Bicyclist killed by Police patrol car while in a bike lane..

[btompkins0112]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/12/09/fo ... latestnews

When does this stuff stop????

[Tinea Pedis]

The peer sharing of this is going to be huge.

[rijndael]

There are accidents all the time. Cars hit people. Cars hit other cars. Trucks and buses hit cars. They both hit pedestrians. As long as you're on the road, you're taking a risk.

[rijndael]

What I have an issue with is when someone's guilty of negligence, and they're not charged appropriately, or they're let off with an easy fine.

I have the same complaint with drunk drivers getting off too easy.

[Calnago]

I agree with @rijandel. As long as everyone shares the road there WILL be accidents. And accidents are different than road rage, let's not confuse the two. It's always a terrible thing when someone dies in an accident on the road, anyone, be they a cyclist or a driver or a pedestrian. But let's not always just jump to a conclusion that the cyclist couldn't possibly have done anything that contributed to the accident. And as cyclists, we need to be extra diligent in looking out for potential trouble spots regardless of who may be "in the right" because an accident between car and cyclist is unlikely to have a good outcome for the cyclist especially. All that should go without saying really. But I said it anyway.

[Valbrona]

I am interested in this phenomenon of the police 'patrolling'. They don't bother doing that in the UK anymore.

[bricky21]

They don't bother doing that in the UK anymore

That's because they're monitoring you all with video .

[vlastrada]

There are accidents all the time. Cars hit people. Cars hit other cars. Trucks and buses hit cars. They both hit pedestrians. As long as you're on the road, you're taking a risk.

Okay, but this cyclist was on a cycling lane, so there should be no cars there. plus don't really understand the logic of your statement, people get murdered all the time too, that doesn't justify it, just because it happens "all the time"...

[rijndael]

Okay, but this cyclist was on a cycling lane, so there should be no cars there.

The point is that accidents with cyclists will always happen, it will never end. It's like asking when will car accidents end.

people get murdered all the time too, that doesn't justify it, just because it happens "all the time"...

I covered negligence in my second post.

The stories I've read of this incident don't provide enough details, as usual. We don't know if it was negligence or an accident.

[sugarkane]

You are 8 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than a terrorist in the USA...
So it's not very surprising

[de zwarten]

Okay, but this cyclist was on a cycling lane, so there should be no cars there.

The point is that accidents with cyclists will always happen, it will never end. It's like asking when will car accidents end.

My point would be that this is not the default situation, and something should be done against. Your comment kind of takes it for granted that it happens and nothing could be done about it.
Some actions, more than others, can significantly drop the numbers of casualties (e.g. good bike infrastructure).

[aerozy]

Im not saying it was the cops fault, but as someone has already pointed out cars should not be on the cycling lane. Enough said.

From my own experience 90% of my near misses have been the drivers fault. And many times they do it on purpose. Typical example is the motorist that thinks cyclists have no right of way in roundabouts. I ride defensively assuming everybody out there is a bloody idiot but what can you do when someone is willing to run you over because you are "not suppose" to be there?

When I took my driving license there was very little mention of cyclists rights. I think the system is part to blame as half the people driving out there do not know the LAW. And worse even when they ignorantly believe the law is on their side they are willing to kill someone to prove the point.

[rijndael]

Okay, but this cyclist was on a cycling lane, so there should be no cars there.

I agree, there should be no cars in the bike lane. There's a difference between negligence, malicious, and accidents.

If some of you have evidence that this was malicious or negligence, please share it. I'm not going to assume the guy is guilty based on one or two news articles, which - more often than not - leave out important details.

Your comment kind of takes it for granted that it happens and nothing could be done about it.

I didn't say that. I'm saying that there will always be accidents between bikes and other vehicles. You may be able to reduce them, but they will always happen as long as they're on the road. Cars and pedestrians end up interacting a fair bit too, and they have sidewalks!

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bro ... -1.1369370

[Butcher]

As others said, accidents happen all the time. Finding a jury that will throw someone in jail for an accident is going to be hard, if even possible.

We can all relate to being distracted while driving [riding a bike or driving a car]. Most of use have been fortunate when that occurs, that we did not hurt someone.

How about if we convince the bicycle community to pay additional taxes to make roads just for us. When that occurs, we will have a better leg to stand on. I would pay more just so I can say, I'm willing to pay for that idea, that gives me the sensation that I am safe. In reality, I'm still just as likely to be killed, cause it is an 'accident'.

[kac]

You are 8 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than a terrorist in the USA...
So it's not very surprising

Yes, absolutely true. Worse still, police-induced fatalities are very, very rarely punished. I will be quite curious to learn the outcome of this "misadventure". I'd place my bet on no significant punitive action against the offending sheriff. Perhaps as a consolation, he can stencil a confirmed kill on his door: two more and he's an ace!