2009-05-22 - Rider Down, Putney Bridge

So atleast 3 cars and a bike..........shit!

horrific news - thoughts & prayers to the rider.

Putney bridge is a place to avoid, a car/bus snarl up at the best of times

dark days indeed

Ouch. Always saddens me to hear of these accidents... we can all learn from these, car drivers and riders. I'm afraid I can't help but feel sorry for the other drivers involved, assuming it was an accident, not malicious... Al it takes is a microseconds break of concerntration, be it a phone ringing and deciding not to pick it up, a child in the back, road dirt in the riders eyes, avoiding a pothole, another other drivers acting carelessly causing the accident... It's just the unlucky few riders and drivers who are thrown into the unbearable situation, for all involved where acident or injury occurs. whether through the rider taking a gap too small and risky, distraction not looking properly or, through the driver being distracted, not looking, speeding or just being careless...

Anyway, my condolences to friends and family of the rider, and my sympathy to the car driver (assuming a genuine accident) for what will be a harrowing experience.

I so hope that this is not another fatality. The LCC has been calling for 20mph on bridges for a good while now, and there was due to be a trial soon on a Central London bridge--I'll check where that one's got to.

Sounds like a very serious collision regardless of whether someone died or not.

thanks for the clarifications matty_k

sounds terrible :-(

I so hope that this is not another fatality. The LCC has been calling for 20mph on bridges for a good while now, and there was due to be a trial soon on a Central London bridge--I'll check where that one's got to.

Sounds like a very serious collision regardless of whether someone died or not.

and hopefully, disallowed vehicle from parking on bridge, I find that make it worse making the bridge narrower.

I think its time to start donning front lights in flash mode (despite what the Highway code says). Its seems the most effective way of sharpening up drivers to your presence from behind as they initally think its the emergency services and forceably fix up and look sharp.

Good luck and prayers to the rider.

Too right MG - & a rear light as well - at all times

MG - Agree although it was dark at the time the incident happened.

While it's a slightly contentious comment apparently the victim was not wearing a helmet (according to the person I spoke to on the south side of the bridge shortly afterwards).

That said the description of the damage to the VW in the posts above mentions makes it sound like there was quite a bit of speed involved so a helmet may not have helped (although of course a head injury may not have been a factor).

It's a dangerous bridge that cars speed over far too freely. Someone else commented to me that a pedestrian was hit (killed I think) by a car as they were trying to cross the bridge just a few weeks ago.

and hopefully, disallowed vehicle from parking on bridge, I find that make it worse making the bridge narrower.

so true.. i hate having to pull out of the bus lane full of parked cars on southwark bridge at night.

I live right round the corner - thats terrible to hear, stay safe out there...

While it's a slightly contentious comment apparently the victim was not wearing a helmet (according to the person I spoke to on the south side of the bridge shortly afterwards).

What the fuck has that got to do with anything?

Condolences to the victims family.

This is bad news indeed, I cycled over Putney Bridge yesterday and only live down the road...thoughts are with the victim and his family.

I too cycle over Putney Bridge, twice a day, and so does my girlfriend. In the evening we usually trade stories of that bloody bridge and close calls. It's particularly ordinary heading south off the bridge onto the high street with cars failing to indicate that they're about to merge.

I got to the bridge at about 6.10pm on Friday and yes, everything had just been taped off and there was a helicopter in the air above. I was hoping it wasn't a cyclist.

This thread just brings home how dangerous it can be (not that we need reminding I suppose). I'll pay my respects as I cycle over the bridge late this afternoon.

Be safe.

:*(

any news about the cyclist? my thoughts are with them

Just seen, this - horrible... thoughts with the rider's family.

Without wishing to derail the thread, I've spent the long weekend as a pedestrian, generally with my baby son strapped to my chest or in his buggy, walking round east london and The City, and I've caught myself wincing at [what I'd regard to as] dangerous or careless driving behaviour on a dozen occasions over the last four days. Skip-lorries thundering down inside lanes and narrowly avoiding cyclists in ASL boxes; drivers waiting to turn right deliberately pulling out across cyclists and making it the cyclists' problem; young blokes in posh motors hovering eighteen inches from a cyclist's back wheel because sitting behind a bike, even at 25mph, just doesn't compute for them.

I think when I'm on my bike I try and outrun as much of this danger as I can, by filtering to the front of traffic, 'safe' RLJing, deliberately taking as dominant a lane position as I can to stop the motorist even thinking that they have a chance of squeezing by if it's tight. But this thread made me wonder how much of it is down to a lack of visibility, and how much of it is simply aggressive driving? Some of the things that I've seen as a ped in the last few days make me a bit circumspect about the safety of my daily commute.

Like I say, not trying to derail the thread, if indeed the cyclist in question is seriously harmed or worse, then it's a terrible terrible thing. Just interested in thoughts on the best course of action to stay safe - hi-viz? aggressive riding? rlj-ing? all of the above?

Also not sure it's the place for it, but the 'safe' RLJing, filtering and road positioning you mention are all things i do to keep safe. I don't think bright clothing could hurt either, but aside from this and keeping aware, there's not much else one can do.

does anyone have any more info on this? just googling it and i can't find anything, 'cept this thread of course.

Thoughts are with the rider, whatever happened.

I always found Putney Bridge intimidating. It seems wider and longer than most.