2009-05-15 - Rider Down/Fatality, Greenwich

Good on yer, coshgirl.

Thanks Steff. I was pretty incensed when I saw the comment and knew it was just the start of the usual anti-cycling drivel. So I thought what would be the best way to try and stop this? On a serious note, every time cycling is mentioned on thisislondon and a number of other news websites, it escalates into cycling bashing - regardless of how inappropriate under the circumstances. I feel it is in all our interests to try and do something to tackle this as and when we can.

We drove past this on Friday and were somewhat surprised to the lack media coverage until Sunday, one of reason we ended up on this website.
The scene was horrific and my wife is still distressed about what she saw.

May this poor woman RIP and all you other riders please look after yourselves out there, let's just hope this lorry driver gets caught and punished.

I am not sure how you edit a post but that should A102 not A2 sorry.

Having had a good look at the site tonight there it no way the driver did not realise an accident had occurred. I am not speculating on who's fault only on whether the driver would have realised a accident had happened.

The lorry was coming from Woolwich / Charlton and turning left on to the A102. The left hand turn is tight with a high curb, the 10" style ones.

1. To negotiate this corner in a lorry you would need to be checking your rear mirror to make sure you are clear of the curb.

2. On top of this curb is some railings. About 8' - 10' of the railings have been ripped off of this 10" high curb.

I can imagine a lorry hitting a bike without realizing it as I have been hit while driving by a lorry whilst on the motorway but this collision would have been very loud as the lorry would have needed to mount the curb to and also make some serious noise ripping the railings off.

My God, that is absolutely horrific. I am sure they will find the driver responsible. But whether justice is done is another matter. RIP

it appears the comments have all been taken off the this is london article

not sure if it is my browser but i checked via both safari and firefox

We drove past this on Friday.................. let's just hope this lorry driver gets caught and punished.

Shit! That sounds awful. He MUST have know what he'd done!

Hope he's caught quickly

EDITED

That Woolwich Flyover is a fucking dark place - adding to what Tommy described - there is a 'cycle lane' that comes to a stop at the roundabout convergence of traffic coming from west and east Woolwich road combined with slip roads onto and from the fucking motorway - lorries coming from and going to the ferry and the Horn Lane approach to that Charlton Retail site (Sainsburys etc). If anyone has to use it ride fast and assertively and get the fuck out of there as soon as you can.
Shit sorry I'm fucking choked up over this ,,, too close to home

it appears the comments have all been taken off the this is london article

not sure if it is my browser but i checked via both safari and firefox

Yeah I think they're gone.

Probably for the best.

Yes, the comments were taken off, and good riddance.

I think if I get time tomorrow I'll slightly re-word my readily written letter of complaint to the ES and submit it, anyway. I held off today because just before I wanted to send it, I checked the site again and realised it had gone.

Astra, I'm so sorry you saw such a terrible sight. I very much hope your wife will be able to get help if she needs it to get over it. I think I'd be in bits if I ever had to witness something like this.

More details may come out soon.

I don't want to pre-judge the issue, but from experience hit-and-run incidents are very rarely because the driver doesn't realise they've hit someone, it's because they panic.

From a comment at the end of the article on the News Shopper website yesterday, it seems that they now know who this lady was and she was obviously much loved.

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/lewgreen/4374831.GREENWICH__Search_for_driver_after_cyclist_dies_in_crash/#commentsform

1. On top of this curb is some railings. About 8' - 10' of the railings have been ripped off of this 10" high curb.
   
   

I can imagine a lorry hitting a bike without realizing it as I have been hit while driving by a lorry whilst on the motorway but this collision would have been very loud as the lorry would have needed to mount the curb to and also make some serious noise ripping the railings off.

I noticed the railing ripped off too but do we know if this occured as part of this accident?

