To think this woman should not be put in prison?

[Nooyoiknooyoik]

Bizarre and very unfair Link

All she seemed to do is say "get off the f-ing pavement" and gesture.
I thought it was illegal to ride on the pavement anyway

It is if the path is not shared, but as I keep saying, you take up more room next to your bike than you do on top of it. So in a lot of ways it makes more sense to ride slowly than it does to get off and push.

If they had both kept to the left on the path there would have been room for both of them.

If everyone reading this keeps left in future, and doesn't hog the entire path with their bikes/scooters/kids/dogs/other halves, the poor lady's death will have had some educational effect. Bikes are by no means the only hazard.

But as I said, I am not confident it will change anything.

Not being sure of the status of the path is no reason to kill someone though. Even if it was pedestrian only path it does not give you the right to kill someone for cycling on it. You could report them to the police and that is your only recourse.

Of course it doesn’t give anyone the right to kill someone. (And cyclists on paths can kill someone too, and they don’t have the right to risk that either.) Nor did this woman intentionally ‘kill’ the poor woman cycling or think she had a ‘right to kill’ her.

The sentence is manslaughter not murder.

The council should mark cycle/pedestrian paths all along the path. The council are wrong here too imo.

I located the two 'shared use' signs someone posted on the other thread. They're both on the other side of the road, applying to that pavement only.

Where I live when they have a shared use path on one side of the road they don't have one on the other side. Maybe this area's different though.

The police and the local council did not know if it was a shared path so how the heck did the judge decide it was?

What is a shared path?
A shared path is an area open to the public that is designated for the use of both bicycle riders and pedestrians.
Shared paths can be identified by signs and/or pavement markings showing a pedestrian and a bike.
A shared path ends at the nearest of the following signs:
No bikes; Bikes Only; Shared path ends
Look out for each other
Shared paths are provided for the use of both bicycle riders and pedestrians (including riders of wheeled recreational devices and wheeled toys). There are some rules to follow and behaviours that will allow bicycle riders and pedestrians to stay safe and share the path.
Bicycle riders
When riding on a shared path, the road rules require bicycle riders to:
Keep to the left (unless it is impractical to do so)
Give way to pedestrians including wheeled recreational devices/toys. You should always slow down, stopping if necessary to avoid a collision
Keep to the left of any oncoming bicycle rider.
You can also make paths safer for everyone by:
Providing pedestrians with a metre of space when passing
Using your bell to warn others when you are approaching
If there is room, moving off the path to the left if you wish to stop riding
Being careful around young children and dogs, as they are often unpredictable in their movements, and older pedestrians who may be more vulnerable
Travelling at a safe speed so you can stop within a safe distance of pedestrians on the path.
Pedestrians
When walking on a shared path, to share the path safely, it is recommended that pedestrians:
Keep to the left
If there is room, move off to the path to the left if you wish to stop walking
Keep animals on short leads and under control
Be aware of bicycle riders sharing the path - to improve your safety we recommend riders use their bell to let you know they are approaching from the behind. We also recommend you focus on the path ahead when approaching corners.
Wheeled recreational devices
A person using a wheeled recreational device or wheeled toy on a shared path is required to:
Keep to the left (unless it is impractical to do so)
Give way to all other pedestrians. You should always slow down, stopping if necessary to avoid a collision.
More information
We commissioned research into different aspects of shared path safety in NSW. Our Shared paths document (PDF, 122Kb) Listen to this document has more information on the research findings and summarises the safety issues. For a copy of the full research reports, please use our Contact us form.

Yes she should be in prison,clearly she thought her disability would excuse her behaviour.

The police and the local council did not know if it was a shared path so how the heck did the judge decide it was?

It’s always been a shared path, ever since it was built in 1975. Everyone who lives here knows it is.

What’s the reference to NSW? Are you quoting Australian law @dawngreen?

Yes, just like everyone in my area 'knows' that the main road has shared paths on both sides of it.

It hasn't.

If you're local could you tell me where there's a sign on that side of the road indicating a shared path?

I am sure that her disability and mitigating factors were taken into account in sentencing; but her actions led directly to the death of another person ie manslaughter. There is nothing 'bizarre' in sending her to prison.

The victim blamers and evident cyclist haters on here have made this thread a nauseating read in parts.

Whether she had a helmet is completely irrelevant. Highly unlikely to make any difference if you are hit by 2 tonnes of metal traveling at speed.
It's just like saying a girl who was raped is at fault for wearing a skirt. There's no evidence it makes any difference. And even if it does, the onus is not on the victim of a violent and senseless attack.

