I'm sorry to have to report that some callous (and so far unidentified)
******* has mown down an OAP with his bicycle in Reading town centre,
causing her to need a second hip replacement, and then ridden off
without stopping. Thank goodness other people were willing to help the
poor lady. What an awful person this cyclist must be to have even
considered not stopping.

If anyone saw the incident then I urge you to tell the police so that
the perpetrator can be caught. The scumbag cyclist in question is the
lowest of the low: it takes a particularly selfish and unpleasant person
to seriously injure an old lady and then leave her there...this person
was clearly worried that his precious reputation would take a knock if
he stuck around. Still, I doubt many of the "all cyclists are good, all
motorists are bad" lot will condemn him for his despicable actions. I
do think that registration plates for bicycles would decrease "riding
off" in situations like this.

The comments beneath the article are well worth reading (particularly
the third one up). I know Guy Chapman lives in Reading and does a lot
of cycling there; I wonder if he saw anything?

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/s/2074061
_hip_injury_as_cyclist_collides_with_oap

Hip injury as cyclist collides with OAP
By David Millward
July 07, 2010

A pensioner who needed a hip operation after a collision with a cyclist
has been talking about her ordeal.

Pauline Bond, 66, was knocked to the ground as she crossed the road
outside the Broad Street Mall but the cyclist did not stop.

Passers-by came to her aid and police have issued an appeal for
witnesses to track down the bike rider.

Mrs Bond, of Thicket Road, Tilehurst, said she had gone into town to buy
a birthday present for a friend on June 22 when the accident happened on
the crossing between the Primark end of West Street and Broad Street
Mall at 9.40am.

She said: ?I thought it was the green man showing so I started to cross
and then out of the corner of my eye I saw something. As I turned round
to see what it was, it hit me.

?I didn?t get a chance to see him because it was so quick. It looked
like he was wearing a cycle helmet and it was like a racing bike.?

?There were about six people who helped me out and took me to the
Cheltenham & Gloucester, who were really kind, and somebody called the
paramedics.?

Mrs Bond was taken to Royal Berkshire Hospital where she had a hip
operation the next day.

She said: ?I knew I had whacked my side and when I tried to get up, the
pain was excruciating.

?I had a hip replacement a couple of years ago so I knew what it
entailed but I didn?t really want another one because there was nothing
wrong with this one.?

Mrs Bond said she was surprised by the kindness shown by those who
helped her.

But of the cyclist, she said: ?I would have thought he would have
stopped to say, ?Are you all right?? or see if I needed medical
attention.

?There were quite a few people who were really nice. If it hadn?t been
for them I would never have got up.

?It seems such an uncaring world sometimes but the people who helped me
were really nice.?

PC Stephen Dowding, who is investigating the incident, said: ?I am keen
to speak to anyone who witnessed the collision or has any information
which might help us track down the cyclist involved so we can get their
version of what happened.?

Anyone with information should call PC Dowding on 08458 505 505 or
Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.