Cyclists knocking over old ladies, repeatedly

[thelawnet]

Or maybe it's just journalists re-publishing the same article two years on with a cavalier attitude towards facts, date, truth, etc.

2010: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/artic ... -down.html
2012: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... roads.html

Is any of this nonsense true?

[meic]

If that is the case then surely there should be a call for compulsory helmets for elderly ladies in London.

I notice that our perspectively challenged journalist is only complaining about English cycling.
So I guess that us Welsh, Scottish and Irish cyclists are off the hook.

Unless of course we were to commit the crime of wearing Lycra.

[thelawnet]

Ignoring all the reused prose

February 2010:

Last week I met a friend for coffee. 'How is your mother?' she asked. I stared into my latte. 'Um, she had a serious accident. Her arm is broken.' 'Oh, no. What on earth happened?' 'She was run down by a bicycle.'

The inevitable convulsion took place in the nerves of my friend's face. She looked as if she was going to laugh. She could not suppress a gurgling sound before she managed to compose her features into the correct position of commiseration and shock, and say: 'How awful!'

But once you stop laughing, it isn't really funny at all. My mother is elderly and frail. She lives in North London, and was crossing the road after dark when she was hit by a cyclist who did not have his lights on.

She fell on her back and hit her head. She was bleeding. The cyclist didn't bother to stop. A kind passer-by took my mother to hospital, where was told she was lucky to have escaped concussion or a broken back.

September 2012:

On August 16, my mother was hit by a Lycra lout. She was crossing the road when a youth on a bicycle shot a red light, knocked her to the ground and left her with a broken arm.

Yesterday, a friend telephoned to ask about her health. 'She would be feeling better,' I replied, 'if she hadn't been hit by another bicycle the other evening.'

I could hear a convulsion in his voice. It sounded like stifled laughter. He could not repress a gurgling sound before he managed to compose himself to express sympathy and shock. 'Again? How awful!'

But it isn't amusing. My mother is elderly. She was shopping in London's Regent Street when she was hit by the first cyclist, who failed to stop. He didn't even look back.

Kindly passers-by dragged her seemingly inert body on to the pavement and called an ambulance.

The hospital said she was lucky to have survived. As it is, the bones in her right arm are so badly broken they will never heal properly.

Then three days ago, just as she was regaining some strength, she crossed a street near her home in North London to buy bread. Once again, a hit-and-run cyclist struck.

This time my mother nearly lost the sight in her left eye. And her broken arm sustained such serious damage that she may have to undergo a lengthy operation.

If my mother had been hit twice by a car in a similar space of time, the general reaction would have been one of horror and outrage.

February 2010:

When I was mugged two years ago in Kensington, West London, it was by a youth on a bike who rode on to the pavement, snatched my bag and disappeared at high speed. No one could stop him, even after I yelled that the bag was a fake.

September 2012:

There are rogues: Lycra louts whose intentions are as low as the meanest hit-men. In 2012, I had my handbag stolen by a gang of youths on bikes.

[thelawnet]

I wonder if it is all completely made up and lies.

Or just parts of it.

In the first article she has her mother being knocked down in February 2010 in North London by a cyclist with no lights, and broke her arm having fallen on her back and hit her head (no I'm not sure either), and was taken to hospital by a passer-by.

In the second she says it was on 16 August 2012 on Regents Street [which is very well lit], and she was collected by ambulance. The old lady outside her home story is used for the supposed second incident, on about 5th September 2012 depending on when the article was actually written.

The mugger cyclist in 2008 has also turned into a gang of lycra louts (really, a gang in lycra, are they the superhero gang?) in 2012.

[meic]

The answer is obvious, London is a ****hole, best get out of the place whilst you are still alive!

[Goosey]

I wonder if it is all completely made up and lies.

What? The Daily Mail making up stuff? Whatever next?

[sirmy]

Strange that someone that someone who call sfor testing of cyclists wrote "As I wobbled along London's roads, nearly hitting every pedestrian and car in sight, I was petrified and hysterical, screaming every shrewish curse I knew After three days, disgusted with myself and unwilling to commit manslaughter, I rode on to the kerb – deliberately – and fell down. I then hailed a taxi and put my bike inside. I have never cycled since." making it clear that she would be incapble of passing her own test - but I bet she has a driving licence

[Mark1978]

An old friend of my Mums was standing at a curb got a shock when a car came past, fell and broke her hip. Ended up in a home as a result. But it wasn't the car drivers fault; he was just driving down the road.

[PDQ]

The trouble with this sort of journalism is that the dear old readers(and believers)of this stuff is that they then go out in their vehicles and feel justified in threatening cyclists lives .
I believe it has been a significant influence on the number of close calls and general lack of respect to cyclists on the road. Perhaps worse.
Hence cyclists noting better road courtesy in Europe where this stuff is far less prevalent.
Personally I would like the Press Complaints Comittee to take issue with some of it.
Failing that perhaps a few cyclists or the CTC could engage the editor in some sort of meaningful discussion.
(Or perhaps just a punch up the bracket )

[reohn2]

The only person I know who buys the DM (and has done for the past 25years I've known him) quotes it verbatum.
He believes Muslims and Gypsies are taking over the UK,believes it unreasonable that he can't travel at 80+mph on motorways because he wants to,does everything he can not to pay tax and votes Tory without deviation.
He's also claims to be a Christian though never attends a church and is a Liverpool football club supporter though has never attended a match.
He also has a second house in France where he intends to retire and was most put out when I asked him why intended to retire and live in a Socialist country.
He also believes that I'm mad to cycle anywhere,and completely irresponsible to "ride a tandem and endanger you wife's life too" speaking as if she had no say in that matter.
The worst thing is about this poor creature is that believes everything written in this "news"paper referring to it as "my paper" and was also most put out when I advised him to buy the Morning Star occasionally to balance his reading intake .

[tonythompson]

"the Morning Star occasionally to balance his reading "

Now look here I wont have anything said against The Morning Star. Admittedly I've only seen one copy, last week while waiting for my Indian take away, there was nothing in there about Lycra louts, yoofs, immigrants etc etc plenty of boobs and stuff about people I've never heard of who seem to me to have appeared on some obscure TV channel reality show. More boobs.

I have no intention of continuing my survey of the MS but at least they didn't have to make things up to sell their paper. Of course I believe the boobs are real

[[XAP]Bob]

Is there enough evidence that they are making stuff up?
If so then should we/the ctc be making representations to the press complaints commission?

[Edwards]

Now look here I wont have anything said against The Morning Star. Admittedly I've only seen one copy, last week while waiting for my Indian take away,

You will have to go back for more take aways, just for reference purposes. We need a corespondent for something like this, just to counter the continued advertising of the other thing.

[reohn2]

"the Morning Star occasionally to balance his reading "

Now look here I wont have anything said against The Morning Star. Admittedly I've only seen one copy, last week while waiting for my Indian take away, there was nothing in there about Lycra louts, yoofs, immigrants etc etc plenty of boobs and stuff about people I've never heard of who seem to me to have appeared on some obscure TV channel reality show. More boobs.

I have no intention of continuing my survey of the MS but at least they didn't have to make things up to sell their paper. Of course I believe the boobs are real

No, M-O-R-N-I-N-G S-T-A-R, not Daily Star

[thelawnet]

Is there enough evidence that they are making stuff up?
If so then should we/the ctc be making representations to the press complaints commission?

I think yes.

She is demonstrably lying and her lies are being re-transmitted in other publications

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/a ... 21009.html