Tuesday 11 February 2014

Motor Scooter on the Pavement

I mentioned this on Twitter, now its reported to the Police and has been picked up by the local newspaper, I'll mention it here too.

Had my camera on last week. Just for a day or two. And on the way home on Thursday, a little early as I felt really grotty all day like I was coming down with a bug, and this is what I saw on the way home:



I uploaded it the next day, mentioned it online, and before long the Police and local press wanted to discuss it. I've since had national press sniffing about, but I've basically said all I've got to say on it already to the local paper. Gareth did a good job with the article, part of which is to cut down what people say to the good stuff. But here's the full text of the email I sent him, so everything I've said about it is now out in public:

This was back on the afternoon of the 6th, at about 3:00PM on the main road past Parkers Piece (Gonville Plaice)

I was waiting behind the moped, the car traffic was bumper to bumper and I wanted to filter around the outside. I didn't want to do that while the moped was in front of me, there was a chance he might pull out around the car in front at the same time as I did, and I didn't want to take that risk.

I followed the moped round when he started to filter, but I was surprised that it was driven on to the path - you can hear in the video I'm saying 'you've got to be kidding'. Its very likely to spook any pedestrians on the path - a moped doesn't sound so bad from inside a car but if one is ridden close past a pedestrian its loud and frightening. I didn't think he was likely to hurt anyone, its a long straight route and he had in front of him and there weren't many folk walking. I just didn't see any need for what he did - it was busy but the road traffic wasn't moving very fast, going on the pavement certainly wouldn't make his trip any safer.

I don't have a helmet camera with me most days, but when I do I can usually be sure to see something strange on Cambridges roads. I put this online because it seemed like a really bizarre thing to do. Cambridgeshire Constabulary contacted me about this one, I'll obviously go and make a statement tomorrow.

Now its great that the police are being proactive with helmet camera footage here now - makes me think I should use mine more often! 

Anyway, its not that complex an incident really - for no readily apparent reason a guy rode his moped down the path. Thats it. Lets see what happens when the Police find him.

5 comments:

  1. But what were you doing cycling along Gonville Place in the first place? No matter where you were going from or to, there must have been a better route! (Unless, I suppose, you were going from the Catholic Church to the swimming pool, but even then I'd consider going via Reality Checkpoint.)

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    1. Tennis Court Road to North Cambridge via. Mackays. No other sensible route really.

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    2. I used to commute via Gonville Place and East Road, but I always found it stressful and dangerous. These days I'd go via Downing Street, Emmanuel Street, Midsummer Common, and Riverside Bridge.

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    3. Thats fine, except of course when you need to go somewhere off Gonville or further along the main road. Ain't a sane route from Tennis Court Road to Mackays that doesn't go that way.

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  2. I use that road all the time. If it's gridlocked then you can meet the shared use path via the turning area in Regent Terrace and then cycle up to the crossing and rejoin the road there (doesn't work heading towards OLEM). The width seems a little more accommodating after the crossing heading towards East Road.

    Odd about the moped rider, they must have known the risks of pulling a stunt like that.

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