Car ploughs into cyclists on Beetham killing two, injuring many

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

Don't ride facing the traffic unless you are sure that you can duck into a pavement or a yard etc. If the road is narrow and just drain with grass etc you could end up getting killed and if you injure yourself you will still be wrong cause you are basically going down a 1 way.

When you ride in the direction with cars they cal slow down instead of hitting you.

Some months ago I posted a topic where I said a friend of mine from work died, he was riding down the road facing the cars and he ran into a truck the truck driver said he didn't see him. Well doesn't matter the police said he was wrong for riding against traffic as its the same as driving on the wrong side of the road. This also causes major issues for people who ride on the correct side of the road, you can both clash or cause one cyclist to dodge in the middle of the road to avoid you.

It is safer to ride in the middle of the line when in traffic.

It is sad that Trinidad doesn't have bike lanes and stuff

[RedVEVO]

London and Surrey and other areas have bike lanes .
Everywhere you go is a bike lane .
Same with Holland.

It's rare that a biker will get hit and be killed .

In TT we have drivers that do not care about others , they buy $$ their licenses and figure the
freedom they have with a moving metal @ high speed is a their right and you should move .

But it's come down to the Police and Licensing Inspection officers to stop these people and
put them on "heavy manners" , like jail and suspension of licenses .

To say you blow a tire but you really speeding @ high speed with defective tires and then kill people is
time for you to die in jail yourself.

[moving]

Cant believe anyone would place blame on the cyclists or justify it.

some of allya aint have a heart nuh !

[pugboy]

Not hard to believe
The folks here are an accurate cross section of society like anywhere else

Cant believe anyone would place blame on the cyclists or justify it.

some of allya aint have a heart nuh !

[aaron17]

London and Surrey and other areas have bike lanes .
Everywhere you go is a bike lane .
Same with Holland.

It's rare that a biker will get hit and be killed .

In TT we have drivers that do not care about others , they buy $$ their licenses and figure the
freedom they have with a moving metal @ high speed is a their right and you should move .

But it's come down to the Police and Licensing Inspection officers to stop these people and
put them on "heavy manners" , like jail and suspension of licenses .

To say you blow a tire but you really speeding @ high speed with defective tires and then kill people is
time for you to die in jail yourself.

....and we don't have bike lanes.

[VexXx Dogg]

WOW @ victim blaming

[mero]

If i have to ride somewhere, I use backroads as much as possible.

And I ride on the side of the road facing the traffic. Because if I see a car coming I pull to the side. I always assume that cars are going to bounce my MC.

If There is a pavement thats where I ride also. You hardly encounter pedestrians tbh. And if I do I either go down into the road or into a yard.

As a cyclist you are basically a fast pedestrian, you dont have the same type of rights as a car and no protection from falling.

Cyclists really are some entitled people doh.

Most useless post itt.

Dude stop comparing going to the parlour on your bmx in d village to actual cycling.

And riding towards oncoming traffic the most moronic, suicidal thing you can do. Think before allyuh post this bag of ass nah.

[RedVEVO]

If i have to ride somewhere, I use backroads as much as possible.

And I ride on the side of the road facing the traffic. Because if I see a car coming I pull to the side. I always assume that cars are going to bounce my MC.

If There is a pavement thats where I ride also. You hardly encounter pedestrians tbh. And if I do I either go down into the road or into a yard.

As a cyclist you are basically a fast pedestrian, you dont have the same type of rights as a car and no protection from falling.

Cyclists really are some entitled people doh.

Most useless post itt.

Dude stop comparing going to the parlour on your bmx in d village to actual cycling.

And riding towards oncoming traffic the most moronic, suicidal thing you can do. Think before allyuh post this bag of ass nah.

Why this point useless ?

BMX and cyclists can use the road also .

Isn't it a pubic road ?

[mero]

Give your attempt at trolling a high 3/10.

Reach elsewhere nah

[Miktay]

Most cyclists can use the roads. But they do so at their peril.

You have to be crazy IMHO to ride either of these on the roads of sweet T&T. The auto drivers are too careless and the roads, drains, pavements, lamp posts are sometimes in bad condition further endangering cyclists.

This also applies to motorbikes.

RIP to those cyclist who died.

[SMc]

Not hard to believe
The folks here are an accurate cross section of society like anywhere else

Cant believe anyone would place blame on the cyclists or justify it.

some of allya aint have a heart nuh !

