Police close in on 'bike rage' cyclist

Militant cyclists in this newsgroup will find this difficult to deal with as
both the victim and the aggressor are both cyclists.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10798101

Police are "reasonably confident'' they have identified the mountain bike
rider involved in an alleged "bike rage'' incident captured on a cyclist's
helmet-camera.

Alleged victim Jordan Brizzell, 24, phoned police and gave a statement after
he claimed he was attacked by another cyclist who wouldn't let him past on a
popular trail on Christchurch's Port Hills at the weekend.

Graphic video footage shows a confrontation between the two cyclists before
the as-yet unidentified man appears to lunge at the IT systems
administrator.

The video, which was posted online by an irate Mr Brizzell keen to identify
his alleged assailant, has gone viral with thousands of viewings.

Now Christchurch Police say they know who the mystery biker is and are keen
to track him down.

A spokesman said: "We are reasonably confident we know who this person is.''

It is believed officers are currently trying to locate and interview the
man.

The video shows Mr Brizzell asking the slower man to move to the side of the
path and let him pass.

An extended version depicts the man saying Mr Brizzell can pass while
refusing to make room for him.

"He was holding me up pretty badly,'' says Mr Brizzell.

"Trail etiquette says you pull over to let faster riders by. He kept saying
yes but wouldn't give me a space. There were plenty of spots for him to pull
over but he wouldn't.''

When asked again, the slower rider, wearing a yellow Rock Shox Racing top
and tinted sunglasses, gets off his bike and confronts Mr Brizzell, saying
he doesn't need ``a f****** lecture while I'm enjoying a ride''.

The man appears to knock the faster rider to the ground, where a struggle
ensues.

Mr Brizzell, who was cycling alone, said the incident happened about 4.40pm
on Sunday.

Many a cyclists' life ambition!

QUOTE:
The driver of a London rickshaw has been fined £100 and has to pay
costs totalling a further £145 after being caught racing another
rickshaw along a busy street in the West End.

Md Islam, aged 21, pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to
a charge brought under section 54 of the Metropolitan Police Act 1839.

That legislation, originally designed to address the “furious riding”
of horse-drawn carts, is now being used by police to address issues
related to rickshaws - also known as pedicabs - reports the London
Evening Standard.

The Act makes it an offence to be engaged in the “riding or driving
furiously such as to endanger the life or limb of any person, or to
the common danger of the passengers in the thoroughfare.”

Prosecutor Rav Chodha told the court: “The defendant had passengers in
his pedicab and the nature of his driving, weaving in and out of heavy
traffic, was causing a danger to both passengers and other road
users.”

She said that the passengers in his rickshaw at the time of the
incident on the evening of 23 March had been “screaming and shouting,”
and were also attempting to slap the hands of those in the other
rickshaw.

“The defendant was observed for some time and then stopped and
arrested,” she added.

District Judge Michael Snow told Islam that he was fortunate not to
have faced more serious charges, saying, “This has been under-charged;
this was potentially very serious.

“Cycling like this through central London with passengers, and putting
passengers, pedestrians and drivers at risk is clearly very serious,”
he added.

Islam, of East Ham, admitted breaching section 54 of the Metropolitan
Police Act 1839 and besides the £100 fine has to pay £85 costs, a £15
victim surcharge and £45 to Westminster City Council for storing his
rickshaw.

The Evening Standard reports that police are currently clamping down
on rickshaw drivers in the West End, and quoted a senior officer as
saying that since there was no legislation specific to the vehicles,
it was “using the tools available.”

The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, which represents London’s black
cab drivers, has campaigned for rickshaws to be banned from the
capital’s streets. The London Pedicab Operators Association,
meanwhile, is lobbying for licensing to be introduced, rather than
rickshaws being banned outright.

In his Transport Manifesto for next month’s mayoral elections, current
Mayor of London Boris Johnson says that it is out of his power to take
such action, but adds that he does intend to tackle the issue if re-
elected.

“Rickshaws, or pedicabs, have proliferated in central London in recent
years. Unregulated, often uninsured, usually over-priced and
frequently dangerous, they have attracted increasing complaints from
other road users about their behaviour and about the many close misses
that have nearly costs lives,’ his manifesto says.

“The Mayor does not have the powers to ban them, but I am already
using the powers I do have to crack down on badly conducted rickshaws
in London. I will do so increasingly in partnership with other
agencies, such as the UK Border Agency and HM Revenue and Customs.”


http://road.cc/content/news/56531-lo...est-end-street

--
Simon Mason