Fishing line

dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers said:

Excellent news. Hopefully plod will be shamed into taking this as seriously as
it should be.

I hope so. Who knows, I might even manage to knock the council's new
recycling scheme off the front page for the first time in weeks.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

Danny Colyer said:

I'm tempted to knock off early one day and at the very least lurk in the
bushes with a camera. Finding somewhere out of sight to lurk might be
difficult, though.

The irony is you'll probably get arrested if you do that ;-)

Tony

On Wed, 08 Sep 2004 18:25:51 +0100, Danny Colyer
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

There was a third one set today, again at adult upright height.

Shoot them and burn the bodies. Definitely.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Danny Colyer <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm tempted to knock off early one day and at the very least lurk in the
bushes with a camera. Finding somewhere out of sight to lurk might be
difficult, though.

You might not want to wear one of your more colouful outfits for this purpose.

--
Dave...

Ambrose Nankivell <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

My suspicion is that it was set specifically for him, seeing as the
one set later on was set at adult upright bike height.

First we'll get the juggler, then we'll go for a grown-up.

--
Dave...

(Dave Kahn) said:

Ambrose Nankivell <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

My suspicion is that it was set specifically for him, seeing as
the one set later on was set at adult upright bike height.

First we'll get the juggler, then we'll go for a grown-up.

Sounds like the punchline to a joke.

A

Dave Kahn said:

Ambrose Nankivell <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

My suspicion is that it was set specifically for him, seeing as the
one set later on was set at adult upright bike height.

First we'll get the juggler, then we'll go for a grown-up.

Well of course the really nasty thing is that they /did/ go for the jugular.

Sorry

Peter

in message <[email hidden]>, Ambrose Nankivell

(') said:

(Dave Kahn) said:

Ambrose Nankivell <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

My suspicion is that it was set specifically for him, seeing as
the one set later on was set at adult upright bike height.

First we'll get the juggler, then we'll go for a grown-up.

Sounds like the punchline to a joke.

Well, you no what they say about wolves going for the juggler...

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
; ... of course nothing said here will be taken notice of by
; the W3C. The official place to be ignored is on www-style or
; www-html. -- George Lund

Yesterday I said:

At your suggestion, I e-mailed a journalist for the Bristol Observer
last night. He phoned me at 09:00 this morning, took some details and
arranged for me to meet a photographer on my way home. When I arrived,
the photographer was inspecting the new line that had been set today.

The journalist phoned me again this morning. The story will be on the
front page of this week's Bristol Observer and will probably also be in
the Evening Post.

Yes, Jack, I've considered the possibility of press coverage giving kids
ideas. OTOH press coverage will alert far more people to the danger
than my postings to urc and a couple of cycling mailing lists could ever
do, it will encourage people to keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour
and it will probably result in some parents commenting to their
children on how stupid it is to string fishing line across a cyclepath.
If the lines were set by kids who hadn't thought about the
consequences, the story might even result in them hearing other people
expressing disbelief that anyone could do something so vicious and stupid.

To make the story more powerful, I have encouraged the journalist to
make a big thing of the fact that I have two young children who could
have been deprived of their father.

When I cut the lines I cut them a couple of inches from the trunk,
taking care to leave at least some of the evidence in situ. When I
passed by this evening (an hour later than usual due to a [censored] in the
scheduling of a data transfer) there was no sign of any fishing line.
It may be that there was a line this evening that had already been
removed, but a lot of people saw me posing for photographs yesterday and
I think it more likely that the perp has decided he's too likely to get
caught if he does it again.

When I was looking for the line this evening I heard an expletive coming
from one of a pair of cyclists on the other side of the bridge and
wondered if a line had been set there. But the expletive was then
followed by the question: "Why don't you keep your dog under control,
you stupid [censored]?". Some things will never change :-(

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 20:12:10 +0100, Danny Colyer
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

To make the story more powerful, I have encouraged the journalist to
make a big thing of the fact that I have two young children who could
have been deprived of their father.

I would also point out that the line that got you was designed either
specifically for you or, more likely, to get children.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Just zis Guy, you know? suggested:

Quoted message said:

I would also point out that the line that got you was designed either
specifically for you or, more likely, to get children.

I don't want to appear too paranoid, and I certainly don't want the perp
to think that I think that he was out to get me. I considered asking to
remain anonymous, in case the story made me a target. But if they print
a picture of me on the Street Machine (the photographer took several)
then I think a couple of hundred people will recognise me, and people
are more likely to sympathise with someone they recognise.

I *did* point out that the first line would have been at neck height for
a BMX rider or a child.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

you know? said:

On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 20:12:10 +0100, Danny Colyer
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

To make the story more powerful, I have encouraged the journalist to
make a big thing of the fact that I have two young children who could
have been deprived of their father.

I would also point out that the line that got you was designed either
specifically for you or, more likely, to get children.

Not necesarily - malice v. incompetence probably applies.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

Danny Colyer said:

To make the story more powerful, I have encouraged the journalist to
make a big thing of the fact that I have two young children who could
have been deprived of their father.

Great. Good job well done. This is precisely what local press are for.

d.

On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 15:35:18 GMT, Simon Brooke <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Ambrose Nankivell

(') said:

(Dave Kahn) said:

Ambrose Nankivell <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

> My suspicion is that it was set specifically for him, seeing as
> the one set later on was set at adult upright bike height.

First we'll get the juggler, then we'll go for a grown-up.

Sounds like the punchline to a joke.

Well, you no what they say about wolves going for the juggler...

Or something in a similar vein.

--
Dave...

Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live. - Mark Twain

On 9/9/04 9:12 pm, in article [email hidden], "Ian

Smith said:

you know? said:

On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 20:12:10 +0100, Danny Colyer
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

To make the story more powerful, I have encouraged the journalist to
make a big thing of the fact that I have two young children who could
have been deprived of their father.

