Crime A bus driver who deliberately knocked a cyclist

[FireCat]

A bus driver who deliberately knocked a cyclist down in Bristol using his bus "as a weapon" has been jailed. Gavin Hill, 29, of Frome, previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm.
Bristol Crown Court heard that after an altercation, Hill deliberately knocked Phillip Mead off his bike by swerving the bus into him. Sentencing Hill to 17 months in jail, Judge Mark Horton said his action "was not an accident".
"You used the bus as a weapon to bully and intimidate Mr Mead," he added.

Bristol bus driver Gavin Hill who drove into cyclist jailed

A bus driver who deliberately knocked a cyclist down in Bristol using his bus "as a weapon" is jailed for 17 months.

www.bbc.co.uk

Seriously? He should of been jailed for attempted murder !

 

[UndeadDragon]

As a learner driver I do have to say that it is tempting....

 

[FireCat]

As a learner driver I do have to say that it is tempting....

"Just resist the Temptation" Well, the cyclist are still human. Just saying

 

[Slapshot136]

Mr Mead propped his bike against the front of the vehicle.

He continued to argue with Hill, who remained in his cab.

propping a bike against my car would piss me off as well, especially if the person was arguing with me

bikers need to stay on the sidewalk and off the road

 

[sqrage]

>>bikers need to stay on the sidewalk and off the road

Uhh, that's illegal in any city that actually has people. Why the hell would they stay on the sidewalk? The sidewalk is for pedestrians, the road is for vehicles.

17 months for attempted murder? Now that's some bullshit.

 

[Slapshot136]

Why the hell would they stay on the sidewalk? The sidewalk is for pedestrians, the road is for vehicles.

roads are for motor vehicles, and non-roads are for everything else

 

[sqrage]

roads are for motor vehicles, and non-roads are for everything else

Perhaps in your suburbs where no one uses sidewalks. Try doing that in NYC (or any city for that matter, which is where the incident occurred), there's barely room for pedestrians.

And just so you know, the law in Bristol, where this occurred, states that cyclists are not to be on the pavement and must dismount in order to do so. So if you're gonna try to blame the cyclist for getting rammed by a bus, try blaming the laws.

 

[Slapshot136]

where I live there are next to no cycles at all, but when I went anywhere in Europe where bikes were popular, they had their own lane on the sidewalk - that is how it should be if there are actually bikers

and there is still no excuse for propping a bike (or anything else for that matter) against another person's car/bus/etc.

 

[sqrage]

Did you watch the video? When did he ever get a chance to prop his bike against the bus? If anything he was wedged up against it because it came so close.

edit: now that i watch it again, i do see how he's being a dick by staying right in front of the bus instead of off to the side, still don't think a hit was warranted (when would it ever?) but yes that cyclist was a terrible example of how a cyclist should ride.

 

[FireCat]

still don't think a hit was warranted (when would it ever?) but yes that cyclist was a terrible example of how a cyclist should ride.

Yeah, I agree with you there !

 

[Romek]

> As a learner driver I do have to say that it is tempting....
As a driver in London, I feel to thank this bus driver for saving me much potential frustration on the roads. I really, really hate cyclists.
(Maybe the hit itself was a bit too far, but cyclists in England shoot red lights, take up whole lanes and undertake among other annoying/illegal actions. They should really have some sort of registration and/or license to learn the rules of the road, and be punishable if they break them)

 

[sqrage]

Have you ever thought that maybe it's driving in such dense cities which is the problem? If more people used public transport, bicycles and their feet there would be so much less congestion and cleaner air. Shit the first thing most New Yorkers will tell someone moving here is to sell their car. I'm really surprised you're so pro cars Romek, I thought Europe was going the smart route and trying to lower vehicle usage in largely urban areas. Although I guess I can't speak for cities besides NYC, but here cycling is probably the most efficient way to get around since it's a relatively small area.

edit: I definitely understand what you mean about the ones who do idiotic things though, but I guess it's one of those things where you can't let the bad apple spoil the bunch. Unless in London is the majority that are riding like idiots, then I say they need to try to promote education, perhaps make ads of cyclists getting mauled by vehicles, that'd probably work.

 

[FireCat]

There's no excuse for the bus driver, regardless how to person was cycling. He shouldn't had done that.

 

[Slapshot136]

Did you watch the video?

yes, you can't see it in the video, but the article says he props it at the bus stop, before the bus takes off

Moments later the bus stopped outside Bristol Magistrates' Court and Mr Mead propped his bike against the front of the vehicle.

lets see what happens in the video though: bus takes off, bike takes off, bus changes lanes 1 to the right, bicyclist moves FROM BIKE LANE INTO STREET LANE, bus changes lanes again to the original street lane - why did the biker ever move off the bike path? this is the problem with bike paths being connected to the street, they should be a part of the sidewalk, not part of the street, that way bikers won't bike in the street - problem solved.