Agreed- My father is an avid cyclist and uses the nations roads for training-when I read this on Sunday my heart skipped a beat as he could have easily been one of them seeing that I knew 2 of the other damaged/deceased. He and myself are definitely are NOT in the 1% and the comments in this thread really shows to true attitude of many of our road users who have no regard to anything other than themselves.

Anyway carry on with your toots driving & hope its not you (not really) that gets slapped with an involuntary manslaughter charge.

[pugboy]

Tobago drivers are much more well behaved all around for some reason
They don't have the aggressive angry mentality

[Les Bain]

Was gonna comment on the driver, hoping his inspection sticker valid but even a valid sticker doh say much.

[tr1ad]

Tobago drivers are much more well behaved all around for some reason
They don't have the aggressive angry mentality

well bago so small as is... if they go to fast they'll go forward in time

[Redman]

Not hard to believe
The folks here are an accurate cross section of society like anywhere else

Cant believe anyone would place blame on the cyclists or justify it.

some of allya aint have a heart nuh !

Agreed- My father is an avid cyclist and uses the nations roads for training-when I read this on Sunday my heart skipped a beat as he could have easily been one of them seeing that I knew 2 of the other damaged/deceased. He and myself are definitely are NOT in the 1% and the comments in this thread really shows to true attitude of many of our road users who have no regard to anything other than themselves.

Anyway carry on with your toots driving & hope its not you (not really) that gets slapped with an involuntary manslaughter charge.

x2

[RedVEVO]

Tobago drivers are much more well behaved all around for some reason
They don't have the aggressive angry mentality

Tobago people are the best in the World.

Well educated and excellent athletes.

The drivers are well trained and have no "angry need pschyo medication and stay @ St Ann " attitude .

As a cyclist I love to travel to Tobago just to cycle or take a spinning class .

Then go Pigeon Point and be with my people.

[Krystal Car Part Imports]

The question is going to be asked : Are cyclists allowed on the highway?

Cyclist, animals. Mopeds and tractors are NOT allowed on the highway. It's sad that they died but as far as I'm concerned they broke the law. It's like driving on the pbr without a pass; you can do it, but you're taking a chance

Sent from my H1611 using Tapatalk

[pugboy]

Please quote the relevant law stating this lol

[RedVEVO]

Please quote the relevant law stating this lol

X2

Why would they get a Police escort if this activity was illegal ?

[Allergic2BunnyEars]

Legally right and a good idea don’t always line up. Cycling on the highway or road similar to a highway that isn’t listed officially as a highway is a bad idea.

[skylinechild]

Legally right and a good idea don’t always line up. Cycling on the highway or road similar to a highway that isn’t listed officially as a highway is a bad idea.

true well said bunny man. you GT with the koni sale yet ??

[Allergic2BunnyEars]

Legally right and a good idea don’t always line up. Cycling on the highway or road similar to a highway that isn’t listed officially as a highway is a bad idea.

true well said bunny man. you GT with the koni sale yet ??

Not yet. Still for sale at a negotiable price.

[assassin]

Legally right and a good idea don’t always line up. Cycling on the highway or road similar to a highway that isn’t listed officially as a highway is a bad idea.

Exactly this
While motorists should be courteous and "share the road"...
If you have the legal right to do something will you still do it for fun knowing that it could kill you?
Were they training for a high stakes international event? Or was it a breakfast ride?
Understand that I am not victim blaming but as the guy above said, it's simply a bad idea to cycle on the highway

[kamakazi]

The activity is considered illegal unless permission is given... But they had a police escort, so I believe that permission was granted for this.

[Gladiator]

Legally right and a good idea don’t always line up. Cycling on the highway or road similar to a highway that isn’t listed officially as a highway is a bad idea.

Exactly this
While motorists should be courteous and "share the road"...
If you have the legal right to do something will you still do it for fun knowing that it could kill you?
Were they training for a high stakes international event? Or was it a breakfast ride?
Understand that I am not victim blaming but as the guy above said, it's simply a bad idea to cycle on the highway

Cyclists don't belong on the highway. Numerous circumstances involving vehicles can cause an accident and kill someone easily.

