Yet another cyclist violently assaulted by motorist/s.

Dartford and Gravesend News.
19/12/06

Man knocked unconscious during attack

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after an attack on a cyclist.

The man was cycling home along Valley Drive, Gravesend, near the
junction with St Aidan's Way, when a car containing three men mounted
the kerb and pulled up in front of him.

One of the men got out the car and attacked the cyclist, possibly with
a wheel brace, and knocked him unconscious.

The victim was left with a broken collarbone and head injuries after
the attack in the early hours of December 3.

Police are appealing for a man who helped the victim before he was
taken to hospital and anyone else with information to come forward.

Witnesses should call 01474 565075.

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/da... ng_attack.php

wrote on 19/12/2006 18:55 +0100:
Dartford and Gravesend News. 19/12/06

Man knocked unconscious during attack

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after an attack on a cyclist.

The man was cycling home along Valley Drive, Gravesend, near the
junction with St Aidan's Way, when a car containing three men mounted
the kerb and pulled up in front of him.

One of the men got out the car and attacked the cyclist, possibly
with a wheel brace, and knocked him unconscious.

The victim was left with a broken collarbone and head injuries after
the attack in the early hours of December 3.

Police are appealing for a man who helped the victim before he was
taken to hospital and anyone else with information to come forward.

Witnesses should call 01474 565075.

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/da... ng_attack.php



Sounds to me like a grievance between them and he just happened to be on
a bike when they caught up with him, rather than a random act of
violence against cyclists. ICBW.


--
Tony

"...has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least
wildly inaccurate..."
Douglas Adams; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Sounds to me like a grievance between them and he just happened to be on
a bike when they caught up with him, rather than a random act of violence
against cyclists. ICBW.

Sound to me very much like the attacks on gays, asylum seekers, gang
members, drug dealers and ne'er do wells. The presence of a bike is
incedental.

Tony Raven wrote:

Sounds to me like a grievance between them and he just happened to be on
a bike when they caught up with him, rather than a random act of
violence against cyclists. ICBW.

I'm betting that this 'grievance' was the cyclist shouting an objection
after the driver of the car cut him up, and by so doing failed to apply
'Clarkson's maxim' of 'If we cut you up, shut up.'

wrote:
Tony Raven wrote:

Sounds to me like a grievance between them and he just happened to
be on a bike when they caught up with him, rather than a random act
of violence against cyclists. ICBW.

I'm betting that this 'grievance' was the cyclist shouting an
objection after the driver of the car cut him up, and by so doing
failed to apply 'Clarkson's maxim' of 'If we cut you up, shut up.'

That's just it - you don't know who you are dealing with (and that includes
all vehicle users) out there.

wrote:
Tony Raven wrote:

Sounds to me like a grievance between them and he just happened to
be on a bike when they caught up with him, rather than a random act
of violence against cyclists. ICBW.

I'm betting that this 'grievance' was the cyclist shouting an
objection after the driver of the car cut him up, and by so doing
failed to apply 'Clarkson's maxim' of 'If we cut you up, shut up.'

on the basis of waht evidence?

pk

p.k. wrote:

on the basis of waht evidence?

Well we are all guessing here but what is more likely - random attack
on passing cyclist or road rage after an incident between the car and
the cyclist? My money is on the attack being after some sort of
incident between the two parties shortly before.
Shout anythng you want at a driver and most times any reaction will
be verbal at most. There are though a lot of nutters out there and if
you are unlucky enough to confront one of them then either have an
escape route ready or be pretty sure you can cope with any physical
threat the driver and his passengers might offer. And you won't know
you are shouting at a nutter until things escalate.
Iain

wrote in message
ps.com...
p.k. wrote:

on the basis of waht evidence?

Well we are all guessing here but what is more likely - random attack
on passing cyclist or road rage after an incident between the car and
the cyclist? My money is on the attack being after some sort of
incident between the two parties shortly before.
Shout anythng you want at a driver and most times any reaction will
be verbal at most. There are though a lot of nutters out there and if
you are unlucky enough to confront one of them then either have an
escape route ready or be pretty sure you can cope with any physical
threat the driver and his passengers might offer. And you won't know
you are shouting at a nutter until things escalate.
Iain

Rather looks as if you are the only one doing the guessing here.

Colin N.

wrote on 19/12/2006 20:57 +0100:

Well we are all guessing here but what is more likely - random attack
on passing cyclist or road rage after an incident between the car and
the cyclist?

Neither. Someone looking to get even with a particular person and
finding him on his bike.


--
Tony

"...has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least
wildly inaccurate..."
Douglas Adams; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

wrote:

Dartford and Gravesend News.
19/12/06

Man knocked unconscious during attack

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after an attack on a cyclist.


Well, I would have expected no better from most of those who have
commented on this story, but here are a few reasons I thought it was
worth posting:

1) Someone just might have been able to help the inquiry.

2) Whatever precipitated this attack the level of violence is pretty
horrific and I am saddened to see what looks much like 'victim blaming'
being the first response of many.

3) Such incidents appear to be getting ever more common and I have
little doubt that a cyclist who, for example, fails to 'shut up when
cut up' is much more likely to be the victim of further aggression and
even extreme violence than a motorist who shouts, waves their hands or
flashes their lights at another driver who cuts them up. I feel this
may well be related to the low status of cyclists in British society,
the influence of the lightly- veiled incitements to violence against
cyclists one frequently sees in the right-wing press or the common
beliefs that motorists are all but above the law and cyclists have no
right to be on the road in the first place.

4) I also note that stories such as these never seem to lead to
hysterical headlines about 'manic motorists' in the way almost any
aggressive behaviour on the part of a cyclist leads to hysterical 'The
Menace of the Lycra Lout' headlines in the right-wing press. It seems
(apparently in common with some posters on here) that many right-wing
writers believe that cyclists bring whatever bad things that happen to
them down on their own heads (especially if they are failing to wear a
polystyrene hat on that head) whilst motorists cannot be held
responsible for their actions, with even overt violence being due to
some unavoidable malady caused by the frustrations of driving which
they like to call 'road rage'.

Still, if people like to believe that nothing bad will ever happen to
them if they/ read 'Cyclecraft'/ wear a polystyrene hat/ 'shut up when
cut up' that's their outlook, though I doubt one can really see much at
all when ones head is buried in the sand.