 

[DDRtists]

roads are for motor vehicles, and non-roads are for everything else

This is completely true. Here in California, it is technically illegal to ride a bicycle on the side-walk. Cops don't push it, but they can if they want to or it's a super busy area.

17 months for attempted murder? Now that's some bullshit.

Yet you'll get years to life for a few grams of marijuana. Awesome world we live in.

There's no excuse for the bus driver, regardless how to person was cycling. He shouldn't had done that.

Once again, I agree with FireCat. The bus driver is fully at fault here.

lets see what happens in the video though: bus takes off, bike takes off, bus changes lanes 1 to the right, bicyclist moves FROM BIKE LANE INTO STREET LANE, bus changes lanes again to the original street lane - why did the biker ever move off the bike path? this is the problem with bike paths being connected to the street, they should be a part of the sidewalk, not part of the street, that way bikers won't bike in the street - problem solved.

You are wrong on many levels. As a legal driver, this means you have taken the safety courses that the state/country deems makes you a "safe driver" for whatever type of vehicle you are driving, big rig, bus, car, motorcycle, or even motorized-bicycle. Therefore, you should have had the knowledge to scan your surroundings, see the bike rider, and gone "Okay, this bike rider might do something, I better adjust accordingly" This means either slow down, stop, make more room for him/her, whatever it is to make the situation safe for the bike rider, who in most countries/states will ALWAYS have the legal right-a-way even if they deliberately jump out in front of you. This means that if you are operating any motor vehicle, be it a car, bus, RV, hell even a tank, you legally have to make sure that the rider is safe. If the rider or pedestrian does something and you hit them or cause them any harm, this means that you did not make the situation safe for the rider in the legal system's eyes. You are operating a large vehicle, most times at a high rate of speed, you should know that you have the possibility to kill someone with it. A kid, or even most adults, don't fully grasp the concept of death, and don't really grasp that they can die even riding a 20lb bicycle. So as the motor-vehicle driver, it is your job to make up for that, as you are trained to do.

Welcome to the legal world, my friend.

 

[Varine]

>>bikers need to stay on the sidewalk and off the road

Uhh, that's illegal in any city that actually has people. Why the hell would they stay on the sidewalk? The sidewalk is for pedestrians, the road is for vehicles.

17 months for attempted murder? Now that's some bullshit.

Yeah the bike is hardly a vehicle. It's really annoying outside of New York where you can often achieve speeds higher than a few miles an hour to get stuck behind a bike going five that otherwise ignores all rules applied to any other vehicle, and then is a dick when you pass them. They're always like "we have a right to use the road too blah blah blah" yeah whatever, get off to the side and out of the way so I can go the speed limit. I places to be.

 

[FireCat]

we have a right to use the road too blah blah blah"

Bicycles are legal vehicles and they have the full right to use the road.

 

[Hatebreeder]

>>bikers need to stay on the sidewalk and off the road

Uhh, that's illegal in any city that actually has people. Why the hell would they stay on the sidewalk? The sidewalk is for pedestrians, the road is for vehicles.

17 months for attempted murder? Now that's some bullshit.

Take a look at Münster, Germany.
They all drive on the sidewalk. It's a cyclist city, btw. Every city has sidewalk markings for cyclists in Germany.
So, uuuuhhh, it's not illegal in any city that actually has people.

 

[Romek]

Have you ever thought that maybe it's driving in such dense cities which is the problem? If more people used public transport, bicycles and their feet there would be so much less congestion and cleaner air. Shit the first thing most New Yorkers will tell someone moving here is to sell their car. I'm really surprised you're so pro cars Romek, I thought Europe was going the smart route and trying to lower vehicle usage in largely urban areas. Although I guess I can't speak for cities besides NYC, but here cycling is probably the most efficient way to get around since it's a relatively small area.

edit: I definitely understand what you mean about the ones who do idiotic things though, but I guess it's one of those things where you can't let the bad apple spoil the bunch. Unless in London is the majority that are riding like idiots, then I say they need to try to promote education, perhaps make ads of cyclists getting mauled by vehicles, that'd probably work.

Congestion and dirty air are only really a problem in central London, which I rarely drive into because of the congestion charge. The public transport system is great here, so I use that whenever that's the case. However, beyond that, it's not congestion that's a problem, but small, narrow and windy roads. Cars often don't actually have enough space to simply overtake a cyclist with any safe distance between them, and the cyclists just hold up the traffic.

Also, a lot of cyclists in London cycle like idiots. It's probably not a majority, as I'm just less aware of the ones that are cautious and safe, but it's enough of them that it's a common annoyance.

 

[FireCat]

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:nuts: Just saying