I would also point out that the line that got you was designed either
specifically for you or, more likely, to get children.

Not necesarily - malice v. incompetence probably applies.

Or actual competence. Instead of going for the throat (which is what we have
all assumed they were doing) maybe they went for the bars to stop the bike
without so much risk to the rider. Because the SM is somewhat unusual, the
perps wouldn't necessarily have expected a head to come along at waist
height.

Or they were just plain incompetent.

...d

On Wed, 08 Sep 2004 18:58:17 GMT someone who may be Velvet
<[email hidden]> wrote this:-

Quoted message said:

Of course, the downside is that although it makes you *feel* better,
frogmarching to local nick will, in all likelyhood, not do any good,
since it'd just be your word against theirs.. and these days you'd
probably be leaving yourself open to a charge of assault or something
for doing it!

No doubt the heinous crime of upsetting a little dear and their
social worker:-)

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

I said:

The story will be on the
front page of this week's Bristol Observer and will probably also be in
the Evening Post.

Here's the Observer piece (text below). I wonder how many people will
spot the mistake on the front page:
<URL:http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/colyer_pictures/fishingline/>

Doesn't seem to be in the Evening Post today, but maybe tomorrow or Monday.

This afternoon I noticed a laminated poster at Bitton Station bearing a
picture of my neck and a warning about the fishing line. I presume that
was put up by a member of the Bristol Cycling Campaign.

<Observer>
IDIOTS

'I thought I was going to die' says trip wire cyclist

EXCLUSIVE By Paul McLennan

A cyclist has branded vandals 'irresponsible idiots' after badly
injuring his neck when he rode into fishing line strung across a popular
cycle path - SEE FULL STORY ON PAGE 2

A cyclist thought he was going to die when he rode into fishing line
tied across a popular bike path, causing lacerations to his neck.

And to his amazement, another lethal snare had been set up the following
day in exactly the same place.

The line had been deliberately fastened to trees either side of the
Bristol and Bath Railway Path, the main cycle route linking the two
cities and used daily by commuters.

Father-of-two Danny Colyer was riding back along the path to his
Kingswood home after finishing work at his office in Saltford on Monday.

The 31-year-old software analyst has been a frequent user of the cycle
path for more than five years and had never experienced any problems.

But Danny's ordeal began at 5.30pm as he was riding his recumbent
bicycle along a stretch of path, between Victoria Road and Poplar Road
in North Common.

He said: "It all happened so quickly.

"I was cycling along the path, unaware anything was wrong, when suddenly
I felt something tight on my throat.

I managed to brake and out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of
the fishing line tied to the trees.

"By that point I thought I was going to die. Although there was no
blood, my neck was very sore and I wondered if I had crushed my windpipe.

"At first I thought the line had snapped but then I saw it had simply
come undone at one end."

Danny immediately dialled 999 and told the police what had happened. He
was also concerned there could be other booby traps further along the path.

Then on Tuesday Danny again used the path to ride back from Saltford to
Kingswood. He was shocked when he noticed another length of fishing
line tied to exactly the same trees as before.

But this time the line had already been snapped and Danny was able to
untie the ends from the trees.

*Neck height*

He said: "The line that caught me on Monday was at neck height for a
recumbent rider, a BMX rider or a child.

"And the line yesterday, which had already been tripped, would have been
at neck height for an adult upright cyclist - it would have gone over my
head.

"If any reader knows the identity of the idiot who did this, they should
tell the police.

"Fortunately the line broke before the skin of my throat did.

"I wonder if the person responsible would have felt better if it had
gone the other way and they had possibly deprived two children of their
father."

Amazingly, when we met Danny at the path on Wednesday, we were horrified
to find a third snare had been strung up.

The path was constructed on the bed of the former Midland Railway which
closed for passenger traffic at the end of the 1960s. It was converted
to a path between 1979 and 1986.

The 13-mile path is currently open to walkers as well as cyclists and
most of it is owned by Bristol City Council, South Gloucestershire
Council and Bath and North East Somerset Council.

Helene Frankham, a spokeswoman for South Gloucestershire Council, denied
the authority had previously been contacted about any such incident on
the path. She said: "We do carry out regular inspections of the cycle
way and if any obstructions are found, or if anyone calls in to say
there is an obstruction, then we will remove it as soon as possible.

"It is very worrying that someone is doing this. We will make sure that
staff are aware it is going on."

Wayne Baker, spokesman for Avon and Somerset police, confirmed the
incidents had been reported and were being investigated.

He also urged anyone who has seen anything suspicious on the path,
particularly in the early evening, to call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
</Observer>

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

I said:

Here's the Observer piece (text below). I wonder how many people will
spot the mistake on the front page:
<URL:http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/colyer_pictures/fishingline/>

There'll also be a piece in tomorrows Bath Chronicle. This one didn't
have any input from me, because the journalist wasn't able to get hold
of me in time. By a stroke of luck I had planned to go into Bath
tomorrow anyway, so I'll be able to pick a copy up.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

Danny Colyer said:

Here's the Observer piece (text below). I wonder how many people will
spot the mistake on the front page...

Flippin' 'eck ;-)

John B

JohnB said:

Quoted message said:

Here's the Observer piece (text below). I wonder how many people will
spot the mistake on the front page...

Flippin' 'eck ;-)

It's probably not a mistake - they often do that deliberately, to make a
photograph fit their layout better.

In all of their publicity and website pictures of the original iMac,
Apple did the same thing. I've no idea why.

Daniele
--
Apple Juice Ltd
Chapter Arts Centre
Market Road www.apple-juice.co.uk
Cardiff CF5 1QE 029 2019 0140