someone tell me what crime has been committed?

[Weefreetiffany]

Baffled by this story

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11810311/Woman-49-convicted-manslaughter-raising-hand-elderly-cyclist-collision.html

on what grounds are the prosecuting the pedestrian? It seems an absolute stretch to think that her gesticulating and “radiant her hand” at a cyclist for driving towards her on a pavement is wilful manslaughter? I can see how it’s a tragic, very unfortunate accident but how did this make it to court?

The atmosphere is this country is so toxic to middle aged women at the moment- what is going on?!

It is mind-boggling when people are presumably thinking that they know better than the individuals who heard all of the evidence and testimony. I don't think the video clip I saw necessarily shows that the pedestrian did anything wrong, but I accept that I don't know everything.

My understanding is that there was no evidence of a push. I think if there had been, that would have been treated far more seriously than it even was and would have warranted a much longer sentence.

I think it was tight for a shared use path. Yes technically there’s enough space but reading a document on cycleway infrastructure design it talks about needing 2m for a one direction cycle path, that pedestrians take 0.7m width on average but more is needed for buggies, people with sight issues, etc and there should be a 0.5m buffer zone.

I know in practice that doesn’t always happen, I cycle on a shared use path next to a busy A road with lorries thundering along at 60mph. No buffer zone and I doubt the path is 2m wide, maybe 1.5m. Luckily it’s not busy, you can’t get two bikes passing each other and on the rare occasion I meet a runner we both have to breath in! It’s a squeeze.

so if a cycle path is meant to be 2m, pedestrians need about 1m then that’s minimum of 3m, plus potentially a buffer zone. So certainly a shit design which contributed to the problem. But absolutely agree that no excuse for what she did. The next time the crazy bloke who sometimes launches himself at me when I’m cycling i think I will stop and ask him if he’s aware of this case! Normally I yell fuck off and keep pedalling. 😁

It's also worth noting that if this lady had got off her bike and walked, there would have been even less room. You take up less room riding your bike than you do walking along pushing it.

If a cyclist and a pedestrian are on the same pavement the onus should be on the cyclist to get out of the way not the pedestrian if both keep to the left, there will no conflict and they can pass each other without issue. The main problem is the lack of pavement discipline in the UK compared with eg Germany or the Netherlands, where pedestrians do on the whole keep to the right, like cars do (I am not talking about roads without pavements where you walk on the right unless you are on a blind corner).

I cycle to work. This takes a car off the road. We are supposed to be encouraging this. It is good for everyone. And yet if I have to cycle slowly or regularly get off this is no longer a feasible means of commuting. If shared cycle paths where people will be expected to cycle slowly us the only option, they may as well not have cycle lanes at all.

All cerebral palsy is the same is it? Congratulations on your husband not having the intellectual damage common to cerebral palsy. But why would you know? All disabled people look alike don't they?

With the greatest respect, your commuting problems are nothing to do with me. Your behaviour when cycling on the pavement on which I am walking, hiwever, are. At the very keast I would expect you to slow down significantly the closer you became to me, (so slowly probably that your cycle will wobble anyway and you'd have to stop), or stop while I passed you. I would expect you to get out if my path as you are not supposed to be on the pavement anyway.

If you are a competent cyclist, then you caan cycle on the road.

If the road is too scary (and Iunderstand that, I used to cycle to work in central London, going roung Trafalgar Square is terrifying, as is crossing Oxford Street, and a few other places I can think of round the British Museum etc), well get off, or stop or go slowly. Keep out of pedestrian's way - you have taken the choice to cycle on the pavement, a pedestrian doesn't have the choice to walk in the road. The onus is on you if you want totake their space.

I'm with you OP. Even if the pedestrian has any criminal charges to answer (which I actually don't think she has) there is no way she deserves 3 years in prison for this! It's absolutely crazy.

The cyclist failed to cycle with due care and attention. It was an accident. She didn't check the traffic before moving into it.

I just can't get my head round the support for this custodial sentence here. Men get suspended sentences for downloading hours and hours of footage of the sexual abuse of children ffs!

I agree, I find it quite alarming how many comments on here fail to recognise that the pedestrian has cerebral palsy, is partially sighted and, I think, has ASD. She probably felt quite alarmed by the cyclist heading towards her.

I don't understand the custodial sentence either. I watched the footage. The woman didn't touch the cyclist. The cyclist basically got a startle at the woman shouting/gesticulating and went into the path of car.

Really bloody unfortunate but I don't see how the pedestrian is at fault, I've also told cyclists to piss off the pavement but I'd reasonably assume that they woulldn't just launch themselves into traffic without looking.

It’s a shared path. All you are being asked to do is share it. You’ve got 1.2m to fit into, as have I. Stick to that and there will be no problem.

She pushed the cyclist.

She had every right to be cycling on the shared path.

Read more than half way through the thread … MANY posters banging on about how the cyclist shouldn’t have been on the path - I pointed out a few times that even the police have not concluded if it is or is not a shared path, therefore posters shouldn’t be banging on about the cyclist not being allowed there - they don’t know this!

The ITV news has just ran the story, I missed the beginning, but the courts have confirmed the path was 2.4m wide and was a shared pedestrian/cyclist path. So hopefully now posters will stop with the cyclist bashing?

Of course she didn’t check for traffic! She fell/was pushed into the road. She didn’t choose to move into the path of a car. The few times I’ve fallen off my bike I haven’t had time to check I’m landing in a safe place. Perhaps you have some advice on how I could manage to do that if it ever happens again?!

Other cases resulting in lenient sentences have no relevance here. Yes, many people get off lightly and that shouldn’t happen. That doesn’t mean someone who causes the death of another person should escape punishment.

@FrostyFifi I've also told cyclists to piss off the pavement … even if, as in this case, they’re on a shared pedestrian/cycle path?

I saw necessarily shows that the pedestrian did anything wrong, but I accept that I don't know everything.

shouting get of the fucking pavement and waving her arms about and there was a touching of the cyclists - that part has been established - whether it was a push s a different matter that can't be established is considered abuse,

Manslaughter, hth.

Change2banon

there are many people that do this, cyclists are hated and the press/media make it worse then more people behave badly towards them

3 years seems rather a lenient sentence considering her complete lack of remorse and walking away from the dying woman to go shopping.

The woman did touch the cyclist. She admitted it in her police interview.

The 77 year old cyclist was “hurtling” towards her… that’s the word you’re going with?

One hundred percent this!

ChaseyLain

time and again its been explained on this thread that it wasn't a pavement and it wasn't illegal - but you insist on referring to it as illegal - why?

Cantseethewoodforthetree · Today 18:59

It’s a shared path.

It's not, it's a footpath. What? No, I can't prove it, no more than you can prove that cycles are allowed there!

All you are being asked to do is share it. You’ve got 1.2m to fit into

And next time a driver is prosecuted for passing a cyclist with less than 2m room, please shout up in defence of the driver. Why should pedestrians be given less space than cyclists?

The calmly walking off after seeing someone you’ve pushed run over shouts the loudest to me. Leaving that poor driver knowing they’ve killed someone and they would have initially been held and questioned by police as the one to hit the person.
I am glad for thé CCTV in this case