Yesterday in the 8th district of Paris, a bicyclist was run down by a SUV driver following an altercation. The driver had not respected the cyclists right of way (priorité à droite). The cyclist told him so, slapped the hood of the SUV and was getting on his way. The driver then accelerated and mowed down the cyclist, who died shortly after. His name was Paul, he was 27 and was very active in the bicycling advocacy scene (he belonged to the organization Paris en Selle, where I also belong). The driver was with his teenage daughter when he decided to take the life of a man who had touched his car.
Tonight we’re having a moment of remembrance at the call of many local advocacy organizations in front of the Église de la Madeleine, near to where it happened.
Here’s an article in French about the murder:
https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/paris-un-cycliste-meurt-ecrase-par-un-automobiliste-suite-a-un-differend-de-la-route-15-10-2024-35GTFH2QORESFDQDHLSPITJVHY.php
by thatjoachim
9 Comments
Big part of my motivation to run a camera is I think it’ll stop me from getting in stupid fights like this, when the person in the car can murder me pretty easily if they choose to, and at best I annoy them slightly
Hopefully Mayor Hildago uses this to absolutely crack down on SUVs in the city further.
For those who can’t read French, please tell me the driver was arrested and charged? (In the US, they’re often not)
My deepest condolences. May Paul rest in peace.😭😭😭
What time will you be meeting tonight? I’d like to join if possible!
I have no patience for these people anymore. I wish nothing but bad shit upon this cunt.
RIP Paul.
how horrible. i hope this person rots in jail
A very similar murder-by-SUV just happened in Philadelphia. The victim was a young physician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She didn’t even get in an altercation with her murderer. He was drunk, became enraged at the traffic congestion, & simply pulled into the bike lane & floored it. She just happened to be riding in front of him. This was possible because the bike lane was only separated from the car lane by cheap plastic pylons. The city is currently holding hearings about *maybe* fixing this now-fatal design flaw.
This movement needs to go international. If the EU, North America, Japan & Australia were to require anti-pedestrian-crash tech in all new cars plus special extra measures for SUVs over a certain height & weight, maybe that would help? Philly is currently conducting hearings about adding concrete barriers between cars & bikes on the lane where this woman was recently murdered, but the outcome is far from assured. And the rest of the city is still a potential killing field for cyclists. This shouldn’t be up to small-time, corrupt local politicians. The current mayor of Philly is very much anti-cyclist. She is also very much guilty of a past DUI. I wonder whether it’s related?