CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 16years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
So many times we see 'interactions' between motorists and cyclists moved down to 'Careless Driving' (usually on a guilty plea). Seems odd, therefore, that this driver was done for dangerous driving (odd in comparison rather than odd in isolation). Maintaining his innocence that he was 'in control' might have contributed.
But much like referees in football, a little bit of consistency in application of the rules would be nice...
Presumably the fact that the police witnessed this, and had video footage as evidence, meant he was "bang to rights". "In control" ie. steering with his knees (?) obviously not taken seriously by the Magistrate.
This has been quite widely reported, even made 6music news. Apparently he was steering with his knees! 100 hours of community service and a 12 month driving ban.
Watch out Edinburgh conflakes munching drivers...
I have to admit this infuriates me a bit - as did the judgement on the cereal offender. Though these might be stupid they aren't as wilfully dangerous or negligent as many of the videos that you can see that Police apparently ignore. Somehow the police are capable of seeing the bad consequences of this, but not of a close pass, brake test or left hook...
"Somehow the police are capable of seeing the bad consequences of this, but not of a close pass, brake test or left hook..."
Yep, that was really my reason for posting. I hark back to that vid I got in Granton of a guy overtaking a car coming the other way straight into my path, and if I hadn't been paying attention I would have been creamed on his bonnet with him going more than 40. After initially taking it seriously there was... Nothing. Nada. No action taken. Just bizarre.
Then add in people actually hitting cyclists but ont even receiving a ban...
Perhaps there's an unofficial aggravating factor of "wilfully and arrogantly taking the p1ss in the face of clear video evidence"? Or maybe "doing something so blatantly illegal that it's showing off"?
I think it will come down to the guy mouthing off "have you nothing better to be doing" to make the police/COPFS determined to teach him a lesson. More to do with respect for the offices of the law rather than the offence itself.
If you get camera footage where a driver cuts you up and then say "police are pigs", I feel your complaint would instantly get taken seriously. Or if you got into the EEN, like the cornflake muncher.
I think the brazen fact he continued to drive like that when cars passed him in the opposite direction showed he had no respect for the law.
Of course, that could also mean we might see him up in court again, having broken the terms of his sentence by driving without a valid licence.
But that never happens, does it?
@algo "but not of a close pass, brake test or left hook..."
Exactly. I think much more should be done to deter drivers from scaring cyclists. A defined passing distance would be a start.
You must log in to post.
Cycling in Edinburgh Flickr group
Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin
posts