23 September 2012

Motorised bicycle claims rider in Evatt

| johnboy
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ACT Policing is seeking witnesses to an incident on Fitzhardinge Crescent, in Evatt, this evening (Saturday, September 22), in which a man appears to have fallen from his motorised bicycle and later died in hospital.

Police were called to the location around 6.42pm after ACT Ambulance Service officers had attended and were treating a 39-year-old man with serious head injuries.

The man was conveyed to hospital but later died.

The Collision Investigation and Reconstruction Team have impounded the bike, which will be subject to examination.

Police urge any witnesses who may have seen the man riding the bike on Fitzhardinge Crescent or who have any information which could assist the investigation to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the website at www.act.crimestoppers.com.au.

[Courtesy ACT Policing]

(For the benefit of Rats reading I’ve checked and Two Humpz is fine)

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Monomyth said :

+1 Clown killer (though I don’t relish writing that!)

In my view it’s the same as not using a form of birth control, or not wearing a seatbelt in a car.

If you’re not actively taking steps to prevent something, you can’t cry foul when there are consequences to your actions. Sad, yes. But preventable? Maybe.

Hear, hear.

+1 Clown killer (though I don’t relish writing that!)

In my view it’s the same as not using a form of birth control, or not wearing a seatbelt in a car.

If you’re not actively taking steps to prevent something, you can’t cry foul when there are consequences to your actions. Sad, yes. But preventable? Maybe.

Truthiness said :

Cars are killing people like a plague, many of them from head injuries, is it stupid to drive a car without a helmet?

Which plague killed only a handful of people a year in a city like canberra?
They say that people die from testing batteries on their tongue lol.

Having a helment in a car can be good or bad depending on the car and the airbags etc in it. They aren’t designed for a helmet in some cars and could do damage to your neck.

Everything is a risk assessment. If the mitigation takes more effort and is more inconvenient than the probability of something going wrong multiplied by the impact of the outcome if it does go wrong, then people won’t bother with it. There’s a chance of anything happening, we just often determine it to be too low to bother with. The probability of dying from riding your bike and not wearing your helmet is actually pretty low. So it’s not really unreasonable to assume that you could get away without a helment and not die. It’s just an unfortunate case of this guy being that 1 in a million unlucky ones.

Aeek said :

Given how long it took for the 250w pedal assisted category to happen, I wouldn’t expect anything new soon.

Hasn’t actually happened yet. ACT Government agreed that it would be a good idea but actual changes to regulations have not been made. Limit is still < 200W.

Hosinator said :

Electric Powered Pushies are limited to 200watts of power for a throttle powered bike and 250watts of power for a pedal assisted pushy. .

Given how long it took for the 250w pedal assisted category to happen, I wouldn’t expect anything new soon.

Innovation said :

KB1971 said :

Innovation said :

My sympathies to the family. I have seen a lot of these (presumably) petrol powered bicycles around lately. Do they (and + 250 watt electric bicycles) have to meet the same (ADR?) standards as normal motorcycles (ie lights, indicators, high quality brakes, frame strength etc)? If so, wouldn’t it be better to introduce a new registered class of vehicle that has lower standards that are better suited to the vehicle?

Yes they do.

Ah but don’t you think that there should be something in between? I don’t know about the power on this guy’s bike but shouldn’t there be something in between the requirements for a bicycle and a full blown motorbike or car. Judging by the increasing number of lawnmower and >250watt motors strapped to pushies that are running around Canberra the current system isn’t working. Introducing a new registered class (with less onerous standards than must be met by normal on road vehicles) for vehicles with assisted speeds capped at 20 or 30km/h would seem to be a better approach.

It would be classed as a moped, the ADR’s from mopeds are quite easy to pass but then there is the other hurdle of licencing. A moped rider mus have a motorycle licence in the ACT.

All vehicles, being electric or petrol powered must be below 250 watts to not have to meet any pf the ADR’s.

