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Suicide man?

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UK and Europe
Published
5 November 2003
Last activity
8 November 2003
Original author
Roger
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18
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  1. Yesterday afternoon - I'm waiting at traffic lights at a crossroads to turn left into a one-way
    street. The lights change to green, so I can turn left and the traffic on the busy road I'm on can
    go straight on in both directions. As I turn left, a middle-aged man rides the wrong way out of the
    one-way street I'm turning into, straight across the junction.

    The shock of seeing him apparently about to kill himself was quite something... There's a screeching
    of brakes as the cars on the road he's riding across try to avoid him. He never slows down or tries
    to avoid the cars, but by some miracle makes it to the other side.

    Other than deliberately trying to kill himself, at a junction where an old lady was killed by a
    lorry only a couple of weeks ago, the only explanation I can come up with is that he was seriously
    drunk, but he seemed to be riding too straight for that!

    --
    Roger

  2. "Roger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    Yesterday afternoon - I'm waiting at traffic lights at a crossroads to turn left into a one-way
    street. The lights change to green, so I can turn left and the traffic on the busy road I'm on can
    go straight on in both directions. As I turn left, a middle-aged man rides the wrong way out of
    the one-way street I'm turning into, straight across the junction.

    The shock of seeing him apparently about to kill himself was quite something... There's a
    screeching of brakes as the cars on the road he's riding across try to avoid him. He never slows
    down or tries to avoid the cars, but by some miracle makes it to the other side.

    Other than deliberately trying to kill himself, at a junction where an old lady was killed by a
    lorry only a couple of weeks ago, the only explanation I can come up with is that he was seriously
    drunk, but he seemed to be riding too straight for that!

    --
    Roger

    Late last year I saw a lad cross a set of traffic lights, against the lights, on a trials style
    motorbike, with no helmet and no lights. He had no protective gear, not even a helmet and it was
    dark, fairly busy at about 1830, tail end of local rush hour...oh, and he had a friend on the back.
    Funnily enough I wasn't outraged or annoyed like I know I should've been, I was just in a state of
    pure amazement that he made it across alive. The only way I could think of that he might have made
    it more difficult for himself was maybe to close his eyes or get rid of the bike altogether and roll
    across the junction. I don't think it was David Blaine <s?> or Derren Brown, but you never know with
    those two!! Some folks just live their lives slightly outside the parameters of what is considered
    normal reality. The sick thing is that they get away with it because they expect to. You just know
    that if either you or I tried it we'd be down first go ;-) Dave.

  3. Roger <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    Yesterday afternoon - I'm waiting at traffic lights at a crossroads to turn left into a one-way
    street. The lights change to green, so I can turn left and the traffic on the busy road I'm on can
    go straight on in both directions. As I turn left, a middle-aged man rides the wrong way out of
    the one-way street I'm turning into, straight across the junction.

    The shock of seeing him apparently about to kill himself was quite something... There's a
    screeching of brakes as the cars on the road he's riding across try to avoid him. He never slows
    down or tries to avoid the cars, but by some miracle makes it to the other side.

    Other than deliberately trying to kill himself, at a junction where an old lady was killed by a
    lorry only a couple of weeks ago, the only explanation I can come up with is that he was seriously
    drunk, but he seemed to be riding too straight for that!

    That's nothing - two nights ago I saw a bloke with no lights cycle the wrong way down a 4 lane one
    way street, into the junction with Holloway Road (5 or 6 lanes with a central divider), across the 4
    lanes of traffic coming against him and away down Holloway Road.

    Nothing hit him, not much braked and he sauntered off as if it was the most normal thing in the
    world. It was jaw dropping.

  4. "Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:


    "Roger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    Yesterday afternoon - I'm waiting at traffic lights at a crossroads to turn left into a one-way
    street. The lights change to green, so I can turn left and the traffic on the busy road I'm on
    can go straight on in both directions. As I turn left, a middle-aged man rides the wrong way out
    of the one-way street I'm turning into, straight across the junction.

    snip

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Roger

    Late last year I saw a lad cross a set of traffic lights, against the lights, on a trials style
    motorbike, with no helmet and no lights. He had


    no

    Quoted message said:

    protective gear, not even a helmet and it was dark, fairly busy at about 1830, tail end of local
    rush hour...oh, and he had a friend on the back.

    snip

    Quoted message said:

    Dave.