SHARED PATH IN UK

Top tips for cyclists
Whether you use them for a nice and safe family cycle ride in the great outdoors, or use them to commute from A to B avoiding busy roads, shared paths are really useful and fantastic for cyclists. Following our top tips for cyclists will ensure using shared paths is a positive experience for everyone.
Put a bell on your bike! Pedestrians welcome a polite warning of your approach. If you don’t have a bell, use a friendly greeting instead and always do this in plenty of time so you don’t surprise people or animals when approaching from behind.
Important: don’t ring your bell near horses, instead talk to the rider and check it is safe to pass.
Take care when passing other path users and ride at an appropriate speed. If necessary wait to pass until there is enough room.
Important: don’t ride fast when pedestrians are around.
Give way to pedestrians and wheelchair users, if you need to.
Be aware that pedestrians may have hearing impairments or be wearing in-ear headphones so might not hear your bell, so pass slowly and give as much space as possible.
When cycling on segregated shared paths, always keep to your side of any dividing lines.
Say a quick ‘thank you’ as you pass. Polite behaviour encourages others to share the space better.
Keep to the left when passing oncoming pedestrians or cyclists. Overtake on the right of any pedestrians and cyclists going the same way as you (like on the road). Again, do not ride too quickly. Think... if a pedestrian stepped into your path could you stop in time?
Be particularly careful at junctions, bends, entrances onto the path, or any other ‘blind spots’ where people or animals could appear without warning.
Groups of cyclists should ride in single file when approaching pedestrians on a shared pathway.
In dull and dark weather make sure you have bike lights on so you can be seen. It’s also a good idea to wear hi-visibility clothing too.

I also read that the shared path signs are on the opposite path to this one.

Keep to the left when passing oncoming pedestrians or cyclists

Think... if a pedestrian stepped into your path could you stop in time?
**
**

I have a full motorcycle licence so I always plan for ppl doing dumb stuff.

she didn’t actually harangue her though, did she? That suggests it was a sustained verbal attack - it wasn’t. Let’s not paint her to be any worse than she is.

In this case the cyclist was travelling South East so she could have ridden on the road which is one-way in that direction. If she had been travelling North West, she could not have ridden on the road, as that would be travelling the wrong way down a one way street.

With a one-way road, road authorities often try to provide for cyclists travelling in the opposite direction. The main options are:
a) A cycle lane on the road
b) An unsegregated cycle path on the pavement
c) A segregated cycle path on the pavement (with a line to separate cycles and pedestrians

The signs for these are shown below.

In the case of the Huntingdon incident, the road is possibly too narrow for "a", and the pavement is too narrow for "c", so the only solution was "b".

There are signs on the street furniture.

These type of shared paths are a nightmare for everyone. However whatever the status of the path, it doesn't excuse the attacker's behaviour. Seeing one person behaving illegally doesn't mean you can commit a more severe crime on them.

If you see someone shoplifting you don't hit them over the head with a shopping basket. If you see someone speeding you don't ram them off the road. The correct thing to do is to call the police. Perhaps you could video or photograph the person for evidence, or collect witness details, or call security. But you don't have the right to physically assault them. I don't understand how anyone thinks it's acceptable.

I've checked on Streetview and there don't seem to be any signs on that side of the road.

Seems strangely lacking in advice for what do to if verbally or physically abused by a pedestrian...

Yes. On the pavement on the other side of the road.

An eye for an eye eh?

Someone must pay. (Doesn’t matter who).

Someone must pay. (Doesn’t matter who).

No, it does matter who - the person whose fault it was.

It's some distance from the crash site, but if you look at the George St/Walden Rd Junction (by the Wetherspoons) much further round the ring road, there is a proliferation of cycle way signs. The path on the RH side of St Johns Street - the ring road (opposite side of the road to the accident) is clearly a shared cycle way, and this is repeated all the way around the ring road to beyond the accident site.

Perhaps the most important sign is the one immediately outside the Wetherspoons, on the path on the LH side of St Johns Street (the side of the accident) which clearly indicates that this path is no longer a shared cycleway. As there are no further signs on this side of the road then the pavement where the accident happened is NOT A SHARED CYCLE WAY.

I would say the judge was factually wrong in his sentencing comments when he stated it was a shared cycle way, and I am surprised the police and council said they couldn't say for sure. Ironically, Huntingdon Police Station is on the ring road on the same side of the road as the accident and the path that is not a shared cycleway!

An eye for an eye?

AG is going to prison. She isn’t going to killed.

It does matter who. The person whose actions directly led to someone’s death.

Cycling on a pavement - technically breaking the law, but thousands do it every day.

Pushing somebody of their bike into the traffic - that's murder.