I do not believe that I was either in the wrong, or unsafe in my driving. If there had been oncoming traffic from my right I could easily have stopped at the double broken lines (which clearly showed where vehicles should stop if required). What the cyclist did was to attempt to cross a road from a pavement assuming that the oncoming driver had noticed him and would stop. My attention at that time was focused to my right (where the oncoming traffic could be) and not to my left where there should not be anything to cause concern. The road from the car park approached the dual carriageway at an angle close to 90 degrees. The pavement was not (and still is not) designated for dual usage (there are wide pavements in Reading which are clearly marked for pedestrians and cyclists to use and share), so the cyclist should not have been cycling there. He assumed (as he told me) that I would stop at the point where he was crossing the road. The dropped kerbstones are around ten feet from the double broken lines, so THAT was the place I would stop should the need arise.
Logic told me that it should be safe to focus on the dual carriageway to my right. As I came out of the carpark I could see, at that time, my way ahead was clear to join the dual carriageway. I am then looking to my right (my head is turned to look at the previously mentioned traffic lights) to see if there is oncoming traffic. There should not be any vehicles coming from my left (the only place for things to be is that pavement), I have seen that the signs say "Give Way" which means that I only need to stop if the circumstances require it (as opposed to a "Stop" sign, which means that you HAVE to stop at the indicated junction), and that there is no traffic coming from the right requiring me to stop. Said cyclist does not stop, but leaves the pavement from the dropped kerbstones onto the roadway. I only see him (obviously way too late) as I am changing my focus from the potential traffic to my right to my intended path. It is at that point we are in collision.
If I had known there was a cyclist approaching from my left as I approached the junction it is likely (not certain, but likely) I would have given them more of my attention. However, when I first saw the junction upon exiting the car park there was nothing in view to my left. Having used this car park on numerous occasions I knew it was likely there would be traffic to my right, so I understandably moved my focus of attention to my right. If I had seen that the traffic was moving my way I could easily stop safely at the junction. Because my way was clear I did not come to a stop (as the "Give Way" sign did not require me to do so), but continued to head towards the carriageway (as I should have been able to join it safely). Because the distance from the car park to the junction was not great (50 - 100 yards) I was not travelling at a high speed, and I knew that (if I were able to continue without stopping) there was a tight 90 degree left turn coming up for me to negotiate. I do not know how fast I was moving, but it would have been less that 20MPH, and possibly as low as 10MPH.
In Great Britain cyclists are NOT kings of the roads, and they should behave safely according to the conditions of the road. In the incident where there was a collision I did not have a dash cam, but If I did it is likely that it would show I was not to blame. This morning, when that cyclist went through what was (from their point of the junction) lights at red (and that had not just changed to red, but would have been in that state for 30 seconds or more), that cyclist clearly was showing a disregard for any other road user (although he was wearing a crash helmet). I do recall hearing (although I do not know if it was just another tabloid scare story about what Brussels was trying to impose upon the UK) possible changes to road law in that, should there be an accident between a cyclist and a car, the car driver would automatically be in the wrong. If that was correct, and I had hit that cyclist this morning, the law would have 'known' that I had caused the accident. If the law were to accept the footage from my dash cam was valid evidence then the law could clearly see that I was not at fault, as there should not have been any traffic crossing the junction other than that from the road I was on.
I do try, when I am using the road, either as a driver or a pedestrian, to be safe and considerate (I am not always so, but I do try to be). If, for example, I am walking along the pavement and I see a vehicle wanting to pull into a driveway in front of me, I will stop and let them in (even though, technically, it is my right of way), especially if there is traffic behind them. That is just good manners. If road users were always safe and considerate there would be a lot less in the way of road incidents. Unfortunately this is not so.
I do NOT intend to discuss this incident further. My reasons for the post that started this was to explain my reasoning for why I believe all persons wishing to become road users should undertake training and tests to ensure they are safe to be out on the road. If the cyclist had completed such training he should have known that he should not have been cycling on that pavement, and (because of the layout of the junction) it would be likely my attention was focused not on him, but to my right. Competent road users who have undergone proper road training are not only aware of how THEY should behave on the road, they are aware of how other road users should behave and react.
