London cyclist sought after baby showered with glass in road rage attack on learner driver’s car

I may have missed it, if so apologies, but why was the cyclist carrying his lock in such a way to be able to use it as a weapon? I may sometimes ride one handed for a little way or carry something round to a mates but I wouldn't commute on that road without full use of both hands for the bike. Maybe he's done this before?

I have cycled in London for the past 7 years and seen it all, as other have. 

I am currently learning to drive. I like to think I'm quite profficient. 

Not in a million years would I think it's a good idea to take a learner into London rush hour traffic! Recipe for disaster!!

YMMV

I think there is one thing that all cyclists can do which will change the stupid stereotyping of cyclists. And that is to vocalise the following: "you wouldn't let yourself be responsible for the actions of other drivers. In the same way, I am in no way responsible for the actions of other cyclists.". It should be printed on billboards, advertised on TV, and every cycling "expert" that goes on BBC News or other TV show to defend the latest gaffe made by some person on a bike should start and finish their interview with that sentence. As things are now, they're still speaking for the whole cycling "race" and as long as they keep speaking for all cyclists, the more we're going to be branded as one and the same and stereotyped against. 

P.S. This story stinks. More precisely, this woman's version of events doesn't add up, and something is really fishy about the whole thing. Either she's met a psychopath on a bike (which is unlikely but possible) or she's missing out a very large proportion of the story. When I went out driving on the roads (as a learner), despite my years of cycling and being very pro-cyclist, I came extremely close to bumping the rear wheel of the cyclist in front (I simply misjudged the distances and speeds). I wouldn't be surprised of this learner did the same, and that would explain the psycho flying off the handle. Reason goes out of the window when you think someone has nearly killed you!

Please do not think I'm condoning the actions of the cyclists but there are so many holes in this lady's version of what happened, firstly we in her own words we have a learner driver who is proficient enough to drive, with her supervision, into London who can't keep a car in a straight line in slow moving traffic, we have the person in charge of the vehicle who is not paying attention to what the drivers doing and correcting their mistakes

"Rhiannon Gautama was supervising her partner, a learner driver, during Monday morning rush-hour when a cyclist hit the passenger side of the car with his hand.

Writing on Facebook, Gautama said: “The only reason I could think he did this is he possibly felt he didn’t have enough room to get through.”" and in her own words her response to the cyclist is not sorry a Learner mistake which I'll correct but  "When they passed the cyclist a little further on, Gautama pointed out the car’s L-plates and asked him to show more consideration." Again taking her attention from supervising the Learner to talking to the cyclist. The cyclist the attacked the drivers side of the car despite the issue being with the person supervising the car. What was her partners input and why did the cyclists ride outside the car to attack the driver? Was the cyclist cut up again & forced into the centre of the road. So many if's & but's to this story that it obviously incomplete from both the the ladies version and the lack of response by the cyclist. I know that if I'd been cut  up the last thing I would do would be to ride into oncoming traffic to attack the drivers side of the car.

And I still don't condone the violence.

Okay, use of violence against a car isn't acceptable in modern society and this one-sided report makes the cyclist sound like an angry hooligan. However, he didn't direct his anger against a person, but instead against the car (which can be repaired) and unfortunately involved a baby (luckily unhurt). I hope the cyclist comes forward and volunteers his version of events.

I think this is a symptom of the lack of justice that cyclists can expect from dangerous drivers. Until cyclists feel that the law is protecting them from dangerous driving, then you're going to get more road rage incidents.

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It's not a road I like to ride.  In the morning it always has long queues of traffic slowly creeping forward, and naturally drivers multitask (ie, lot's pissing about with their mobiles).  I don't use it much by bike, but when I have despite having marked cycle lanes with a seperator,  I've often had problems with drivers drifting into my lane. - See more at: http://road.cc/content/news/169493-london-cyclist-sought-after-baby-show...

Exactly my experience on this road too!

Must be half a dozen or so drivers every day, driving forwards whilst staring vertically downwards at their lap whilst browsing facebook/twitter etc. and drifting into the cycle path with no idea that they are doing so.  They are clearly trying to hide their phone where they think no-one can see it. One lady did it all the way to Croydon to Mitcham.

"how can taking the time and effort to attack a car with a bike lock be classed as self defence?"

Quite simply it is not Self Defence as he allegedly went after the vehicle, therefore there was no longer a threat to him.