Innovation said :

KB1971 said :

Innovation said :

My sympathies to the family. I have seen a lot of these (presumably) petrol powered bicycles around lately. Do they (and + 250 watt electric bicycles) have to meet the same (ADR?) standards as normal motorcycles (ie lights, indicators, high quality brakes, frame strength etc)? If so, wouldn’t it be better to introduce a new registered class of vehicle that has lower standards that are better suited to the vehicle?

Yes they do.

Ah but don’t you think that there should be something in between? I don’t know about the power on this guy’s bike but shouldn’t there be something in between the requirements for a bicycle and a full blown motorbike or car. Judging by the increasing number of lawnmower and >250watt motors strapped to pushies that are running around Canberra the current system isn’t working. Introducing a new registered class (with less onerous standards than must be met by normal on road vehicles) for vehicles with assisted speeds capped at 20 or 30km/h would seem to be a better approach.

Electric Powered Pushies are limited to 200watts of power for a throttle powered bike and 250watts of power for a pedal assisted pushy. Most of the manufacturers of repute, such as Gazelle limit their bikes to 27.5km/hr. You can go over this speed if you are putting in enough human effort as well.
Bikes at these limits don’t require registration, anything over this limit can only be ridden on private property or off-road.

I think a seperate registration class for bikes over this limit would be good. It might encourage more people to leave the car at home and ride into work. The question though, will they be able to ride on bike paths or are they then limited to roads?

There’s a company in Sydney who build custom 2000, 5000 and 10000 watt bikes, for off-road use only of course. On a 5000 and 10000 watt bike, you can reach speeds of 80 to 90 km/hr.

TheDancingDjinn1:29 pm 24 Sep 12

I own a motorized cycle, its a mountain bike with a motor attached specifically made for this bought from eBay out of China. The top speed is about 40ks give or take, i have seen a Lycra pass a motorized bike, with ease when the mountain bike with motor was going top speed. This man has been seen around Spence and Evatt with no helmet – we wear helmets all the time on ours, we also make sure to cut the motor around children playing, and mothers with prams on bike paths – we also go way off road as to not inconvenience anyone. All that had to happen was for him to be going top speed, try to miss a cat that has run out on the path and fallen and clipped the gutter with his head, and that is a very sad thing to happen to a pretty young guy who was probably out just enjoying Canberra ( Canberra is a great city for out door fun) I wish his family nothing but the best in their time of horrible sorrow.

KB1971 said :

Innovation said :

My sympathies to the family. I have seen a lot of these (presumably) petrol powered bicycles around lately. Do they (and + 250 watt electric bicycles) have to meet the same (ADR?) standards as normal motorcycles (ie lights, indicators, high quality brakes, frame strength etc)? If so, wouldn’t it be better to introduce a new registered class of vehicle that has lower standards that are better suited to the vehicle?

Yes they do.

Ah but don’t you think that there should be something in between? I don’t know about the power on this guy’s bike but shouldn’t there be something in between the requirements for a bicycle and a full blown motorbike or car. Judging by the increasing number of lawnmower and >250watt motors strapped to pushies that are running around Canberra the current system isn’t working. Introducing a new registered class (with less onerous standards than must be met by normal on road vehicles) for vehicles with assisted speeds capped at 20 or 30km/h would seem to be a better approach.

Clown Killer said :

“Stupidity can be displayed in many forms. Such as doing something that would result in being smashed in the head for being an insensitive cock.”

Oooh … an Internet tough-guy. I’m pooing myself.

Get some perspective. When people get about on a bike and choose not to wear a helmet, they are choosing to risk their lives. This is not an unexpected outcome of that course of action. No sympathy from me here.

Maybe wait until after the grieving family has had a chance to bury him before advertising your lack of sympathy. I’m sure a delay in expressing contempt for the dead won’t be construed as condoning poor decisions.

c_c said :

I do have a suspicion that were this the driver of a car not wearing a seat belt, there would be less sympathy than for a rider without a helmet. I do wonder why the two tend to get treated so differently.

Clearly there is a lack of sympathy – see above posts! I always wear a bike helmet, just like I always wear a seatbelt – but I’m not stupid enough to believe either one guarantees my safety in an accident.

