/young person/teenager/ ...

[/QUOTE]
He was 18.

 

[mjr]

If I were his QC I would be finding my own expert who can actually ride a fixed gear and prove that it can stop in less than 32ft and then do the same with an ineffective brake and stop in the same distance.

Why? He's not been charged with the braking offence and I agree with those who suggest he might not have pulled the brake anyway.

He is still a nobber though, my worry is that this sets a precedent allowing pedestrians to jump out in front of cyclists at will.

They are already allowed to.

So a motorist who kills someone while driving on a mobile phone could also be guilty of this? But how many have, despite clear evidence?

I'd guess none because juries won't convict for it and that's why the two lesser offences of causing death by types of crap driving were created.

Bikes don't register as a potential threat to their well-being.

Nor should they be. I was riding along a small residential road just off an A road and a mother told her child to be careful because I was cycling past. The young girl told her mother not to be silly and it's just a man on a bike. I smiled and waved as I rode past

 

[byegad]

Whatever his age, having listened to reports from the court he had a fixie with no front brake!

So illegal on the road, which kind of puts him well into the wrong side of any dispute.

 

[postman]

Mr and Mrs Postman were talking about this case last night.She asked me how fast would i ride in Leeds centre.Not very fast i replied because of the abundance of traffis lights and the layouts of the roads.She also thought cameras could be used to see his journey,tracking him backwards as such.More to come i think.

 

[kingrollo]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ans-death-claimed-riding-without-front-brake/

Riding a fixie, hit and killed a woman - now on trail for manslaughter.

Riding without a front brake seems a very stupid thing to do and leaves you open to this sort of thing. My own feelings though it was probably more how the lady fell that did the damage.....

Thoughts ?

 

[vickster]

Assuming you mean trial , there's 19 pages of thoughts here

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/c...r-accused-of-causing-pedestrian-death.207295/

 

[srw]

I'm enjoying myself reporting each new thread with a new word. We're up to sextuplication now.

 

[jefmcg]

More to come i think

No, I think they are pretty well done.

"The trial continues on Friday, when prosecution and defence barristers will give their closing speeches, before the judge, Wendy Joseph QC, sums up the case. She told jurors they would retire to consider their verdicts on Monday."

 

[Markymark]

If I am riding through an area with an increased chance of pedestrians stepping out in front of me, e.g. Busy junctions, people walking toward the kerb, kids etc I slow and cover my brakes. If someone steps directly in front of me I'll be able to start my braking quicker and far more likely to cut/bruise than badly injure or kill as lower speed. Quite simple really.

 

[kingrollo]

I remember watching one of those motorway cops programs - A guy on motorbike was caught doing well over the limit. His argument was that he had all brakes upgraded and it was all state of the art stuff - so although he was speeding his stopping ability was greater than you average motorbike.

..since I started typing this Ive forgotten the point I was going to make.....Dammmmm !

 

[al78]

[QUOTE 4922086, member: 1314"]Rule of thumb I use, and which Alliston appears not to have, is that any road user has a duty to look after the more vulnerable road user.[/QUOTE]

That is a good moral rule to follow. I go by a similar rule that states my primary duty is to get to my destination safely and without incident, "safely" refers to mine and others. If a pedestrian is careless, I'll do whatever I can to avoid running into them. If a motorist is careless, I'll do whatever I can to get out of his/her predicted path.

 

[al78]

I remember watching one of those motorway cops programs - A guy on motorbike was caught doing well over the limit. His argument was that he had all brakes upgraded and it was all state of the art stuff - so although he was speeding his stopping ability was greater than you average motorbike.

..since I started typing this Ive forgotten the point I was going to make.....Dammmmm !

The thinking distance will increase with increasing speed? Also isn't there a risk of risk compensation, if someone thinks their vehicle has superior stopping power, they might subconsciously be less worried about paying attention to what is happening further down the road.

 

[Jason]

Never nice to hear of any fatality on the roads or otherwise, the facts as I see them

she: HR consultant, oh phone, and crossing Old Street (some blame has to be apportioned to pedestrian)
he: young 6th form drop out on a trendy fixie with no brakes
she: tragically took the full force of the collision, and suffered head injuries
he: guilty of riding an ill equipped bike for the road
most likely outcome: suspended sentence and a fine