Footage of cyclist being hit by car at zebra crossing sparks outrage
Presenter Jeremy Vine shared a video of a car driver skimming a cyclist on Twitter, and it's sparked debate among viewers over who's in the wrong.
The short clip was filmed showing the ‘infamous’ Horton Grange Road zebra crossing in Bradford, West Yorkshire, on Saturday (12 November). Watch the terrifying moment below:
In the video the cyclist begins making their way across the zebra crossing when one motorist drives straight past without stopping.
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Only a few seconds later, another driver cruises over the zebra crossing and collides with the cyclist’s front wheels causing him to jump off the bike.
Broadcaster and cycling enthusiast Vine shared the video with the tweet: “Horton Grange Road, West Yorkshire. How does the driver fail to see him?”
The video has more than 260,500 views as of Thursday (17 November) with social media users divided over the situation.
While many Twitter users placed blame on the cyclist, others said both the cyclist and the drivers were to blame for the collision.
“Granted that's shocking driving but why is he on a pedestrian crossing?” one Twitter user replied to the video. “You either want to be a road user as a cyclist or a pedestrian, you can't have both, cyclists that use the road and pavement depending on which is clearer really p****s me off.”
Another social media user shared: “Pedestrian crossing not a cycle crossing .Nearly got knocked down the other day by a cyclist who failed to get off his bike while there was about 10 people walking across.. And yes the driver is at fault for not stopping.”
While a third tweeted: “True. However separately to the egregious driving ,why was the cyclist cycling on the pavement and over a pedestrian crossing?”
Some motorists quoted the Highway Code and criticised the cyclist for failing to dismount when crossing.
One man said both the cyclist and the driver are in the wrong: “Both are in the wrong - from the Highway Code rules for cyclists no. 81 'Do not ride across a pelican, puffin or zebra crossing. Dismount and wheel your cycle across'."
Rule 81 of the Highway Code states that cyclists should not ride across pelican, puffin or zebra crossings and they must dismount and wheel their bike across instead. The rule also applies to equestrian crossings, as these are for horse riders only.
Drivers and riders must give way to pedestrians waiting to cross and give way to pedestrians on a zebra crossing.
Both cyclists and pedestrians share toucan crossings, which are light-controlled and push-button operated.
Gregory Robinson