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Please be courteous on road says injured cyclist
David Williams, Motoring Editor31 Jul 2008
A cycling crusader today launched a plea for courtesy on the roads - after being knocked off her bike.
Jenny Jones, who was road safety ambassador for Ken Livingstone, broke a wrist in the collision with a car at Elephant and Castle roundabout.
She is now convalescing after having a metal plate inserted in her left lower arm by surgeons at St Thomas' Hospital.
Ms Jones, a Green party member of the London Assembly who campaigns on behalf of London's cyclists, blamed everyone being "in too much of a hurry". She said: "Motorists have got used to just pulling away when the lights go amber but they shouldn't. They should wait until the light is green. Drivers are just so determined not to let anything hold them up.
"We have spent years trying to shift the balance so that drivers, who have every right to be on the roads, do not have preeminence and that work must continue. Cyclists too must follow the rules. It makes me angry when I see cyclists go through red lights. I never do. It just annoys motorists and puts cyclists' lives at risk.
Cyclists should not ride on pavements - it scares pedestrians. Basically, we must all show each other a lot more courtesy or there will be more accidents like this."
Ms Jones's accident happened two weeks ago as she was cycling home to Southwark after a nighttime speaking engagement.
She was negotiating a combined cycle and pedestrian crossing when the car clipped her rear wheel. The impact rammed her bicycle into the kerb, hurling her into the opposite carriageway. She was tended by a passer-by and the motorist called for an ambulance.
Ms Jones, who is recuperating at her daughter's home in Dorset, said: "It was extremely painful. My hand, arm and wrist were distorted - it was a bit of a mess. People were turning away feeling slightly sick." She will have her arm in plaster for six weeks but will return to work part-time this week.
Police did not attend and she does not expect any charges to follow. She said: "It seems the driver did not see me. He was mortified. He left his car in the road and immediately came to help."
Ms Jones was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. "It is a matter of individual choice," she said. "I never wear a helmet."
Reader views (12)
How about cyclists being courteous!
I've lost count of the number of times I've nearly been knocked over, by a cyclist jumping a red light. Do they think they are a law unto themselves?
Worst offenders are the ones en route between Euston and Regents park.
- Triffid Queen, London, 15/08/2008 16:57
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Until all cyclists respect and and stop breaking the law they simply cannot expect the respect of other road users.I was recently in Denmark. British cyclists should take a look. Simon from East London I have not seen one cyclist fined for going through a red light. Running a red is probably the most dangerous thing a road user can do. I can confirm this as a victim of a cyclist running a red at 15 MPH
- Jason Laskey, London, 13/08/2008 00:44
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I've just heard, that a friend of the family, living in London, was last night knocked off his bike by a cement truck.
He's now in ICU, with a broken neck, head injuries, and other broken bones. His dad was taken to London by police, to be with him. James, we're all praying for you.
- Kimberley, New England, 12/08/2008 10:32
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Andy - why should pedestrians have to wait longer? - in the rain they are the ones getting wet.
- Paul, Teddington, 07/08/2008 21:40
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I was nearly clipped by a taxi driver as he rushed past but was halted at the next traffic lights. I asked who taught him to drive, Lewis Hamilton? There is no point in driving fast, as you get to the next traffic lights that bit quicker. Also drivers should respect the green zone at traffic lights reserved for cyclists, I have not seen once a motorist fined for stopping in this area.
- Simon, East London, 07/08/2008 21:22
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Unlike pedestrians, cycles and horses, motorists do not have a right to be on the road. They and their vehicles are there by license.
- Jonathan Schneider, Cambridge, 07/08/2008 06:26
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When are we going to hear about cyclists having responsibilities too? And what about doing as in sensible Brighton and give out £30 fines for riding on footpaths .... Well Boris Johnson?
- Vince London, West London, 07/08/2008 02:17
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Safe cycle routes in London? Where? I know of some which drivers *think* must be safe, but most of them place the cyclist out of the drivers' field of view, remove priority at junctions, are unmaintained and in sundry other ways significantly less safe than the perfectly good road network. Cycling is, according to the figures, about as safe as walking, there's no need to run for the "bicycle Bantustans", all people need to do is learn to share the road. In central London this seems to work just nicely, perhaps because the balance is more towards professional drivers (taxis and buses). Nobody's perfect, of course, but Jenny Jones' comments are absolutely on the money. Show courtesy, share the road, and don't be in such a rush to get to the next traffic jam.
- Guy Chapman, Reading, UK (London commuter), 06/08/2008 21:44
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@Mike, Sunbury
There are many safe cycle routes in and around London such as along the A316 and around the Hyde Park Constitution Hill area.... Use the cycle paths please.
Of course! Why didn't Jenny Jones think of this herself? The A316 (in Chiswick) and Constitution Hill (Green Park) are such obvious shortcuts for any cyclist travelling through Elephant & Castle that Jenny Jones has only herself to blame for being knocked off her bike by an inattentive motorist.
- Cj Devlin, London, 06/08/2008 14:55
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There are many safe cycle routes in and around London such as along the A316 and around the Hyde Park Constitution Hill area and yet cyclists prefer to wobble around in the roads with the cars and buses! It is dangerous for the riders and the drivers alike. I agree that a little less selfishness is necessary. Use the cycle paths please.
- Mike, Sunbury UK, 05/08/2008 12:39
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Andy - well that's one view point, but my experience is that signals are really not prioritised in favour of pedestrians much in London either and reducing the priorities any further will hardly improve road safety will it as it will just encourage pedestrians to cross on red signals and in unsafe places - as if they don't far too much already.
Yes you feel frustrated at waiting at junctions but that's no reason to take it out on the nearest cyclist. Besides, why you accelerate hard from one set of lights when you'll be screeching to halt at the next set 20 seconds up the road is beyond me. Drive slow, drive safe and you'll probably get there in the same time anyway.
- Nigel, London, 04/08/2008 12:01
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Jenny Jones can hardly be surprised that motorists are in such a hurry, since all the traffic light sequences have been altered so that car drivers spend so much time sitting at red lights.
Whilst I feel sorry she has been hurt instead of promoting policies to antagonise motorists she should advocate switching traffic light priorities away from pedestrians. For example change sequences so they only allow pedestrians to cross once every other cycle.
- Andy, London, 31/07/2008 23:43
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