2009-06-02 - Rider Down - Peckham

there are no confirmed reports she died?

+1

I don't understand why the frequency of these awful accidents isn't being picked up by the national media/high profile politicians at this point. RIP.

i wonder about that too. it is a taboo.

i think it is because if it was in the news everytime everybody would be left feeling so guilty they would not be able to function. and they would have to like seriously address our (car dominated) way of life. which would have implications for the economy etc.

on britains roads it is about 3000 dead per year.

that is 9 a day.

that is one every 3 hours.

if you want to know more etc visit the roadpeace website.

really sad about the news.

i will update my mp.

there are no confirmed reports she died?

That all depends on whether or not you class what was said on here (someone apparently being told by police) as a confirmed report or not.

There are no confirmed reports that the cyclist died. I'm hopeful until an official confirmation has been made...

Regarding a 'disservice to other cyclists' should one be scared of/off the road, I would disagree with that comment 'Mask'.

Cycling these days is a risk, and frankly after witnessing that accident at Peckham yesterday morning, I'd be darned if any other cyclist didn't think twice about cycling home last night.

hearing about these things always makes me even more aware of HGV's etc, but never makes me think twice about getting on the bike.

Living in London, we've all heard many a stories of cycling accidents. A few weeks ago a cyclist cycled into the back of me, no harm done. A few weeks before that, I saw a cyclist lying on the road who had been knocked down... again, never crossed my mind not to get on my bike.

Passing that collison yesterday, and seeing that cyclists sandles lying under the lorry, and the angle of the lorry, and the blue plastic bag held up to cover the victim, and the bike crushed like a plastic carton...

...for whatever reason, THAT has made me think twice about getting on my bike. I've been a cyclist for two years now and received one hit from a taxi driver myself (and even after THAT I still cycled).

For those who do continue to cycle, y'know, what can you say/do... be safe, try your best to 'avoid' accidents also if possible, note the 'red' areas and avoid.

..for whatever reason, THAT has made me think twice about getting on my bike, and I've been a cyclist for two years now and received one hit from a taxi driver myself (and even after THAT I still cycled).

I'm sure your understandably traumatized by the experience. But Ma3k is correct in what he's saying. How many forumengers have been to hospital this year and are still pedaling around as soon as they can?

It's not dangerous to cycle in London, but you are very very vulnerable if something does happen. Life I'm afraid contains risks and it's the duty of careful cyclists to minimize those risks on the road but not to shy away from them. I hope to see you around south London soon, enjoying the beauty of being outside on you own steam & riding with just caution (but not ruled by it).

I have asked a couple of police officers, neither of whom was able to confirm what happened, albeit that they didn't do much in the way of research...

So the position as far as I'm aware is no confirmed reports that it was definitely a fatality. A colleague's relative went to a neighbourhood meeting of some sort where the police said it was a fatality. The colleague in question noted the info when her relative mentioned it simply because I'd mentioned the accident on tuesday morning when I got to work having ridden past it. She mentioned it to me today. I am hoping against hope that the officer or my colleague had their wires crossed.

officer > relative of colleague at meeting > colleague > me > forum. Not exactly foolproof, so I'm still hoping someone got it wrong.

Just saw this on the Southwark Cyclists mailing list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/southwarkcyclists/message/7407 > The victim was a friend of a friend. > A broken pelvis - which is a serious break - and can be life threatening, but she is stable.

Ah thank goodness. Let's hope the mailing list is accurate. In which case, my apologies to all, especially the friends and family of the victim for reporting inaccurate information.

I hope the report from our Lewisham Cyclists means this is not another fatality. Tom is a reliable source.

+1

I don't understand why the frequency of these awful accidents isn't being picked up by the national media/high profile politicians at this point. RIP.
The frequency of cyclst/HGV deaths in London has been much the same for 25 years, the horror is that almost every other type of casualty has dropped dramatically.
The employers of several of the recent victims are supporting action to raise the issue and create publicity. I was at a meeting today with some of them, we are hoping to launch a campaign to give cycle awareness training to drivers across London.
I will be updating our HGV webpages soon and will ask you guys for comments.

fingers crossed for the poor girl...

Horrible news.

Hi all. My wife saw the accident/incident/crime scene after the cyclist had been taken to hospital and said that the all the people in the area were in silent shock. She had gone back to the flat to get her bike after finding the buses were on diversion not knowing why. Understandibly she was extremely shocked. She has not used her bike much since returning to work after maternity leave and seeing that has not been encouraging. I used to be very encouraging of her cycling to work but now I'm happy for her to bus it as I worry about that kind of thing happening to her. Having a child makes me worry more thats for sure. I saw the flowers there today saying that they were sorry that the person had died. Initials at the end were "RB cyclist" so perhaps someone who saw the scene and assumed that the woman could not have survived. I phoned "South London Press" newspaper to tell them and they did not know at that time (11am). I assume they will do a story, even if it was not a fatality it is certainly a horrific thing to happen and deserves attention. My wife's spirits were raised seeing the postings of all you people showing sympathy. Sorry for the long post i'm new :)

Sad and unfortunately, all to regular news.

As what could be described as a 'community' here on the foru, the majority of members og which are from London,could something not be done?

A petition, a demonstration perhaps, video evidence of bad/unsafe driving or accident hotspots.