This is for sure a dangerous junction for cyclists and one that I will not filter but wait my turn and then hog the whole lane and not the poor excuse for a cycle lane on the roundbout. This when cycling from Woolwich to Greenwich direction. The traffic lights are a real pinch point, particualry when there are HGV's and doubly so if any are turning left onto the A102.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=greenwich&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=13.209342,39.375&ie=UTF8&ll=51.486554,0.018518&spn=0.006788,0.019226&z=16&layer=c&cbll=51.486584,0.018656&panoid=s6Kh20JV6G_isbMdowjTEg&cbp=12,264.51,,0,5

That Woolwich Flyover is a fucking dark place - adding to what Tommy described - there is a 'cycle lane' that comes to a stop at the roundabout convergence of traffic coming from west and east Woolwich road combined with slip roads onto and from the fucking motorway - lorries coming from and going to the ferry and the Horn Lane approach to that Charlton Retail site (Sainsburys etc). If anyone has to use it ride fast and assertively and get the fuck out of there as soon as you can.
Shit sorry I'm fucking choked up over this ,,, too close to home

Careful with the fast approach though. That roundabout gets very greasy, I've come off twice not even going very fast on there, no one stops, you just have to get up asap and drag your ass and bike off the road.

I noticed the railing ripped off too but do we know if this occured as part of this accident?

This is for sure a dangerous junction for cyclists and one that I will not filter but wait my turn and then hog the whole lane and not the poor excuse for a cycle lane on the roundbout. This when cycling from Woolwich to Greenwich direction. The traffic lights are a real pinch point, particualry when there are HGV's and doubly so if any are turning left onto the A102.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=greenwich&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=13.209342,39.375&ie=UTF8&ll=51.486554,0.018518&spn=0.006788,0.019226&z=16&layer=c&cbll=51.486584,0.018656&panoid=s6Kh20JV6G_isbMdowjTEg&cbp=12,264.51,,0,5

I am pretty sure I remember seeing the damage when I rode through on Friday night but I did not pay that much attention because I though, just another prang at that junction, prob due to someone jumping the light heading onto the A102.

@ Atsra & Pistanator.

Please can you remove details of the injuries. Not nice for family / friend that may google their way here.

Thanks guys

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23694509-details/Tributes+to+cyclist+killed+in+hit-and-run/article.do

A cyclist killed in a hit-and-run crash with a lorry was about to buy a house and start a family, friends said today.

Adrianna Skrzypiec, 31, died in Greenwich, south east London, as she was cycling home from work to one of her best friend's birthday at a local pub.

An indirect claim in the article that there's no CCTV evidence.

Ive changed my route now, I have nearly been taken out by (non indicating) left turning vehicles (from Woolwich onto the A102), vehicles jumping lights (from Sainsburys direction) and, like Tommy says, the grease is a nightmare when wet. HaHa Road/Canberra Road/Standard/Greenwich Park from now on.
RIP - absolute shocker from the descriptions

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23694509-details/Tributes+to+cyclist+killed+in+hit-and-run/article.do

An indirect claim in the article that there's no CCTV evidence.

"We can't understand how no CCTV cameras picked up what happened"

Not sure if there's CCTV coverage on the actual junction but there's plenty on the A102. Question is, is it recorded and how good is the quality of images.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/realtime/road/default.asp

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]WVM,[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS] [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Thanks for asking this. [/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS]I know a lot of friends of her and I know that they would be devastated to read it.[/FONT]

She got killed simply for doing the right thing - being safe.

Quite frankly, a lots of those women get killed because they're being safe and follow that green cycle path when approaching junctions, TfL should be held responsible for that (seemed to me the majority are female and truck in corner).

The fact that she was trying to do the right thing anger/upset me even more (not toward her mind).

“She was an incredibly careful cyclist. She always wore her helmet and she never went through red lights. We were all so shocked to hear about the crash.”

Very sad news indeed. RIP

Very sad and distressing for her boyfriend, friends and family. There is an article about Adrianna in the ES today.

For what very little it's worth, I've put an appeal for witnesses up on Facebook. Can't hurt if more of us do it, hint hint.

Good work, Steff.
So terribly saddened by this tragedy. Thoughts go out to her family and friends.

This is incredibly sad, only just found out about this, i hope they catch whoever is responsible.
My thoughts are very much with her family and friends.