Violent assault on London cyclist

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Sat 9 Jul 2011 17:44
Violent assault on London cyclist - Doc
Violent assault on bexley cyclist.

Although the registered keeper of the car was easily traceable it seems that on the day in question the vehicle was left unlocked with the keys in the ignition, only for it to be taken without consent, but somehow later returned to the owner by person or persons unknown!

Police investigation has stalled, can you identify attacker?

http://tinyurl.com/5ss35dv

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Sat 9 Jul 2011 17:58
Violent assault on London cyclist - corax

Not much information. Why was the cyclist attacked? Or was it completely unprovoked? No footage of the goings on before the 'punch up`.

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Sat 9 Jul 2011 18:20
Violent assault on London cyclist - jamie745

Theres been times when ive been tempted to violently assault a cyclist in a built up urban area also.

*gets coat, realising joke was in poor taste*

Its difficult to judge anything there, it looks like a pre-planned assault to be honest, pre meditaded in some way and the cyclist sure didnt look like he knew the guy or he wouldve run off when he got out the car. Very strange.

Edited by jamie745 on 09/07/2011 at 18:25

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Sat 9 Jul 2011 21:04
Violent assault on London cyclist - JOGON

Looks like there was some 'history' there. Someone perhaps carved someone up earlier, or perhaps someone on a bike pointed out a motorists 'non-perfect' road use.

Cannot really judge the event by looking at what's on film. Often seen pious lycra road warrior cyclists delighting in a conflict. One favourite seems to be the cycle lane painted down left of road, busy rush hour traffic slow moving signalling left (through the cycle lane). Pious cyclist can/ought to see this but blisters down the inside and then 'protesteth too much' at the injustice of it all. Could've predicted and overtaken to right but prefers the agnst? Ps - apart from being a driver, I've cycled for decades and still do.

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Sat 9 Jul 2011 21:15
Violent assault on London cyclist - Doc

Looks like there was some 'history' there. Someone perhaps carved someone up earlier, or perhaps someone on a bike pointed out a motorists 'non-perfect' road use..

But does this justify violence?

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Sat 9 Jul 2011 23:59
Violent assault on London cyclist - Vitesse6

No it doesn't justify violence. Some motorists are just a****oles when it comes to cyclists. I once had a woman turn right in front of me such that I ended up riding into the rear passenger door of her car. She then proceeded to berate me for not stopping as "I had right of way because I am in a car and you are on a bike"

In the end I used to ride through Manchester with one of those heavy metal U locks in my hand as when I signalled right with that I usually got some road space!

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 00:25
Violent assault on London cyclist - jamie745

I dont think anybody is trying to justify anything. I just think we're trying to guess at what the motive behind such an attack may be. But the whys and wheres arent the point, the footage has been released to see if anybody knows the man and can identify them. Why he punched the cyclist is immaterial. Its clearly a planned attack, although it would be nice to see the rest of what the cyclist behind filmed and not just the bit they want you to see. The cyclist obviously didnt know the man, because if he did a) he wouldve run a mile when he got out of the car and b) wouldve been able to identify him himself anyway.

Its hugely unlikely the man stole the car to attack a random cyclist, i mean i dont like cyclists one little bit but i wouldnt go out of my way to go and attack one. If one decides to sit in a side turning and stare at me for 30 seconds as i approach, wait until im 6 yards from the turning and then pull out (as alot of cyclists do) then i will keep going, but aside from that even someone with cyclist-hate like myself wouldnt go that far.

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 00:33
Violent assault on London cyclist - JOGON

Looks like there was some 'history' there. Someone perhaps carved someone up earlier, or perhaps someone on a bike pointed out a motorists 'non-perfect' road use..

But does this justify violence?

Never said it did, did I? Why was there a group? Why did someone happen to be filming? The salient point is (and I repeat) "...Cannot really judge the event by looking at what's on film..." . Looks like someone with an agenda is going to put this clip before anyone who'll watch it. "Can you identify the attacker".. jogon! Doc - you are the poster of this - and the one with the agenda. Misuse of these pages I'd say?

Edited by Jog-on on 10/07/2011 at 00:37

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 00:42
Violent assault on London cyclist - jamie745

Of course its someone with an agenda, its a link to a cycling website. It could transpire the cyclist shot the mans wife in the face the previous day and the lycra clad brigade would still back up the cyclist on those sorts of websites.