Sorry but from what I have read the cyclists actions are inexcusable. The vehicle was being driven by a learner with L plates being displayed. If I see a car with L plates on, whether driving or cycling I give them a wide berth and plenty of room, as they are learning and more than likely will make mistakes, even more so if they are put under pressure

As for smashing a window he obviously has issues. All this does is give the anti cycling lobby ammunition. It is not difficult to show a little respect to each other on the roads, whatever your mode of transport, without resorting to being a neanderthal thug.

Wow. So many one sided views on here, the majority attempting to side with the cyclist. Seriously? The comments read like a cyclists' version of the Daily Mail, entrenched and defensive and one eyed views that miss the point entirely.

Only Otis Bragg and a couple of others seems to understand that this is a person who has used violence to make a point. When is that right? Violence isn't the answer. Yes there's two sides to every story but that is of no consequence here because there is no excuse for this behaviour, be they cyclist, driver or pedestrian.

As reported, and it is just the one side,  but how can taking the time and effort to attack a car with a bike lock be classed as self defence? It is an act of violent retaliation and wether you think it is justified or not, it is exactly the same mentality as someone executing a "punishment pass" or similar because they take issue with how someone is cycling. Basically if you condone this cyclist's actions then you must accept that other road users have the right to pass judgement on you and furthermore administer what they consider to be suitable punishment using whatever they can conveniently weaponise, for whatever it is that you did to upset them.

This kind of thuggish behaviour is the content that anti cycling bigots like Angela Epstein can use to illustrate their opinion piece drivel column inches. The actions of a single idiot get magnified out of all proportion and I suspect will generate more cycle related news and comment this week than the tragic deaths of cyclists at the hands of drunk / incompetent / distracted drivers.

This simplistic cycle v car mentality has to stop. On the road we are all ambassadors for cycling and have a duty to each other not to crap in the same river we all have to swim in.

I saw this story on Facebook earlier this week, a friend who lives there (and may know the driver) had shared it. I wanted to post at the time but because I wasn't there I didn't feel I could. We have no idea what caused the cyclist to react like he did, but I can't think of anything that justifies what he did. I've gone after cars before and punched out at them, but if you hit glass with a bike lock, what do you think is going to happen? Rightly or wrongly, most car owners treat any contact with their car as worse than if you look at them the wrong way.

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when the car overtook him she leaned out of the window and told him to be more considerate

Do people really roll down windows and crane their heads out of moving cars to deliver polite requests? To cyclists they are passing within a foot or two of, in a big vehicle, a ton of steel that's by their own admittance veering in and out of the lane?

Oh, I just don't see it. No throw-the-book fury here.

would be interested to see CCTV of this incident if available to actually see what the motorist did to provoke the cyclist into his extreme action - not excusable but understandable if he had just nearly been wiped off the road by an inexperienced motorist.

Without CCTV or independant witnesses I cannot accept the motorist's version of events. As the Police may say, there are 3 sides to every incident. 

Some people react very badly to what they see as an attempt on their life (not deliberate), and cannot control their anger. 

The part that doesn't add up, that has many of us going hmmmm is why did the cyclist react so angrily.  It's been reported as both the Croydon Rd and the Mitcham Rd, so it's the A236.  This is what it looks like.

It's not a road I like to ride.  In the morning it always has long queues of traffic slowly creeping forward, and naturally drivers multitask (ie, lot's pissing about with their mobiles).  I don't use it much by bike, but when I have despite having marked cycle lanes with a seperator,  I've often had problems with drivers drifting into my lane.

So, if he is caught I'd be interested to hear his story. However, no one gets to respond with violence, if he did this it's pretty scummy behaviour and he should be punished.

Whilst not condoning the cyclists actions, who in their right mind has a "driving lesson" from an unqualified driving instructor during London's rush hour. There's something not quite right here & I'd like to know both sides of the story.

I don't care what mistake the learner driver made-there is absolutely no excuse that justifies smashing a window despite what some of these other comments in this thread appear to hint at. Plus it is great to see so many commentators on here who were perfect drivers from the moment they sat behind a steering wheel and never made any mistakes as learners...

I knew a driving examiner.  Every week without fail someone would approach him in the pub asking for an opinion about some motoring situation.  His reply was unvarying, "Dunno mate, I wasn't there."

She is right, you don't know who you are yelling at.  Last time I was nearly wiped out for having the nerve to be in the correct lane it was a nut job who lost it, he looked the type to stab and jump on your head as soon as look at you, he looked no stranger to Armley prison.  I pootled off quick sharpish.

Edit to say, what was a baby doing in the car with a learner driver?  Is that legal?