    Going a bit OT here. :-)

    A few years ago a teenager and his mate on a trials bike were killed near here.

    They were riding it along a railway line in the dark with no lights and were hit from behind
    by a train.

    Perhaps its a trials bike thing?

    Paul

  5. "MikeT" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    Roger <[email hidden]> wrote in message


    news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Yesterday afternoon - I'm waiting at traffic lights at a crossroads to turn left into a one-way
    street. The lights change to green, so I can turn left and the traffic on the busy road I'm on
    can go straight on in both directions. As I turn left, a middle-aged man rides the wrong way out
    of the one-way street I'm turning into, straight across the junction.

    The shock of seeing him apparently about to kill himself was quite something... There's a
    screeching of brakes as the cars on the road he's riding across try to avoid him. He never slows
    down or tries to avoid the cars, but by some miracle makes it to the other side.

    Other than deliberately trying to kill himself, at a junction where an old lady was killed by a
    lorry only a couple of weeks ago, the only explanation I can come up with is that he was
    seriously drunk, but he seemed to be riding too straight for that!

    That's nothing - two nights ago I saw a bloke with no lights cycle the wrong way down a 4 lane one
    way street, into the junction with Holloway Road (5 or 6 lanes with a central divider), across the
    4 lanes of traffic coming against him and away down Holloway Road.

    Nothing hit him, not much braked and he sauntered off as if it was the most normal thing in the
    world. It was jaw dropping.

    That's nothing (heheh!!)...when I did the E2E in March I only planned my route at a very high
    level. When I came to cross the River Clyde in Glasgow to get to Kilmarnock, I followed
    instructions to cross the Clyde through the bike tunnel only missed the partly obscured teeny-weeny
    bike tunnel sign and started to head down the road tunnel....luckily I realised at the last minute
    that it would've been serious suicide to continue, so walked my fully loaded bike back up against
    the flow of traffic and somehow survived....got my first puncture of the trip going through the
    bike tunnel though ;-) Dave.

  6. Dave said:

    ... walked my fully loaded bike back up against the flow of traffic and somehow survived....

    Woh! Scary moment!

    --
    Dave...

  7. "Paul Stevenson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]... <snip>

    Quoted message said:

    A few years ago a teenager and his mate on a trials bike were killed near here.

    They were riding it along a railway line in the dark with no lights and


    were

    Quoted message said:

    hit from behind by a train.

    Perhaps its a trials bike thing?

    Darwinism!

    Regards,

    Pete.

  8. "Roger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    Other than deliberately trying to kill himself, at a junction where an old lady was killed by a
    lorry only a couple of weeks ago, the only explanation I can come up with is that he was seriously
    drunk, but he seemed to be riding too straight for that!

    I don't recall seeing anything like that or some of the other things people have mentioned, but most
    days I do see some degree of recklessness by POBs. Personally I do believe that it is possible to
    transgress against red lights in a safe and considerate manner and don't necessarily condemn the
    practice outright, but there are some who, it seems, either don't care for their own safety or that
    of others, or are simply clueless about it. Reminds me of the story of some tribe somewhere that
    believe that going off to fight naked makes them invulnerable to bullets. It seems some POBs think
    that being on a bike makes them invulnerable to motorvehicles! (Of course we all know it makes us
    _invisible_, but that's a different point!).

    Rich

  9. Managed something similar in Holland once - we missed the Fietspad coming out of a village and ended
    up on the main road approaching a tunnel under some river or other. On the wrong side. Life was made
    more complicated by two of the three present being in fully-faired Windcheetahs, this making a quick
    exit over the crash barriers rather problematic.

    Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk
    ===========================================================
    Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
    bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.uk
    ===========================================================

  10. "Richard Goodman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    "Roger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...


    <snippetysnipsnip>
    . It seems some POBs think that being on

    Quoted message said:

    a bike makes them invulnerable to motorvehicles! (Of course we all know


    it

    Quoted message said:

    makes us _invisible_, but that's a different point!).

    Rich


    I don't think it's so much invulnerable as 'THEIR FAULT', so that makes it ok then. They appear to
    not really be able to comprehend the consequences beyond apportioning blame and as car drivers are
    in control of the wrecking machine, they must be to blame if they wreck something... Dave.

  11. "Dave Kahn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Dave said:

    ... walked my fully loaded bike back up against the flow of traffic and somehow survived....

    Woh! Scary moment!

    --
    Dave...

    Bloody right!!...seemed to slightly worry the guy working in the office in the building that crosses
    the top of the tunnel too...bless him for letting me know that cyclists aren't really allowed to use
    the tunnel (mad waving of arms and I'm sure he was shouting something but couldn't hear a thing over
    the roar of the traffic), getting back around the hairpin bend against the flow of the traffic was
    'entertaining' too. Don't know if they called the police to attend, I was too busy fixing my
    puncture 10 minutes later out the far side of the cycle tunnel ;-)...certainly woke up a few cagers
    heading into the tunnel at ridiculous speeds on the daily drudge though. Dave.

  12. Paul Stevenson said:

    Perhaps its a trials bike thing?

    Trials bikes have no lights, their only requirement is a speedometer and a number plate, and even
    the speedo is not required if they have a tachometer that can show road speed at road speeds.

    --
    Marc. Please note the above address is a spam trap, use marcc to reply Printing for clubs of all
    types jaceeprint.demon.co.ukjaceeprint.demon.co.uk Stickers, banners & clothing, for clubs,teams, magazines
    and dealers.

  13. In "]news:[email hidden], Peter Connolly
    <[email hidden]> typed:

    Quoted message said:

    "Paul Stevenson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]... <snip>

    Quoted message said:

    A few years ago a teenager and his mate on a trials bike were killed near here.

    They were riding it along a railway line in the dark with no lights and were hit from behind by
    a train.

    Perhaps its a trials bike thing?

    Darwinism!

    Always the nicest thing to say when young people have met untimely deaths in a violent fashion, I
    think. No matter how poorly it reflects on the social fitness of the speaker.

    A

  14. Quoted message said:

    That's nothing (heheh!!)...when I did the E2E in March I only planned my route at a very high
    level. When I came to cross the River Clyde in Glasgow to get to Kilmarnock, I followed
    instructions to cross the Clyde through the bike tunnel only missed the partly obscured
    teeny-weeny bike tunnel sign and started to head down the road tunnel....luckily I realised at the
    last minute that it would've been serious suicide to continue, so walked my fully loaded bike back
    up against the flow of traffic and somehow survived....got my first puncture of the trip going
    through the bike tunnel though ;-) Dave.

    I frequently cycle through Glasgow but I make a point of avoiding the Clyde cycle tunnel. It has
    loads of broken glass and the southern end exits through a deep cutting where you are vulnerable to
    anything thrown from the locals up above. I wouldn,t recommend it in the late evening anyway.
    Suitable alternatives are the Renrew passenger ferry about 1 mile down river or Bells Bridge about 1
    or 2 miles upriver. For end to enders the Erskine Bridge is another possible route. It has a good
    cycle path over it.All the alternatives are easier to find as well. Iain C

  15. "Ambrose Nankivell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    In "]news:[email hidden], Peter Connolly
    <[email hidden]> typed:

    Quoted message said:

    "Paul Stevenson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]... <snip>

    Quoted message said:

    A few years ago a teenager and his mate on a trials bike were killed near here.

    They were riding it along a railway line in the dark with no lights and were hit from behind by
    a train.

    Perhaps its a trials bike thing?

    Darwinism!

    Always the nicest thing to say when young people have met untimely deaths


    in

    Quoted message said:

    a violent fashion, I think. No matter how poorly it reflects on the social fitness of the speaker.