Nobody is arguing that a crime has clearly been committed here, and nobody will try and justify the violence but HJ's motoring discussion is not normally a place for Crimestoppers nor a place with, with all greatest respect, a large enough posting base to realistically find somebody who will know who the man is. There's much better sites to put this on for appeals for some information. Its also interesting its footage from the cycle cam which has ended up on the internet and not Police-released CCTV from that road (that road in London must have CCTV on it, not to mention the fact a bus full of people had a terrific view of him)

By choosing selective footage (ie cutting out what happened earlier) albiet its clearly an assault and a bizarre one at that, i feel its going to be used as more of a propaganda tool for the lycra brigade to spout off on the internet about inconsiderate car drivers etc, merely used as a kickstart for a debate which isnt really connected to this incident.

Edited by jamie745 on 10/07/2011 at 00:42

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 01:14
Violent assault on London cyclist - Avant

As someone said on the cyclists' forum where this first appeared:

"May not lead to much but the more places this idiot's face gets posted the higher the chance someone might develop a conscience and say who he is."

Fair enough on this occasion, but we can't have this sort of thing too often on here as it's not part of our job to be an extension of Crimewatch.

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 01:18
Violent assault on London cyclist - jamie745

Wouldnt somewhere like facebook be a better bet? Or send it to one of the local papers for London so they can stick it on their website, reach a wide audience.

Its still interesting that its not the police who's released this footage or set up an appeal and that its footage from a cycle cam on a cycle site is where the only evidence has ended up.

Very strange. I just considered a possibility which i daren't say for fear of libel lawsuit LOL!

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 01:45
Violent assault on London cyclist - nortones2

Lack of action by the police is hardly unusual. They seem to have the same antipathy to cyclists that Jamie (an avowed non-cyclist. Possibly because his mummy forbade it!) exhibits. As for perjorative comments like "lycra Brigade" that could as easily be countered by cyclists referring, quite accurately, to the "lardy a***d" behind the wheel:) Howver, we are all users of the shared road, and no-one has a greater priority, whether or not "VED" paying on the vehicle in use at the time.

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 01:54
Violent assault on London cyclist - jamie745

But the brutal, dirty fact remains that when you end up on a road with no cycles, no cycle lanes, no buses, no bus lanes, no crossings...everything works well and smoothly as a direct result of that.

When i come across a cyclist, specifically an annoying one (lycra clad nazi frantically peddling but still not going anywhere fast) or a stupid one (child let loose on the roads on a little bike without even a helmet) i do have to count to ten and i say to myself "...its not their fault...they're the product of a bad environment." It keeps me calm and stops me running them over so thats the tactic i will continue to use. Actually i have sympathy for the youngsters who clearly have had no road training and no clue of the highway code and have been told to get on a bike by their parents, i'll give them alot more room than i will an adult because an adult should know better.

My feelings on cyclists could result in a 200 post thread about how people who do not pay tax on their vehicle shouldnt be on the road and damn sure shouldnt complain about people not liking them especially as they flout the highway code with impunity but are very quick to seize on any drivers flouting of it (proving they do know the highway code, they just think it doesnt apply to them). And you could all say all you want you wont change my views on the matter. So leave me to use my inside voice and count to 10 and we'll all have a pleasant journey. Except when i get to where im going i'll be refreshed, cool and not standing there in a body hugging suit with green tinted goggles on so wet with sweat that im more slippery than a fish.

Edited by jamie745 on 10/07/2011 at 01:55

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 02:17
Violent assault on London cyclist - nortones2

What a strange outlook. Undoubtedly there are many imperfect cyclists, but they are not a tribe, and it is pretty obvious that traffic delays are due to.... traffic. Your utopian view of roads doesn't work. Ever driven on a M-way? No crossings, very few buses etc etc. Still gets congested. As for tax, many posters have attempted to remind you that VED is not a road tax. Churchill anticipated the Toad view of drivers and eliminated the "road tax" in 1936. In any event, how do you know that a cyclist isn't also a driver of something other than a Prius, which is also exempt? I don't expect to change your views. Mummy got there first.

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 02:30
Violent assault on London cyclist - jamie745

On the subject of tax, i still dont care about the semantics of "road tax being abolished." If you want to really get rid of the Toad view then scrap VED completely. Because regardless of what you call it, its a tax you have to pay to take your car onto the road, so they could call it "The Honey Monster's Blobby Spaceship" it'd still be Road Tax. Changing the name means nothing. I have a £460 VED (road tax) bill at the end of this month, do you think me claiming Churchill abolished it so i dont *really* have to pay it to use my car on the road will wash at the post office? Hardly. (Obviously i made the choice to buy a car in band M and that was up to me but if i have to sit behind cyclists i'd rather sit in something nice).

