Cyclist 'road rage' attack...

[downfader]

While salvaging parts from a Triumph Dolomite (lovely ol' car) some years ago, I went at one of the quarterlights with a regular hammer to see what would happen. I was surprised how hard and how many times I had to go at it before it finally went through.

My Mother had one back in the 80s. S*** car but loved it to bits.

Ahh breaking a window.. pretty hard. "Knuckledusters" under a really thick workman's glove if you lock your keys in the car proves that its pretty damn hard to break a car window.

 

[downfader]

But Officer, I was going equipped to deal with any emergency involving people stuck in a place with a window that needs smashing quickly to rescue them...

You dont need one. If you genuinely have to break a window to free someone use a pocket rocket pump attached to the downtube

 

[Cab]

I just got off the phone with one of the news chaps at the local paper in the link above.

Apparently they're not anti-cyclist.

Considering the article in question and others posted here and elsewhere on this forum, are there any grounds for viewing that paper in any other light?

 

[downfader]

I just got off the phone with one of the news chaps at the local paper in the link above.

Apparently they're not anti-cyclist.

Considering the article in question and others posted here and elsewhere on this forum, are there any grounds for viewing that paper in any other light?

My own local paper went through a similar turn where a series of articles came across as anti. What it really was happened to be a lack of empathy as the reporters drove everywhere (as you would covering stories), mixed with a readership of people who wanted to moan about driver's issues in the pages. Fair enough, but recent times and economical devices seem to have put more people on bikes than ever before, so that has been reflected in the pages.

I would imagine your paper would slowly come around to this thinking too in time. Try adding positive stories in letters to them. How much money you save a year (legally) cycling compared to driving, etc etc.. As for articles on lights at winter to help those new to cycling. My paper did this after enough people nagged.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

how can a cyclist balanced on 2 wheels use enough force to break a toughened glass window without pushing himself over?

 

[downfader]

how can a cyclist balanced on 2 wheels use enough force to break a toughened glass window without pushing himself over?

He cant. Lock your keys in a car and try and break the window in with a well padded fist. It takes a lot of force. Do it to a moving car on a moving bike and yes, near impossible (perhaps we should send this one to Mythbusters )

 

[Crankarm]

The Cambridge Evening News today carrried an in depth article about the benefits of cycling in Cambridge or maybe it was last wednesday's paper. Not a single whiff of anti-cycling drivel. The Cambridge Cycling Campaign got mentioned throughout. Motons were labelled as unhealthy and obese clogging up the streets in their cars in desperate need of exercise and a better quality of life which cycling would give them. T'was very positive.

 

[fossyant]

Centre punches are the only way.

I often rattle my knuckles hard on my own car side and rear windows...why.......put two kids in car, go in to collect stuff... WW III coming out of it....ratta tat tat very hard on the window stops them.....

No way would you normally smash any window, unless it had a major crack in it already - i.e. windscreen.

 

[Cab]

The Cambridge Evening News today carrried an in depth article about the benefits of cycling in Cambridge or maybe it was last wednesday's paper. Not a single whiff of anti-cycling drivel. The Cambridge Cycling Campaign got mentioned throughout. Motons were labelled as unhealthy and obese clogging up the streets in their cars in desperate need of exercise and a better quality of life which cycling would give them. T'was very positive.

Didn't make it to the front page of their website, and as it came after essentially gullible reports blaming cyclists for things like this, I've long since given up on ever buying paper copies.

Thought or opinion pieces on the benefits of cycling don't speak as loudly as badly thought out headlines.

 

[Crankarm]

Didn't make it to the front page of their website, and as it came after essentially gullible reports blaming cyclists for things like this, I've long since given up on ever buying paper copies.

Thought or opinion pieces on the benefits of cycling don't speak as loudly as badly thought out headlines.

Perhaps you are being a little too negative and unfair toward the CEN as I have not really detected an anti cycling agenda from them. The Beeb IMHO is far worse in it's reporting of all matters cycling.

 

[cyberknight]

how can a cyclist balanced on 2 wheels use enough force to break a toughened glass window without pushing himself over?

No chance in hell he would only succeed in hurting his hand and in all likelihood knock himself off his bike with the old equal and opposite reaction physics....

 

[BentMikey]

I don't think it's impossible to break a window, and I don't doubt this part of the story. The rest, though, I'm sure that had that cyclist had a video camera, the reporting would have been very different.

 

[Cab]

Perhaps you are being a little too negative and unfair toward the CEN as I have not really detected an anti cycling agenda from them. The Beeb IMHO is far worse in it's reporting of all matters cycling.

The last time they reported 'road rage mototrist attacks cyclist' was when? They're regularly posting news stories about cyclists allegedly causing trouble, stories that on investigation lack credibility. Why?

 

[GrasB]

I think the CEN has reporters & maybe someone with decision making authority in terms of letters with certain agendas as if you read the paper you often find it's the same names turn up with similar items about cyclists.

 

[Cab]

I think the CEN has reporters & maybe someone with decision making authority in terms of letters with certain agendas as if you read the paper you often find it's the same names turn up with similar items about cyclists.

Dunno. No longer care; I see the CEN as a lost cause now, let the Motons have it.