It seems as there are so many of us out there, we could be a voice with some force behind it.

does anyone know who she is or where she is in hospital? maybe we could send her some flowers or something. terrible to hear of yet another accident.

edit: arantrek is right, something must be done to change things.

i really do hope she was as lucky as i was - it seems we were in almost the same position - i am sending all my positive vibes her way.

my thoughts are with her, her friends and family. it is such a horrible time for them.

flowers are a great idea, but some hospitals don't allow them (they say standing water is an infection risk, but i think it's more that it's more work for the nurses). i know that recieving cards and gifts in hospital after my accident made such a difference to me, helped me feel positive when i was really low - and the first guy to me at the scene came to visit me which was amazing, and we are still in touch.

god i hope she is ok

i think that's a really lovely/thoughtful idea, to send something to this lady to let her know we were thinking about her that morning... and to this day, hoping she is okay.

It seems as there are so many of us out there, we could be a voice with some force behind it.

i like this. i think even if something was done at hot-spots where stuff like this happens, i don't know, like painting the railings on spots like this bright yellow... remind drivers who see it to look out/and cyclists alike...

there needs to be an increase in awareness without doubt!

i think even if something was done at hot-spots where stuff like this happens, i don't know, like painting the railings on spots like this bright yellow... remind drivers who see it to look out/and cyclists alike...

I completely agree. I've been thinking about this quite a bit recently, since there's been three fatalities very recently on roads I ride every day. The furthest I got to was maybe painting 'danger zones' in red stripes, or something similar, on the tarmac at dangerous junctions/corners but the trouble with that is it clutters up the road and could get confusing, or conflict with other signage.

This kind of thing wouldn't be a miracle solution, although I think they would help. What we really need is a complete change it attitudes towards all vehicles in urban areas....but in the meantime we have to plant the seed of sensible driving (and riding) in as many road users as possible, and every little will help.

Are we coming to the stage where we need to set up a LFGSS fund where we all chip in a tiny amount each to get flowers and well wishing cards for the daily stream of victims?

Maybe we can find a way of informing riders that most boroughs have provisions for (some) free cycle training? Maybe draw up a list of what area offers what in a leaflet format and be able to hand it out to other cyclists we encounter on the road as well as potential cyclists?

I firmly believe that before politely asking other:

cranky/frustrated/down right fucking stupid/overworked & stressed

road users to 'check themselves' as a way of looking after ourselves we should be pushing for cyclists to take some road safety cycling lessons so we can 'check ourselves' and not contribute to our unnecessarily deaths and injuries by default.

The furthest I got to was maybe painting 'danger zones' in red stripes, or something similar, on the tarmac at dangerous junctions/corners but the trouble with that is it clutters up the road and could get confusing, or conflict with other signage.

I agree this could be confusing, but it would depend how it is done. I think if it was a unique 'recognised' single colour/identity that is obvious to what needs to be highlighted (be aware of cyclists) ...

I come from Belfast myself, and there for example curbs are painted in certain colours to highlight which areas you might be in (making you also aware of which areas to avoid!)

Not exactly the same thing but the same in that colour was used as a representation.

The last fatality I heard about was the tragic death of a lady at elephant and castle. Would it be possible that people on here would be willing to do a friendly 'protest' at the elephant and castle area to spread a general awareness? The more coverage we get on this the better.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery - a broken pelvis is a nasty injury, but thank heavens she will recover.

As for getting back on your bike after hospitalisation - it takes some doing, but you learn to be even more cautious.

The general level of cycling is not that great - almost every day I see a cyclist in a HGV blind spot going straight on at lights -I have started telling them to be more careful, but only get a startled look back.... and some of the risks more experienced looking cyclists take in rush hour madness defies belief... some form of training/risk awareness would save lives.

The signage issue could be difficult to pursue, but definitely worth a try and any pressure we as a community can bring to bear, will be for the common good. In the meantime, would it be possible to share information of accident blackspots via an interactive map - so that cyclist can check over routes and see at a glance areas where they need to be even more careful?

Yes, very willing to do a protest.

Yes, very happy to assist with leafleting passing cyclists about free cycling training in my area. (Actually, I don't know what is available in SE London to be honest and I know I should do some - if only to make sure I know what I do is right.)

Think we could consider leafleting motorists in the ASL with why it matters that they keep it clear. Polite notices to describe its use for cyclists and why many cyclists feel it necessary to RLJ for their own protection.

Not sure about painting kerbs or railings though. Good idea. Just that London is so crowded and busy and ther are so many signs, I just don't think motorists would take it in. The accident blackspots are often because there is too much going on for motorists anyway, so mistakes are made. Adding another thing to that isn't going to help the already overloaded.

I've taken to tapping on the window of cars which are in the ASL and politely saying "Stop line for cars is back there. This is here to make sure I know I am seen by left-turning motorists. It isn't safe to set off from the left of cars at lights, which is why that box was put there. The Met Police are planning a big campaign of fining RLJ cyclists and cars and motorbikes using this box - just to warn you." If every ASL-encroaching motorist at every set of lights had someone tap on their window, the problem would all but cease in a matter of weeks. It'd just be too annoying not to stop.

Likewise, if you see someone on the inside of a heavy vehicle at a junction (and they manage to not get squish) then FFS stop them at the next lights and explain what they have just done...

It doesn't all have to be D-lock justice. We can affect change if we choose to, both in small ways and in larger ones...