Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

cyclist hit tonight?

Cyclist hit by a car tonight; I'd guess at about 6pm tonight. Near the pelican crossing where New River crosses Green Lanes, Northbound direction.

The traffic was delayed, police & ambulance attending, it did not look nice!

I cycle down that hill at least 3 times a week, there are 1 or 2 nasty potholes by that crossing. Of course this is my speculation but maybe the cyclist hit a pothole & then collided with a passing car.

I hope the rider is OK, if anyone has more info please post here.

If I'm right (above) then the council is at fault for the pothole (plus the street lighting is poor) &, if the car was overtaking the cyclist, the motorist would be at fault for passing too closely.

Furthermore: there was another ambulance positioned further North; under the railway bridge. (I did see a bicycle leaning against the wall but no-one lying on the road).

Motorists: please don't overtake cyclists when it is not safe (they may suddenly wobble if there is a pothole).

Cyclists: please overtake motorists on the right, it's safer than passing down the left by the curb. AND, move out into the centre of the lane to prevent motorists from overtaking you if it is not safe for them to do so (use your position to control the traffic behind you, the gutter is the most dangerous place to ride).

Tags for Forum Posts: cyclist

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Permalink Reply by Alison P on December 2, 2013 at 21:09

I've stumbled on to this discussion a few days late. I hope the cyclist is ok - does anyone know?

Personally I have almost given up cycling on this stretch of GL, even though the post Alan kindly links to from 2009 did end up seeing some improvements. The combination of bad light, poor road conditions, the need to switch lanes if you are going straight on at Endymion Rd, and the traffic speed make it, for me, worth braving Wightman Road and a cumbersome alternative route around Finsbury Park. It's the last issue (speed) that makes it really tricky - is all very well to say that cyclists should hold their own in the centre of the lane if that's what is safest, but I'm not a speedy cyclist and it feels profoundly unsafe for me to be in the middle of a bumpy and bad lit road with cars piling up (metaphorically, I hope ;)), behind me. So now I have found another route. Good luck to everyone in their quest to get it sorted though.

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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on November 28, 2013 at 14:09

Tris. I think you are being a bit unfair. No cyclist acts so belligerently so as to not be aware of the road conditions, and it is not unreasonable to assume someone coming down hill will allow themselves to be taken by their momentum, especially not having expended so much energy going up said hill.

I am not being funny, but have you ever cycled, and I mean for more than recreational reasons? If so you will surely recognise how a cyclist will react to a hill. As to pot holes, no bike will allow you to ride over a pot hole and there be no impact felt, urban bikes are just not designed like that- unless you are riding a down hill bike like this- with the right gear on and accepting it cannot be cycled up hill...

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Permalink Reply by Gerry Platt on November 28, 2013 at 18:39

Tris,

firstly please note that I did say that I was speculating. I feel attacked when you, wrongly, accuse me of blaming, which you've done in your above reply. I prefer that discussions such as these are not antagonistic; if my post is such then I apologise.

Please note that I really do want cyclists, as well as motorists, to improve their danger awareness. That's why I included the following:

"Cyclists: please overtake motorists on the right, it's safer than passing down the left by the curb. AND, move out into the centre of the lane to prevent motorists from overtaking you if it is not safe for them to do so (use your position to control the traffic behind you, the gutter is the most dangerous place to ride)".

So of course the cyclist has responsibilities. As far as cycling speed is concerned it's a catch-22. I think it's safer to cycle at the same speed as the motorists (easy going down hill in this scenario) in order to prevent dangerous overtakes but, as you point out, this gives less time to react to potholes.

As I know that the pothole is there; I am already further out into the centre of the lane (there are 2 lanes Northbound at this section of the road) as I approach the danger.

If motorists are complaint with the Highway Code; a cyclist should be able to react suddenly ("swerving") to a pothole without danger. See rule 213: "Motorcyclists and cyclists may suddenly need to avoid uneven road surfaces and obstacles such as drain covers or oily, wet or icy patches on the road. Give them plenty of room and pay particular attention to any sudden change of direction they may have to make".

https://www.gov.uk/road-users-requiring-extra-care-204-to-225/motor...

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Permalink Reply by Gerry Platt on November 28, 2013 at 19:17

Tris,

we are on the same song-sheet. I could have written all of the above (even my commute is to SE1); there seem to be 2 dysfunctional cultures (a minority of motorists & a minority of cyclists) generating hazards.

However I do believe that we need to keep the pressure on Boris & TfL. Ken Livingston adopted the principle of the "Hierarchy of Vulnerability" (pedestrians being the most vulnerable), Johnson abolished it; his priority is to keep the motorised traffic flowing smoothly!

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Permalink Reply by John D on November 28, 2013 at 22:15

I've seen a lot of provocative threads like this, started when someone " speculates " Much better to stick to the facts so you don't get mired into a cyclists v potholes v motorists v councils argument. You might as well speculate that the cyclist was hit by lightning.

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Permalink Reply by PaulG on November 29, 2013 at 13:14

Good response Tris

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Permalink Reply by Adam on November 27, 2013 at 23:05

I contacted the tree officer at Hackney who is responsible for this area. There is a tree at this location which needs to be cutback as it is blocking all of the light from the street lamps. The tree officer agreed to do this, and said that it would be cut back. That was well over a year ago, and it still hasn't been been done.

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Permalink Reply by Ruth on November 28, 2013 at 9:31

Thanks Adam.

That's why it's dark along there, trees blocking the lights and all this time it was meant to be done but didn't get done. Once again, it takes an accident to maybe get something done …. even if the the poor lighting wasn't the cause of this accident surely it's time the trees were cut back on such a major thoroughfare.