2018-05-22 Rider down, Lee Bridge Rd – High Rd Leyton (Leyton, Walthamstow)

I was involved in a road incident on 22nd of May, 2018 at around 18:30 – 19:30
Location: Lee Bridge Rd and High Rd Leyton junction

After eight hours in a hospital last night, many x-rays, CT scans and catheters I am now home with a small metacarpal bone fracture, aching entire body and some bruises everywhere. Insanely lucky... Though I haven't seen my bike yet. Which build was completed just 5 days ago :)

I was informed by the police officers that in this case I am wrong by choosing the wrong part of a road. Regarding the fact that there was no bicycle lane (which by the way ended up just 200meters earlier and is located next to the pavement) I supposed to be moving together with the cars or occupying the space between the cars and the middle line of a road. Which makes sense as it's apparently safer part of the road but it wasn't in this case. I also did not know that safely occupying the outer part of traffic lane is mandatory if there is no bicycle lane. What do you guys know about it?

I am now thinking of collecting all the evidence and sending it all to the driver's insurance company. I've got driver's details, insurance and crime reference numbers. There is damage done to my clothes, probably the bike as well the accident has effected my ability to work for the next one or two weeks. Do you think I should get in touch with the insurance company or firstly try reaching out the driver and try to make a private deal with it?

No idea on the legality or claiming but heal up and I hope you get some compensation

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/131099/

No you can filter on either side of the traffic, but it does sound like you were going very fast for road conditions. it was all the drivers fault as there turn across your lane. Best of luck with your claim and heal up fast.

As far as I know we can legally drive in the middle of the lane as any other vehicle.

What @fussballclub linked to is good, but as a general rule, don't comment on the forum about the incident or draw diagrams! It may prejudice any future claim, especially if anything you say is admitting fault or is contradicted by other evidence.

Get well soon, and good luck with any claim.

The cops are ignorant in this case. If as described, the vehicle cutting across the lane is at fault.

I now live near Lea Bridge Road and even with the cyclelane in place I have seen numerous left-hooks and right hand turns that easily could have been fatal. It is good that a lot of the roads between Orient Way and Markhouse have been blocked to motorised traffic at their LBR end.

Hope yr healing up, not sure on the current law but 20 years ago while driving a motorbike this was a common argument by opposing insurance companies to try and pay out less especially against motorcyclist claiming a 50% blame, but in this case I think the cops are fools and someone turning right has to admit they either saw you and misjudged or they didn't see you which either way leaves them at fault, your position didn't change until contact was made, I would never contact the driver as this can be used against you if they have a smart solicitor, get legal advice and pursue, good luck and don't give up , cheers k

I had almost exactly this further down at the junction at Lea Bridge station. I was inches from being hit full frontal by a car who was turning across my lane to go down Orient Way. Still makes me feel sick a day later as the the driver was going very fast.

The advice you have been given by the police is incorrect. Is the driver admitting any liability?

I was taken out in the same way a couple of years back. Their insurance covered it.

Glad you're ok - bike lanes train people to go up the left, when everyone else on the road are told to overtake on the right. Stupid infrastructure reinforcing bad habits.

30km/h does seem a little fast for filtering while approaching an intersection. Not much a driver can do in the time between seeing you and impact.

Heal up, remrak. I take it from some of the other posts that there originally was more info on how the crash happened in the OP, but it's gone now (good), so I can't really comment on that. Just on the point where to be, or not, in the lane. In the UK, this is not defined in law at all. This is very unlike the US, where a number of states have 'as far to the right as possible' (sometimes called 'frap' or 'afrap' laws) for cyclists, i.e. riders are required to hug the nearside kerb. Other states have explicit laws that riders may take any general traffic lane up to 14' wide (about 4.2 metres), as they are deemed substandard for safe overtaking of riders by drivers within the lane. While the latter laws are good, the former are not, and I have to say that on balance I prefer the UK situation in which this is not specified.

True, as the UK isn't split up into quite so many different states and regional devolution still seems decades away (hope it isn't), and it's unlikely that even with regional devolution regions would have legislative powers over traffic matters, there might be potential for a good law entitling cyclists to take the lane, but it might as well go the other way, or the law might create other problems. I find it interesting that in the US, the legislation goes either way, e.g. very liberal to cyclists or very restrictive. I wouldn't want to bet on the outcome were an initiative launched to introduce such legislation in the UK.

So, in the UK, it's merely good advice to take the lane/position yourself visibly, etc. Also, the presence or otherwise of cycle tracks or cycle lanes has no bearing on your positioning or liability whatsoever. We still have the freedom, in this country, of choosing not to use 'cycle infrastructure', unlike in the Netherlands and Denmark.

Good luck with the aftermath. Hope the driver's co-operative and it doesn't turn into an adversarial nightmare.

The driving in Leyton/Walthamstow and especially on the Lea Bridge Road is absolutely diabolic and I can't believe half of them ever managed to get their licence

i cycle daily here and the amount of times i have almost been hit on these new cycle highways is astonishing. it is not safe at all, especially near the screwfix area. there are several places where people are jumping off buses straight into the path of an incoming bicycle. people on major roads like lea bridge do not stop for the cyclist they turn in and assume they have the right of way, when in fact they dont. mornings very easy to hit children on these new "SAFE" highways as they are running freely from the foot path section to the bike lane. when coming off the highway at the junction of markhouse road and lea bridge going towards bakers arms, the amount of time vehicles turning left into markhouse road, will not see you and begin to turn in. the list continues and this so called cycle highway is worst as it gives the illusion that it is now safer for cyclist, so naturally the cyclist too drops his guard. before all these works it was much safer and the road was wider. yes you cycled on the road or on the mini side cycle lane, but you were respected for being on the road. now you have become invisible. its only a matter of time, before something fatal happens and maybe then it will open the eyes of the borough. i wonder whom i can speak with in the borough regarding this as needs to be addressed ASAP.

Yes, always been a mad stretch. Spent a lovely night in Whipps Cross after being hit along here. Hope you heal up quick..

There are some good points made here, but the cycles lane after the marshes isn't any more safer than it was before. I've always wondered why they have such a poor choice of surface too, they're either rough, or totally smooth and dangerous in the wet.

Markhouse road bit still gives me nightmares

Heal up quick man!

I genuinely felt safer before the new infrastructure. My route is now a back way via Boundary, Lower Hall Lane and through the industrial estate. Shame really although maybe the non-cyclists using the road will eventually get used to it.