Who's at fault?

[magnatom]

If this is true where are the dinosaurs, aliens and scantily clad ladies?

It all costs money, and I think Gaz was working on a tight budget on this one. It's more Blair Witch than Titanic....

 

[SquareDaff]

I wonder if everyone would be so hard on the cyclist if they hadn't seen him do that numpty undertake a moment before.

If the cylist hadn't performed the numpty undertake before he'd have been behind the taxi and not been in the entire situation in the 1st place!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Had I seen it from 10 secs in I'd still think the same. Why is he so far over to the right? Force of habit perhaps? Fine, take an extreme primary to prevent cars from overtaking you, but please, don't do it when there aren't any cars anywhere but in your imagination. React to your environment don't ride like a robot. He makes no rear observation that I can see during the clip not even when he swings out right, deflty avoiding the other cyclist riding the wrong way down the street and up onto the pavement, cutting across the path of anyone travelling at pace behind him, good job the cabbie wasn't pissed off and gunning it. I suspect he just rides along in his bubble regardless of what is going on around him - hence the conflict with the car. The kick was probably because the car made him jump because he hadn't noticed it.

I revise my original opinon.... as no cyclists are in this clip, just some people riding bikes 100% blame the driver.

 

[benb]

OK, the driver pulled out when it wasn't clear, but the cyclist should have easily anticipated that and dropped behind.

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

Why is he so far over to the right?

I cycle through there and take a roughly similar position. Basically it becomes a one-way road that is three to four lanes wide, and I am taking the right exit about 300 metres down the road. I don't want to be coming back across three lanes to take the right exit (especially the speed at which people are screaming up towards Hyde Park Corner), so I plonk myself over in the right hand lane, in a kind of 'reverse' primary. So his positioning, per se, is okay.


Bit weird the way he reacted though - could have anticipated what was going to happen, and the kick was unnecessary and dangerous.

 

[mgarl10024]

I'm surprised that more people here aren't as shocked as I was about the kick.
Regardless of who did what, you just can't go around hitting/damaging other people's property. How would you feel if you accidentally did something wrong and the driver got out and bent your frame?

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

How would you feel if you accidentally did something wrong and the driver got out and bent your frame?

Bending a rim might be a more accurate comparison. Also stopping and getting out of a car requires a little more premeditation, and cooling-down time.

But I take your point.

 

[theclaud]

I'm surprised that more people here aren't as shocked as I was about the kick.
Regardless of who did what, you just can't go around hitting/damaging other people's property. How would you feel if you accidentally did something wrong and the driver got out and bent your frame?

Meh. It's not really likely to have damaged it, and drivers don't get killed by bike frames.

 

[Black Sheep]

You mean he should have been closer to the kerb and not riding in the "super primary" position he was in?

Legally, the motorist was in the wrong but from a safety point of view the cyclist had enough time and line of sight to adjust his position to reduce the potential conflict. If a car hasn't seen you in a bright fluorescent jacket, there isn't much point dinging a bell, especially if the car driver has the radio on - time for a big "OI!".
Bit of a girly kick

no, I mean he looks to be quite far across to the right when a car starts to move, he continues when he could have pulled back to a normal primary (centre of the one way) and there would be space for a car either side (although I'd not want a car on either side)

by which I mean the incident should not have occured as there is space for both on that stretch

 

[fossyant]

POB NOB !!!!

 

[on the road]

Maybe I need to go to SpecSavers as I can't see any kick despite watching the footage twice. Maybe Gaz you could indicate when on the footage it occurs?

The way the cyclist in the HiViz passed the taxi on the near side close to the kerb suggests he or she is not that bright or on a death wish. They probably won't make Christmas this year.

http://www.specsavers.co.uk/

Make an appointment today, don't put it off

 

[400bhp]

I wonder if everyone would be so hard on the cyclist if they hadn't seen him do that numpty undertake a moment before. It doesn't, after all, have any bearing on whether the car should have pulled out in front of him

You are right, however, it's a perception issue.

You have to realise whilst out on the road that previous actions can have a bearing on witnesses later on.

"well he passed me like a bat out of hell a mile before the accident.."

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I cycle through there and take a roughly similar position. Basically it becomes a one-way road that is three to four lanes wide, and I am taking the right exit about 300 metres down the road. I don't want to be coming back across three lanes to take the right exit (especially the speed at which people are screaming up towards Hyde Park Corner), so I plonk myself over in the right hand lane, in a kind of 'reverse' primary. So his positioning, per se, is okay.


Bit weird the way he reacted though - could have anticipated what was going to happen, and the kick was unnecessary and dangerous.

beg to differ. There are no cars screaming anywhere in that clip. He is riding on autopilot/ by habit not in accordance with the (changing) conditions.... a little like the following classic.....

"Going to work at 7am this morning I drove out of my drive straight into a bus. The bus was 5 minutes early.."

 

[theclaud]

You are right, however, it's a perception issue.

You have to realise whilst out on the road that previous actions can have a bearing on witnesses later on.

"well he passed me like a bat out of hell a mile before the accident.."

It suggests he's a bit of doofus, but so what? Unlike a lot of people I don't have a problem with his positioning later in the video - as someone says above, you do not want to be in the middle a car on either side when the road is about to fork ahead. He has a right to be where he is, and a car pulls out in front of him because the driver either hasn't looked properly, doesn't care, or has terrible judgement. I think that that the driver's hesitation after signalling suggested to the cyclist that he had been seen, which makes it even more annoying.

 

[gaz]

Let me add a bit more to this cyclist, i got footage of him doing countless things that are potentially dangerous, changing lanes without looking, minimal sholder checks and weaving between cyclists. Just after that incident he takes a right turn to go down a one way street the wrong way.

As most have said. The car driver is at fault as he shouldn't have pulled out (when he started to indicate and was ready to go, a pedestrian walked into his path. I can only presume that he didn't do another sholder check to look for the cyclist.) but the cyclist could have ridden more defensively to avoid the incident.
thats my view anyway