    A


    You think maybe " poor dears" might be more appropriate, Ambrose ?...despite the fact that their
    stupid irresponsible thoughtless actions could have led to far more deaths with the derailment of
    the train. I believe that it was very probably a suitable timely and violent death.... Dave. father
    of 3 who loves kids to bits but despises the morass that society is sinking into due to the lack of
    respect for their fellow man that is being bred into certain 'members' of society......

  16. Dave said:


    "Ambrose Nankivell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    In "]news:[email hidden], Peter Connolly
    <[email hidden]> typed:

    Quoted message said:

    "Paul Stevenson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]... <snip>
    > A few years ago a teenager and his mate on a trials bike were killed near here.
    >
    > They were riding it along a railway line in the dark with no lights and were hit from behind
    > by a train.
    >
    > Perhaps its a trials bike thing?
    >

    Darwinism!

    Always the nicest thing to say when young people have met untimely deaths


    in

    Quoted message said:

    a violent fashion, I think. No matter how poorly it reflects on the social fitness of the
    speaker.


    You think maybe " poor dears" might be more appropriate, Ambrose?

    No.

    Quoted message said:

    ...despite the fact that their stupid irresponsible thoughtless actions could have led to far more
    deaths with the derailment of the train.

    That's true.

    Quoted message said:

    I believe that it was very probably a suitable timely and violent death....

    That's what I object to. I find the phrase or implication "deserve to die" abhorrent, and I loathe
    the glib, complacent and smug attitude of those who use the word Darwinism in association with death
    by misadventure. I find it hard to believe that the speakers haven't ever done anything stupid
    enough that they trusted their life to luck and I find the lack of empathy and thankfulness for
    their good fortune in that situation to be complacent. To me it's obnoxious that someone's first
    reaction to hearing of two people being smashed into little bits of blood and guts is what boils
    down to 'Ha! Serves you right'.

    Natural selection amongst humans also has (in my not hugely informed interpretation) a strong but
    subtler element to it, which is survival of the socially fittest, whereby empathy is among the
    desirable traits, and I'd suggest it's not lacking just in those who let themselves stupidly get run
    over by a train, but also in those who would rather delight in it being someone else than feel
    sympathy for the suffering involved. Of course, this effect would be very difficult to measure, but
    I find the irony of it interesting.

    Quoted message said:

    Dave. father of 3 who loves kids to bits but despises the morass that society is sinking into due
    to the lack of respect for their fellow man that is being bred into certain 'members' of
    society......

    True, society isn't without its problems. I'm never sure if it's the fact that kids hang around
    outside intimidating people (often inadvertantly), breaking things and making a mess, or the fact
    that there's no adults out there as well.

  17. Ambrose Nankivell <[email hidden]> writes:

    [snip: kids riding motorbike on railway line, run over and killed by a train]

    Quoted message said:

    That's what I object to. I find the phrase or implication "deserve to die" abhorrent, and I loathe
    the glib, complacent and smug attitude of those who use the word Darwinism in association with
    death by misadventure. I find it hard to believe that the speakers haven't ever done anything
    stupid enough that they trusted their life to luck and I find the lack of empathy and thankfulness
    for their good fortune in that situation to be complacent. To me it's obnoxious that someone's
    first reaction to hearing of two people being smashed into little bits of blood and guts is what
    boils down to 'Ha! Serves you right'.

    I sympathise with your objection to suggesting that anyone deserves to die, but for heaven's sake
    this wasn't 'misadventure'. This was arrant stupidity. The consequences were inevitable and
    forseeable. So although I don't think these kids 'deserved to die', I do think they are solely
    responsible for their own deaths.

    --
    [email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simon

    There are no messages. The above is just a random stream of bytes. Any opinion or meaning
    you find in it is your own creation.

  18. "Ambrose Nankivell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:oprybl03o05mba7f@localhost...