Conan of Cooma11:45 am 24 Sep 12

Clown Killer said :

“Stupidity can be displayed in many forms. Such as doing something that would result in being smashed in the head for being an insensitive cock.”

Oooh … an Internet tough-guy. I’m pooing myself.

Get some perspective. When people get about on a bike and choose not to wear a helmet, they are choosing to risk their lives. This is not an unexpected outcome of that course of action. No sympathy from me here.

He didn’t threaten you, Mr. Charlotte Dawson, he inferred something quite accurate. I, for one, would love to see you show up at the chaps funeral and start quoting yourself.

Innovation said :

My sympathies to the family. I have seen a lot of these (presumably) petrol powered bicycles around lately. Do they (and + 250 watt electric bicycles) have to meet the same (ADR?) standards as normal motorcycles (ie lights, indicators, high quality brakes, frame strength etc)? If so, wouldn’t it be better to introduce a new registered class of vehicle that has lower standards that are better suited to the vehicle?

Yes they do.

I do have a suspicion that were this the driver of a car not wearing a seat belt, there would be less sympathy than for a rider without a helmet. I do wonder why the two tend to get treated so differently.

My condolences to his friends and family.

The CT’s update today revealed that he was a one-armed man riding a motorised bike that wasn’t roadworthy at dusk with no lights on it at all. The lack of helmet was probably not the key issue. 🙁 So I guess he chose his freedom and happiness over law and safety, and cheers to him. Sounds like Canberra has lost an interesting character.

Cars are killing people like a plague, many of them from head injuries, is it stupid to drive a car without a helmet?

Clown Killer7:59 am 24 Sep 12

“Stupidity can be displayed in many forms. Such as doing something that would result in being smashed in the head for being an insensitive cock.”

Oooh … an Internet tough-guy. I’m pooing myself.

Get some perspective. When people get about on a bike and choose not to wear a helmet, they are choosing to risk their lives. This is not an unexpected outcome of that course of action. No sympathy from me here.

Clown Killer said :

No Helmet. Not an accident then. Simply the consequence of stupidity.

Stupidity can be displayed in many forms. Such as doing something that would result in being smashed in the head for being an insensitive cock.

Clown Killer8:56 pm 23 Sep 12

No Helmet. Not an accident then. Simply the consequence of stupidity.

Well, the electric motors are pretty quiet aren’t they ? I couldn’t say for sure but I thought it was petrol driven but that could have been chain noise. On the flat it looked better than 26 kph so going down fitz. st would have been at a decent clip. He had been riding for at least 90 mins and all looked to be under control each time he went past me.

Also my condolences to those affected by his death.

My sympathies to the family. I have seen a lot of these (presumably) petrol powered bicycles around lately. Do they (and + 250 watt electric bicycles) have to meet the same (ADR?) standards as normal motorcycles (ie lights, indicators, high quality brakes, frame strength etc)? If so, wouldn’t it be better to introduce a new registered class of vehicle that has lower standards that are better suited to the vehicle?

so what kind of motor that you could hear around the block ? 200 Watt electric is the max legal (now 250 ?). And how decent a speed ?, I recall 26 km/h is the max assist. I have seen some with crazy petrol driven ones that go pretty fast.

my condolences to the family and friends.

screaming banshee5:30 pm 23 Sep 12

It would appear that from the moment his head hit the ground it was a toss of a coin between death or permanent disability. I’m inclined to say this was the better outcome for the public as we would have surely had to cover the cost of specialist care for the rest of his life had he only knocked the sense out of himself.

Who gives a shit about your hair-do or whatever other stupid reason people don’t wear helmets, they are there to make sure you don’t brain your damage.

This is a very tragic situation. Condolences to the family and friends.

But 6.30 at night with no helmet? Very tragic.

No helmet I presume?
Im sorry to hear this, condolences to his family and friends.

This is very sad. I was working out the front and saw this guy go past numerous times and heard the motor around the block. Decent speed, but no helmet. He didn’t appear to be doing any stunts or stupid stuff. Fairly quiet area so I don’t know if it was a mech. failure or if he got surprised by a car.

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