Hell ride kills elderly man..

[Christo]

Searched but couldn't find anything yet...

http://www.theage.com.au/news/nation...617253330.html

Man struck by cyclist dies

An elderly man has died in hospital after being struck by a cyclist in Melbourne's south on the weekend.

The 77-year-old Mentone man was crossing Beach Road at a traffic light near the intersection of Naples Road in Mentone at 8.30am on Saturday.

At the time, the "Hell Ride" - a weekly communal ride involving cyclists in groups of 100 or more - was taking place along Beach Road.

A spokeswoman from Victoria Police said the elderly man had signalled his intention to cross the road as cyclists approached, but he was struck down and received serious head injuries.

The man was taken to the Alfred hospital, but died yesterday.

Police said a 30-year-old man from St Kilda East would be issued with a penalty notice for allegedly failing to obey a traffic light. The penalty carries a $210 fine.

Police will prepare a report for the Coroner.

theage.com.au

Very sad, I can't stand the hell riders - they take up the whole of beach road & piss off drivers - giving all cyclists a bad name.

Average Joe on the street doesn't know the difference between MTB & road - this is bad for all cyclists...

Stop at red lights please!

[V10]

Yer i would have to agree its really sad when some (Pack of) dickheads can cause so much damage, Because of their stupidity. Your right most people would just label us all the same, roadies, xc, dh etc. Very sad indeed atleast most of us are mindfull of others when we are out there doing what we love.

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

F***ing great, I can see the likes of Andrew Bolt and Miranda Devine sharpening the knives already.

It's bad enough having another tragic death on our roads without an anti-cycling lynch mob forming in the media...

[Ryan]

Don't forget Piers Akerman......

I can see his column in the Terrorgraph tomorrow lamenting how lefty-pinko-communist-socialist-nazi cyclists under the direction of the ALP and the ABC are out to kill-off the Liberal support base in inner-cities by running down pensioners.

You laugh now, but just you wait and see...

[danv]

What can you say? except bloody idiot. I hope the guy gets charged with something more than running a red light...

[Drizz]

I can see his column in the Terrorgraph tomorrow lamenting how lefty-pinko-communist-socialist-nazi cyclists under the direction of the ALP and the ABC are out to kill-off the Liberal support base in inner-cities by running down pensioners.

And I eagerly await the Chaser spoof on these lefty-pinko-communist-socialist-nazi-save the whale-lesbian cyclists that the Terrorgraph speak of.

Mind you we should launch our own "Hell ride" and lynch this moronic "cyclist".

[Carlin]

Does anyone mind filling in a Sydneysider on the ins and outs of this "Hell ride"?

Sounds a bit dodgy, you kind of take your life into your own hands when you hit the road and start jamming with cars, but you've got to take that little bit more care with someone else's. Watch out for them pedestrians.

[tanlicouz]

Saw it on the news, saw how the news took the footage of the "hell ride" as a swaming mob taking over the road, totally ignoring road rules.

As some one else has mentioned, i really do hope the rider gets more then a fine. Its terrible that this tragedy has occured, let it teach all riders that potentially we can kill someone by riding recklessly and not respecting others.

FACT: GIVE WAY TO PEDESTRIANS.

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

It doesn't take them long...

courtesy of the age

http://www.theage.com.au/news/nation...e#contentSwap1

Dan Silkstone and Vanessa Burrow
August 30, 2006

CHANCES are, he barely saw the man he hit, such was his hurry.

Metal ploughed into flesh when the red light was run; the mown-down pedestrian later died. The vehicle had been travelling quickly.

Had it been a car, its driver would be in deep trouble, facing possible culpable driving charges and years in prison. It was a bicycle. He is not.

Police have charged a 30-year-old cyclist with failing to stop at a red light over the Saturday morning collision that killed James Gould, 77, in Mentone, but yesterday said there was little more they could do.

"It's a complex area … but the fact is bicycles don't constitute what a motor vehicle is within the Act," Deputy Police Commissioner (Traffic) Noel Ashby said.

But he would not rule out steps to end the controversial "Hell Ride", a thrillseekers' weekend tradition along Beach Road since 1984, and which was taking place when Mr Gould was struck. "People on bikes aren't permitted to go through red lights, block lanes, make the roads otherwise unsafe, and if they're going to do so they can rest assured that we will certainly respond from an enforcement perspective," he said.

Yesterday morning the riders continued were out again — unbowed by Saturday's incident, but certainly not unaffected. Soon after dawn they gathered, a Hydra in iridescent lycra, for the weekday version of their ride. Spontaneous and unorganised, all were subdued and many weren't happy. They spoke of why this had happened, some asking what to do about the few idiots that long-time riders say are ruining the ride for the responsible majority.

But there's another question that must be asked: how responsible and safe is it for up to 200 riders to hurtle along a busy road at speeds of up to 60 km/h each morning? Harry Barber, who heads Bicycle Victoria, is in little doubt. "These are the cyclists' equivalent of illegal drag racers," he said. "A small group have started up this illegal activity. Their priority is to stick together and so they ignore traffic signals. The Hell Ride is the despair of the responsible riders. They are a tiny minority and they give all cyclists a bad name."

In London last month, Lord Mayor Ken Livingstone floated a plan to register cyclists and issue number plates. Riders caught breaking road rules would have points deducted from their motor vehicle licences.

Here, police are promising a more modest review of the law. Mr Barber supports the move. "If we want bicycles to be part of the system and we want road funding and lanes to ride on, the community is not going to let that happen if bike riding is an exception to the rules," he said.

While the Beach Road riders, sometimes up to 200 strong, have long been a source of frustration for motorists, relations with the police had improved after a code of conduct was drawn up in 2003. Riders agreed to stay in one lane, not fight their way to the front and stop at all red lights. But regular riders say observance of the code has slipped recently as newer, younger cyclists drawn by the Hell Ride's name and image ignore the unofficial rules. Traffic lights are the big concern. When the leaders make it through and the light turns red behind them, some in the chasing pack are loath to stop and wait.

Jeff Proven is the St Kilda Cycling Club president and does the Hell Ride about a dozen times each year. "There's a lot of adrenaline in the middle of it," he said. "To complete the ride safely is a good feeling."

Unsafe riding had worsened in the past 12 months, he said. "We totally condemn this sort of behaviour — but the Hell Ride does beat up a bit of sensation because of its name and its history," he said.

The ride runs from Black Rock along Beach Road to Mount Eliza and back. "It's for guys that are experienced in racing and can handle riding at close quarters at fairly fast speeds," Mr Proven said. "There will always be cowboys, though."



I dunno if I like this number plate idea that's being thrown around. Admittedly it's come straight from the mouth of Ken 'soundbite' Livingstone and would be almost impossible to enforce but any sort of scrutiny is unwelcome in my book...

[ScottD]

Does anyone mind filling in a Sydneysider on the ins and outs of this "Hell ride"?

Do you ride around akuna/duffy's/west head on a saturday morning?

we have our own version although not to the same scale. Turramurra cycles rides, its friggin massive there is 50-60 of them. I have seen people pull over to the side of the road to get out of the way.
Group rides should be limited to 20 people max.