Also its policies like that (putting tax up, changing the name and expecting everybody to be happy) is no doubt the sort of thing most of you have complained about Blair's Government for some time, if he did it, it wouldnt wash.

If they have a Prius then nothing i'll do to them will make their lives any worse, they were stupid enough to buy it, i sympathise with them. If they have a tax exempt vehicle they've made up for it in VAT due to the overpriced nature of such cars.

I think its important to point out i drive correctly, keep safe distances from cycles, show utmost consideration to vulnerable road users, wait until appropriate moments to pass etc and all the rest of it, i dont beep cyclists, i dont roar past them when theres a gap, i dont pass them so close that my wing mirror takes them off their bike, but in my own mind im thinking "what a t***". But guess what, people are allowed to have an opinion contrary to their actual actions. This is Britain after all.

Edited by jamie745 on 10/07/2011 at 02:31

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 14:56
Tedious London Bicycle Types Try for Max Publicity and Get Rumbled (Doc gone quiet) - JOGON

jamie745. Some good points. The Prius (yes, I know:- 'Pious') for all it's nay-sayers makes sense as a company car. Low on tax and cheap at pumps, pricey as a private buy.

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 15:19
Tedious London Bicycle Types Try for Max Publicity and Get Rumbled (Doc gone quiet) - jamie745

Fair point on the company car thing, the fact is i would have no problem with the Prius if it was marketed as a cheap economical annonymous company car box but it isnt, its marketed as this flagship green car but when you really investigate it you find its not that green after all.

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 15:20
Violent assault on London cyclist - Doc

I am not a "Tedious London Bicycle Type" as you put it.

I am neither pro. nor anti. cyclist.

My reason for posting the clip was in the hope that someone would recognise the violent car driver and bring him to justice so that the the area would be safer for all road users.

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 15:27
Violent assault on London cyclist - jamie745

I never called anybody tedious. But again your point about him being a violent car driver is what suggests the bias, what does the fact he was a car driver got anything to do with it? It was an assault plain and simple and hopefully somebody can identify him, but saying "violent car driver" is what makes it sound like the clip is being used as part of a crusade against an issue which doesnt exist. Saying you hope the area is safer for all road users is short sighted also, if this man is brought to justice it'll be safer for everybody, road users or otherwise. If he was on a bicycle, got off it and punched a car driver in the face im not sure it'd be being billed in the same way, their vehicles would be kept out of the story and it'd be described as "an assault" not "car driver punches cyclist" because as said earlier, nobody has any idea why this happened. We dont know the history of these two people but again the cyclist surely wouldve identified the man if he knew him, and i think the chances of the man just randomly stealing a car to punch a random cyclist is highly unlikely so theres clearly something bizarre happening there.

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 02:19
Violent assault on London cyclist - jamie745

Lack of action by the police is hardly unusual. They seem to have the same antipathy to cyclists that Jamie (an avowed non-cyclist. Possibly because his mummy forbade it!) exhibits.

In fairness to the Police, this isnt a typical cyclist vs car road traffic complaint, this is an assault. The fact the victim was a cyclist isnt the point and shouldnt come into it and im sure it hasnt. I dont think the Police shelve assault cases because he was on a bicycle. So it wont be Road Traffic police investigating this, it'll be...proper police (sorry to any traffic cops who might read this) and they're obviously stumped as to who he was. It wasnt the car's owner as the car was stolen presumably by this character. Im guessing they'll have searched the car for the mans prints but if he's not committed an offence before then that'll lead them nowhere so all thats left is to hope somebody identifies him from the footage. But as i did say its odd that its not CCTV footage or a police appeal but rather a cycle cam piece of footage but i think to claim the police havent bothered because he's a cyclist is harsh.

Edited by jamie745 on 10/07/2011 at 02:19

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Sun 10 Jul 2011 15:34
Violent assault on London cyclist - Avant

Nothing is being achieved by this thread becoming a rant.

Doc's objective was to publicise the assault in the hope that the culprit can be traced and brought to justice.

By locking the thread but still leaving it visible I hope that anyone seeing it with any information (unlikely but worth trying) will go to the police.

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