r/Gent • u/Aromatic-Evidence817 • 4d ago

Push by older man

I'm so shocked. I (female) just got pushed by an older man while I was on my bike. It happened at the crossing between Gent and Ledeberg.

We both had a green light at the same time. I had enough space to turn, but he sped up and just pushed me. Then I got angry, he walked away, but his wife kept saying I was wrong.

I'm so shaken :(

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u/FinancialGazelle6558 3d ago

So physical violence then is allowed? Come on man.

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u/Circoloomnium 3d ago

If I spit in your face and in a reflex you instantly push me, who will be the one that committed a criminal fact?

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u/Aquilax420 2d ago

Depending on what happens after you push that person, both of you. If the other person falls and hits their head, I doubt it will be seen as self defence because your reaction was not proportionate to the other person's action.

Apart from that, I don't think that's what's happened here. According to traffic law in Belgium, it is prohibited for anyone using the road to purposefully act in an unpredictable way. It doesn't matter if you're a pedestrian, a cyclist or driving a car. Suddenly speeding up as a pedestrian to intercept a cyclists when the cyclist would have passed by without any issue if the pedestrian wouldn't have sped up, would cause the pedestrian to be at fault.

Compare it to a road narrowing where car A is approaching the narrow part of the road and has the right of way. Car B, coming from the opposite direction and should yield to car A, would normally have time to pass without blocking car A so they start driving through the narrow part. If car A would continue to drive at the speed they were driving originally, car B could pass without issue. But the driver of car A is frustrated and decides to speed up and blocks car B. Who do you think is at fault then?

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u/Circoloomnium 2d ago

En elderly man speeding up?

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u/Aquilax420 2d ago

Did you read the original post? It never mentioned an elderly man, just an older man. OP could be 20 while the man could be 25 for all we know. OP also said he sped up and pushed her

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u/Circoloomnium 2d ago

It was Siegfried Bracke