When is a pedestrian crossing not a pedestrian crossing?
When there’s a food delivery bloke on a bike bearing down on it.
Red light? Nope, not for them. Green man for folk on foot? Nah, just weave past them at speed. Never mind it might scare the bejesus out of them as your tear past faster than a Ferrari. They’ll get over it.
That is, until the time comes – and it will – when one of these speeding idiots ploughs into someone because they are not as skilled or immortal as they think they are.
And don’t think for a second that’s just a bash and a bump and on your merry way. These lads are usually on ebikes, heavy ones, that are travelling as fast as a car. Getting hit by one would be just as lethal.
But, every day, you see them tearing up and down city streets, blatantly ignoring the rules. And I use the word “street” deliberately. These buffoons use the pavements just as much as they use the roads. See what I mean about laws not applying if you need to get a box of noodles to someone while they’re hot?
Of course, it’s not just the feral delivery riders. I’ve seen ordinary folk on bikes behaving just as badly – deeming a green man is licence for them to pull away from a red light. It’s like amphibians on two wheels: cyclists when it suits them, pedestrians when it doesn’t.
Cyclists – the vast majority of them safe and sensible – complain loudly and rightly when car drivers ignore rules about giving them space on the road. They demand the law protects them as much as it does car drivers.
Now, they are about to get the equality they want – and so will pedestrians – with a new law due to come into effect that makes causing death or serious injury by dangerous or careless cycling an offence that can carry up to 14 years in prison. Cyclists, like motorists, will be required by law to ensure their bike is safe and roadworthy – little things, like ensuring their brakes work.
And about time, too.
If thoughtless cyclists know they are as equally accountable as car drivers for reckless behaviour that leads to harm or death, they might screw the nut – especially the food delivery ones. They might be willing to take chances with other folks’ lives, but the thought of losing 14 years of their own to a stretch behind bars could persuade them to put the brakes on.
Hopefully, when this law comes into force, it will also act as a trigger for a high-profile crackdown on the dangerous practices we see every day in Aberdeen. It’s the perfect reason to get a grip on the bike bandits and keep everyone safe – including them.
Scott Begbie is a journalist and editor, as well as PR and comms manager for Aberdeen Inspired
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