    Quoted message said:
    Dave said:


    "Ambrose Nankivell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    In "]news:[email hidden], Peter Connolly
    <[email hidden]> typed:
    > "Paul Stevenson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    > "]news:[email hidden]... <snip>
    >> A few years ago a teenager and his mate on a trials bike were killed near here.
    >>
    >> They were riding it along a railway line in the dark with no lights and were hit from behind
    >> by a train.
    >>
    >> Perhaps its a trials bike thing?
    >>
    >
    > Darwinism!

    Always the nicest thing to say when young people have met untimely deaths


    in

    Quoted message said:

    a violent fashion, I think. No matter how poorly it reflects on the social fitness of the
    speaker.


    You think maybe " poor dears" might be more appropriate, Ambrose?

    No.

    Quoted message said:

    ...despite the fact that their stupid irresponsible thoughtless actions could have led to far
    more deaths with the derailment of the train.

    That's true.

    Quoted message said:

    I believe that it was very probably a suitable timely and violent death....

    That's what I object to. I find the phrase or implication "deserve to die" abhorrent, and I loathe
    the glib, complacent and smug attitude of those who use the word Darwinism in association with
    death by misadventure. I find it hard to believe that the speakers haven't ever done anything
    stupid enough that they trusted their life to luck

    I'm sure that when they do and the luck runs out, they won't be worrying about the next smug git
    around the corner murmuring 'Darwinism'...more likely to be (should there be any awareness of what
    continues in this reality), nodding in agreement.

    and I find the lack of

    Quoted message said:

    empathy and thankfulness for their good fortune in that situation to be complacent. To me it's
    obnoxious that someone's first reaction to hearing of two people being smashed into little bits of
    blood and guts is what boils down to 'Ha! Serves you right'.

    To me it's obnoxious that individuals don't follow the do as you would be done by guide to living a
    socially acceptable life, but hey, that's life!!

    Quoted message said:


    Natural selection amongst humans also has (in my not hugely informed interpretation) a strong but
    subtler element to it, which is survival of the socially fittest,

    Aaah, this explains why it currently appears that crime does pay and total lack of respect for your
    fellow human is not penalised as a trait....

    whereby empathy is among the desirable traits, and

    Quoted message said:

    I'd suggest it's not lacking just in those who let themselves stupidly get run over by a train,
    but also in those who would rather delight in it being someone else than feel sympathy for the
    suffering involved. Of course, this effect would be very difficult to measure, but I find the
    irony of it interesting.

    Nope, sorry, lost me there. /HUA (head up [censored]) mode on / I am willing to dole out empathy and
    sympathy by the bucketful but only if I feel the recipient is worthy of my effort. /HUA mode off /

    Quoted message said:


    Quoted message said:

    Dave. father of 3 who loves kids to bits but despises the morass that society is sinking into
    due to the lack of respect for their fellow man that is being bred into certain 'members' of
    society......

    True, society isn't without its problems. I'm never sure if it's the fact that kids hang around
    outside intimidating people (often inadvertantly), breaking things and making a mess, or the fact
    that there's no adults out there as well.

    I believe (ahem!) that in the future, either our descendants or who knows, perhaps some alien
    species, will study our era and consider our state of civ ilisation. I believe we will be found
    wanting, because I also believe that the state of civilisation will be measured by how we interact
    with our children and how we prepare them for their contribution to society. If you need to check
    this view out, pop into any supermarket or town centre on a busy afternoon. Observe parents ignoring
    crying children, fobbing them off when they ask questions in search of knowledge and some even
    threatening violent actions if the child does not embrace their world view (i.e. - kid should stop
    distracting parent with incessant talking / crying / tugging). I would love to be around when a
    child finally responds in like to its parents, having been bought up using threats and possibly
    physical violence as the way to teach their child what is and isn't acceptable. The child finally
    responds in like and hits the parent and then the parent wonders why their offspring is such a
    little [censored]...just to see that look of surprise on the parents face and hear the self-righteous
    whining, believing no-one could've done a better job in raising their
    child....etcetc.....err....oooops /Rant mode off /

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