Blackfriars Bridge Fatality

I hope that was meant to be humourous?!

otherwise it was in extremely bad taste.

I suspect the bus driver was very traumatised, and may not have been able to drive the bus again for some time - some thought should go to him (or her), especially if it was an accident (which I assume it was).

Jon, what do you think?! Read up the thread a bit for some perspective.

(to Mapmaker)
I have read your comments on the fatality. As a regular cyclist who uses blackfriars bridge twice a day I am quite franky shocked at
(a) the awful event
(b) some of your comments

I just passed the yellow board today and read it. This bridge, and infact most bridges in London are very difficult to navigate by bike. THey are usually slight inclines and have inclines leading up to them. Consequently cyclists are usually quire tired as they are traversing them making the crossing even more challenging.

Council's like to put cycle lanes and bus lanes together, especially on bridges. It makes the council look like it is being cycle friendly, but in reality can be very dangerous. Blackfriars Northbound has a cycle lane right in the middle of the road between lanes 1 and 2 of a 3 carriageway road. It is treacherous, and I have been looking for an alternative route recently. I am saddened by the event and also even more worried now about this bridge.

I'm not going to get into an argument about whether people should use cars/cycle take the bus - but you will notice the recent London Mayor election campaigns have been emphasizing cycling policies in london. This is a hot topic, cycling in London is up 30% on last year.. This is VERY significant! Like it not Cycling in London is here to stay.
I NEVER break the rules of the road. i.e. jump lights, ride on the pavement. There is no point. It hardly improves journey time. And mostly a cyclist can navigate through London without going anywhere near a busy road - there is a whole network of cycle paths that are safe and quick.

YES - I see other cyclists jumping lights
YES - I see other cyclists break the law...
But I also see cyclists abide by the highway code and are quite frankly courteous.
Now lets count the bad drivers in London that break laws - there are too many to start counting.
Some cyclists put their lives at risk at times WITHOUT BRAKING THE LAW - but this is not reckless, this is their choice. The reason cycling is dangerous is because of other road users, NOT cyclists.

The poor cyclist who lost his/her life would be devastated to know that this event has caused you to accuse cyclists of being reckless and inconsiderate because the police had to close the bridge.

I think you should choose your words very carefully. Your comments reek of "Robert Kilroy Silk".



Post edited (13 May 04 18:29)

A sadly prophetic blog entry here

There is a very real problem with bus drivers driving too fast and ignoring basic road safety. I have frequently seen buses racing the lights, failing to stop at pedestrian crossings, and driving in a generally aggressive and dangerous manner.

With so many poorly trained and frankly dangerous bus drivers around it is sheer lunacy to put cycle lanes in bus lanes. The problems caused by poorly trained drivers and dangerous road layout are compounded by the emphasis Tfl put on quick bus journeys and the consequent bonus systems used by bus companiwes (based on quick journey times). this combination is a powder keg for which Tfl and our great mayor are ultimately to blame. I urge you to write to one or both and insist upon better training and discipline for bus drivers and better / safer road planning to keep cyclists and buses apart.

I did not witness the accident but I am told that Vicki (who had recently married) was hit from behind by the bus. There is no excuse for this. Please do what you can to not let it happen again.

All

Traversed Blackfriars Bridge 4 times today. Northbound, the cycle lane is a bit weird but makes sense after the lanes have settled down into three, just beyond the bus stop. If the fatality was northbound then I think I can understand but I don't have an answer.

Southbound on Blackfriars Bridge is a whole load easier because, if you're lucky, you've breezed down Farringdon Rd with the wind in your back and the bridge is easy going.

There is one alternative, and one that I used this evening. The pavements on Blackfriars Bridge are very wide so I cycled gently across the bridge on the southbound side pavement. I give way to pedestrians (even the angry ones) and do everything I can not to annoy anyone but of course I was breaking the rules and, for that, I apologise.

But I think that I'll be doing it again.

Regards to all

Niall

I would like to add my concerns about the safety of the Blackfriars Bridge cycle lane. Long ago I stopped cycling over that particular bridge as the planners appear to have made the route as dangerous as possible.

I mean, a 12 inch wide cycle lane in THE MIDDLE of a four lane carriageway?!!

The safest way to cross the river by bike is the Millennium Bridge (aka wobbly bridge). Yes, I know that strictly speaking it is a pedestrian only bridge, but if you cycle responsibly (give way to all pedestrians and don't race over the bridge) then it's a pleasant way to cross the river.

And please, can the one or two keep-to-the-letter-of-the-law little-Englanders stop saying "get orrffff your bike, this is for pedestrians" stop and think for a minute? Riding a bike on a 20 foot wide bridge shared with pedestrians is not dangerous to either pedestrian or cyclist, whereas attempting to navigate a 1 foot wide cycle lane shared with buses, taxis, lorries and congestion-charged commuters is!

Hold on there with your assumptions and your language pal. I'm not a Little Englander and don't have a high horse. But your zig-zagging in and out of pedestrian traffic, however slowly, is a pain in the neck for those on foot, especially elderly people whose reflexes are shot. Pedestrians are constantly looking out for the rogue rider. If one cyclist does it they all do it. And they're probably not all as civic-minded as you are my friend. All of which has nothing to do with the poor woman who was killed.

"All of which has nothing to do with the poor woman who was killed"

Actually, it has a lot to do with the poor woman who was killed. Cyclists die on the roads because there is not adequate provision for cyclists elsewhere. We are treated as pariahs by city planners, who give scant regard to the needs of cyclist commuters. We are treated as pariahs by pedestrians because of the minority who scare elderly people.

Just to add a further perspective to this debate. I cycle with my four year old daughter on the back of my bike. The bike is far more stable whilst being ridden than walking it over the bridge (a 20kg child sitting on the child-seat sure alters the centre of gravity of a bike when the rider isn't sitting on it). I'm far less of a threat to the other bridge users riding my bike than walking with it (not to mention, less of a threat to my daughter, who wouldn't like the bike falling over whilst she's strapped in the child-seat).

Why is it that in other forward thinking European cities cyclists and pedestrians can and DO share traffic routes with no problem, but over here we get simple minded views of people who say
"But your zig-zagging in and out of pedestrian traffic.... is a pain in the neck for those on foot".

A pain in the neck is very subjective. Analyse the objective accident statistics and you will find that cyclists do not pose a threat to pedestrians on a carriageway that is 20 foot wide.

I believe the accident was on the Northbound carriageway. The cycle lane there is ludicrous. It is a narrow strip caught between buses and other traffic often travelling in excess of 30 mph.

I rarely cycle and am occasionaly annoyed by cyclists who use the pavement. However, on this bridge, only the most pig-headed pedestrian would blame a cyclist for choosing to use the pavement rather than the cycle lane.

Where the accident happened, the (London) buses actualy have to pull away from the bus stop and drive right across the cycle lane. The set up is an invitation to disaster.

Tfl / the roadplanners / Livingstone should have realised this. Vicki was not the first cyclist to be killed at this spot. So long as this road set up persists and so long as Tfl happily encourage bus drivers to go as fast as they can, I fear Vicki's death will not be the last death of a cyclist at this spot.