Biker's Kill Pedestrian in Melbourne

This article has been lifted from www.TheAge.com.Au, Melbourne's morning newspaper.

We should be careful when riding. We do not want this to happen in Shaoxing.

Fast, furious, fatal: official eye falls on Hell Ride

CHANCES are, he barely saw the man he hit, such was his hurry.

Metal ploughed into flesh when the red light was run; the mown-down pedestrian later died. The vehicle had been travelling quickly.

Had it been a car, its driver would be in deep trouble, facing possible culpable driving charges and years in prison. It was a bicycle. He is not.

Police have charged a 30-year-old cyclist with failing to stop at a red light over the Saturday morning collision that killed James Gould, 77, in Mentone, but yesterday said there was little more they could do.

"It's a complex area … but the fact is bicycles don't constitute what a motor vehicle is within the Act," Deputy Police Commissioner (Traffic) Noel Ashby said.

But he would not rule out steps to end the controversial "Hell Ride", a thrillseekers' weekend tradition along Beach Road since 1984, and which was taking place when Mr Gould was struck. "People on bikes aren't permitted to go through red lights, block lanes, make the roads otherwise unsafe, and if they're going to do so they can rest assured that we will certainly respond from an enforcement perspective," he said.

Yesterday morning the riders continued were out again — unbowed by Saturday's incident, but certainly not unaffected. Soon after dawn they gathered, a Hydra in iridescent lycra, for the weekday version of their ride. Spontaneous and unorganised, all were subdued and many weren't happy. They spoke of why this had happened, some asking what to do about the few idiots that long-time riders say are ruining the ride for the responsible majority.

But there's another question that must be asked: how responsible and safe is it for up to 200 riders to hurtle along a busy road at speeds of up to 60 km/h each morning? Harry Barber, who heads Bicycle Victoria, is in little doubt. "These are the cyclists' equivalent of illegal drag racers," he said. "A small group have started up this illegal activity. Their priority is to stick together and so they ignore traffic signals. The Hell Ride is the despair of the responsible riders. They are a tiny minority and they give all cyclists a bad name."

In London last month, Lord Mayor Ken Livingstone floated a plan to register cyclists and issue number plates. Riders caught breaking road rules would have points deducted from their motor vehicle licences.

Here, police are promising a more modest review of the law. Mr Barber supports the move. "If we want bicycles to be part of the system and we want road funding and lanes to ride on, the community is not going to let that happen if bike riding is an exception to the rules," he said.

While the Beach Road riders, sometimes up to 200 strong, have long been a source of frustration for motorists, relations with the police had improved after a code of conduct was drawn up in 2003. Riders agreed to stay in one lane, not fight their way to the front and stop at all red lights. But regular riders say observance of the code has slipped recently as newer, younger cyclists drawn by the Hell Ride's name and image ignore the unofficial rules. Traffic lights are the big concern. When the leaders make it through and the light turns red behind them, some in the chasing pack are loath to stop and wait.

Jeff Proven is the St Kilda Cycling Club president and does the Hell Ride about a dozen times each year. "There's a lot of adrenaline in the middle of it," he said. "To complete the ride safely is a good feeling."

Unsafe riding had worsened in the past 12 months, he said. "We totally condemn this sort of behaviour — but the Hell Ride does beat up a bit of sensation because of its name and its history," he said.

The ride runs from Black Rock along Beach Road to Mount Eliza and back. "It's for guys that are experienced in racing and can handle riding at close quarters at fairly fast speeds," Mr Proven said. "There will always be cowboys, though."
Fast, furious, fatal: official eye falls on Hell Ride

                               
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Casualty: James Gould died after being caught in the cyclists' ride. Adventurous Mr Gould had travelled the world by cargo ship.
Photo: Simon Schluter

Thank you for  sharing this article with us, Jamie!

you can never go fast in the city, i can never find an empty road.

jamie ,you are in hangzhou now?  let's go riding nest time .
  
I'm jamse lee .we first meet at the bike racing in june.

Too long................