Cyclists also put the lives of motorists in danger. If there is an emergency you cannot access the shoulder. Most times vehicles approaching a cyclist will have to slow down and there is now a backup on the highway to pass them.

There are just too many variables to consider on the road with vehicles that have a 100 km/h speed limit to protect cyclists. They are basically playing Russian Roulette with their lives.

[Redman]

Nothing will work if the rules are not enforced in a systematic and consistent manner.

Highway,Road,Cyclist Motorcyclist,Pedestrian,P,T,X,H,PH and donkey cart no difference if there aint oversite and regulation with penalties.

[Slartibartfast]

Sharing is caring, it can be fun

Seriously though, why all this beatup? I drive, I ride a bicycle, I used to ride a motorbike; the only thing I can't understand is why trinis so aggressive. There are very few forms of entertainment in this country (far less opportunities for healthy ones). Why not look for a way to make riding more accessible? It's not like we have a lot of options for people that want to practice long distance riding (and no, 5 hours of spin class would not be the same).

What happened was unfortunate. Regardless of how wrong the driver was, I'm sure he didn't kill those people on purpose. Also, riding on the highway is not as dangerous as russian roulette. If I gave you a trek and a gun and told you to choose i doubt you would choose the gun. Although I admit that the outcome would probably be a win/win for me.

T & T backwards because trinis backwards. We see an incident like this and think about what luxuries and freedoms can be taken away and who to blame and punish for what happened. What you should be asking yourself is how do you remove or reduce the risks while still fulfilling a need that is clearly present. That is the direction the thinking should go.

Enforcing rules in a systematic and consistent manner is a good place to start. I think updating the rules so that they are relevant and putting in place whatever is required to facilitate the adherance to those rules would be an even better place to start.

Sad to hear about those cyclists though. RIP

[cueball1990]

FORMER TT cycling star Gene Samuel said stricter penalties must be meted out to drivers who break laws and drive recklessly. He was speaking in relation to the deaths of two Slipstream Cycling Club members on the Beetham Highway on Saturday morning. Popular chef Joe Brown and bpTT employee Joanna Banks died when a car drove into a group of cyclists. Brown and Banks are both British nationals.

Brown, 63, and Banks, 40, were on the eastbound lane of the highway near Beetham Gardens with 12 other cyclists around 6.30 am when the incident happened. Banks died at the scene and Brown at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope.

Initially, the driver told police his tyre blew out and he careened into another car before hitting the group. However, CCTV cameras revealed that while trying to switch from the far left to the centre lane, he collided with a car, lost control and then ploughed into the cyclists before crashing into a wall.

Samuel, 58, said educating people on driving laws and having stricter penalties for offenders will help. He said, “We are such a lawless society, we are so far gone, you have to go to the extreme. As we have been discussing, a lot of people have money in this country (so fines won’t hurt people). What needs to be attached to the fines is jail time, because nobody wants to spend even a day in jail.”

Samuel said his club, the Braves Cycling Club, recently had a close encounter, also on the Beetham Highway.

The four-time Olympian said the country has made small steps in showing more respect towards cyclists.

“I think we have made really minute strides, so we can’t come and say nobody has changed their attitude. A lot of them have, but as we know, all you need is one or two idiots, and we have quite a few ‘one or two’ idiots driving on the road today.”

Samuel said cyclists are allowed to use the highway, but unfortunately some people are not aware of the laws.

“The fact is, anybody who could say that (we can’t use the roads) obviously did not pass regulations and do not understand the law, because we are entitled to ride on the road. It is only the Solomon Hochoy Highway we are not supposed to ride on without (police) permission.”

Funeral arrangements for both Brown and Banks are still being arranged. The funeral for Brown, who has been living in TT for decades, is expected to be held in TT. His daughter is in Australia and making arrangements to get to Trinidad. It is uncertain if the funeral for Banks will be held in Trinidad.
12 Hrs Ago Jelani Beckles

[Slartibartfast]

I wish there was a way to catch people for dangerous driving. Maybe more cameras on thr highway would help. Tailgating and weaving through traffic is far more dangerous than speeding alone (under 140 at least) in my experience.

[timelapse]

Social Justice supersedes the law of the land, we are in 2018.Lets organise a football match on the highway and get a police escort.Makes all the sense in the world, we have a right to play football on the highway.If you do not support this, you are a bigot oppressing the football community of this country. Anybody want to play?