Speed limits again

In article <[email hidden]>,

David Martin () said:

So on a clear road, on a solo bike, it would be very hard for you to be
done for riding furiously. IIRC Tony Adams (? the chap done in
Cambridge) was doing 30 through a heavily trafficked pedestrianised
area.

(Googles)

"As the Cambridge Evening News reported on 20 September, and the
Guardian on the 23rd, Tony Adams was arrested, and now faces a £120
fine, for riding 'furiously', an offence under the 1847 Town Police
Clauses Act, at 25 mph in Sidney Street, a 30 mph zone, in the middle of
the night back in March.

Superintendent David Autun justified the prosecution on the grounds that
'even if you hit someone at 25 mph, you are likely to kill them'. Come
off it, superintendent: if that's true of a bike, how much more true
must it be of a car, and you don't prosecute motorists for driving at 25
mph, or even 35. In fact, government figures show that a pedestrian hit
by a car moving at 20 mph has a 9 in 10 chance of surviving, while at 40
mph it's 1 in 10, so 25 mph must be at the safer end of the scale. I
know I'd rather be hit by a bike than a car, at any speed.

Inspector Bill Chapman claimed the case was similar to that of a
motorist driving without due care and attention. But Tony, who is in
training for a world record attempt, says he wasn't even pedalling
furiously. He is refusing to pay the fine (while admitting it was a
mistake to miss his court case) and now risks gaol. If you're out there,
Tony, we're on your side (some of us, anyway)."

I am not familiar with the geography of Cantab. so cannot comment on
whether Sidney Street is pedestrianised.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Do not top-post like a Cretinous Foul-Yob fit only for Stoning.

On Wed, 31 May 2006 15:13:39 +0100,

Dave Larrington said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

David Martin () said:

So on a clear road, on a solo bike, it would be very hard for you to be
done for riding furiously. IIRC Tony Adams (? the chap done in
Cambridge) was doing 30 through a heavily trafficked pedestrianised
area.

(Googles)

"As the Cambridge Evening News reported on 20 September, and the
Guardian on the 23rd, Tony Adams was arrested, and now faces a £120
fine, for riding 'furiously', an offence under the 1847 Town Police
Clauses Act, at 25 mph in Sidney Street, a 30 mph zone, in the middle of
the night back in March.

[snip]

Quoted message said:

I am not familiar with the geography of Cantab. so cannot comment on
whether Sidney Street is pedestrianised.

It is a one-way street (or was the last time I looked). It is right
in the centre and very close to the pedestrianised bits. During the day
I have seen very few vehicles travel near 30mph along it and as I don't
live in Cambridge haven't observed it at night-time. It is however quite
a short street (maybe 400 yards) so he was quite unlucky to be caught
there.

--
Andy Leighton => [email hidden]
"The Lord is my shepherd, but we still lost the sheep dog trials"
- Robert Rankin, _They Came And Ate Us_

"Andy Leighton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I am not familiar with the geography of Cantab. so cannot comment on
whether Sidney Street is pedestrianised.

It is a one-way street (or was the last time I looked). It is right
in the centre and very close to the pedestrianised bits.

Used to be pedestrianised during the day - I believe that restriction got
lifted recently, hooray.

Quoted message said:

During the day
I have seen very few vehicles travel near 30mph along it and as I don't
live in Cambridge haven't observed it at night-time. It is however quite
a short street (maybe 400 yards) so he was quite unlucky to be caught
there.

s/unlucky/stupid/

He belted past a plod van, and didn't respond to them telling him to stop.

And if he was doing it anywhere near 11pm, which I believe might have been
the case, 30mph is probably a bit fast for there.

cheers,
clive

Dave Larrington said:

David Martin () said:

So on a clear road, on a solo bike, it would be very hard for you to be
done for riding furiously. IIRC Tony Adams (? the chap done in
Cambridge) was doing 30 through a heavily trafficked pedestrianised
area.

(Googles)
"As the Cambridge Evening News reported on 20 September, and the

[..]

Quoted message said:

Tony, we're on your side (some of us, anyway)."

I am not familiar with the geography of Cantab. so cannot comment on
whether Sidney Street is pedestrianised.

Sort of. It was part of the area covered by the city centre cycle ban (but
cycles weren't banned at 11pm). I'm not sure what the exact restrictions
on motor vehicles were at the time, I suspect access only.

Clive George said:

"Andy Leighton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I am not familiar with the geography of Cantab. so cannot comment on
whether Sidney Street is pedestrianised.

[...]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

During the day
I have seen very few vehicles travel near 30mph along it and as I don't
live in Cambridge haven't observed it at night-time. It is however quite
a short street (maybe 400 yards) so he was quite unlucky to be caught
there.

s/unlucky/stupid/

Yes, at least if the reports he was going round and round the triangle
(Sydney, Trinity, Market) were true. It's not a sensible route for a
training ride.

Quoted message said:

He belted past a plod van, and didn't respond to them telling him to stop.

Failing to turn up for his court case might have been a mistake too.

"Andy Leighton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It is a one-way street (or was the last time I looked). It is right
in the centre and very close to the pedestrianised bits. During the day
I have seen very few vehicles travel near 30mph along it and as I don't
live in Cambridge haven't observed it at night-time. It is however quite
a short street (maybe 400 yards) so he was quite unlucky to be caught
there.

Funny, but the police on Cheshire say they cannot enforce the law regarding
motor vehicles exceeding short 20 mph speed limits (400m long) because of
the "technical difficulties" using speed cameras over such a distance.

Maybe they have changed tack and decided to use speeding cyclists as an
example. They are much easier to chase after and you don't seem to need so
much evidence.

Best regards

Rod King

On 31 May 2006 23:14:20 +0100 (BST),

Alan Braggins said:

Clive George said:

"Andy Leighton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

> I am not familiar with the geography of Cantab. so cannot comment on
> whether Sidney Street is pedestrianised.

[...]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

During the day
I have seen very few vehicles travel near 30mph along it and as I don't
live in Cambridge haven't observed it at night-time. It is however quite
a short street (maybe 400 yards) so he was quite unlucky to be caught
there.

s/unlucky/stupid/

Yes, at least if the reports he was going round and round the triangle
(Sydney, Trinity, Market) were true. It's not a sensible route for a
training ride.

Ah I missed that bit in the report. That is stupid. I assumed he was just
blasting through on his way as part of a bigger circuit.

--
Andy Leighton => [email hidden]
"The Lord is my shepherd, but we still lost the sheep dog trials"
- Robert Rankin, _They Came And Ate Us_

Rod King said:

Funny, but the police on Cheshire say they cannot enforce the law regarding
motor vehicles exceeding short 20 mph speed limits (400m long) because of
the "technical difficulties" using speed cameras over such a distance.

Maybe they have changed tack and decided to use speeding cyclists as an
example. They are much easier to chase after and you don't seem to need so
much evidence.

Speeding in a car is a quantitative offence - was their measured speed
above or below the speed limit?

Cycling Furiously is a subjective offence - did the officer observing
think an offence was committed and does the Court agree with him? There
is no speed limit for bicycles so there is no quantitative offence.

Other offences that could be used and apply to both such as Careless
Driving/Cycling would be far harder to make stick in those circumstances.

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

In article said:

Alan Braggins said:

Clive George said:

s/unlucky/stupid/

Yes, at least if the reports he was going round and round the triangle
(Sydney, Trinity, Market) were true. It's not a sensible route for a
training ride.

Ah I missed that bit in the report. That is stupid.

You didn't miss it, it's my (possibly flawed) recollection of other
reports from nearer the time.