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Dramatic footage of Boris Johnson's near miss with lorry
Katharine Barney, City Hall Reporter26.05.09
Boris Johnson today told how he escaped by inches as a lorry hit a parked car and catapulted it in front of his bicycle.
The Mayor and senior members of Transport for London were involved in the near-miss as they looked for potential cycle routes in east London.
The lorry's rear doors flew open after it crossed a speed bump, catching a car and throwing it into the path of the Mayor and the 14 other cyclists in their group, including Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy and transport adviser Kulveer Ranger.
Although Mr Johnson played down the danger in Limehouse, Mr Ranger said: “It's a miracle none of us was hurt. Any one of us could have been killed. I just stopped and thought, Phew, I'm still here'. ”
Mr Johnson said: “I did vaguely notice a rather loud crash and there was a bit of debris caused by the car catapulting through the party.
“It was obvious from the noise that something had gone wrong and when I stopped and turned I could see the debris. Thankfully, no one took a scratch.”
He said the TfL cyclists “greeted the incident with remarkable sang-froid”, adding: “We immediately drew the obvious conclusion that we need emphatically marked cycle lanes. I later chased down a motorist who hooted at us, but I let her off when I found out she'd voted for me.” Mr Ranger said: “We were all pretty much in single file, Boris up ahead and Peter Hendy behind. I heard a scream and a crash and suddenly this car brushed past me and landed on its side next to another.
“Boris immediately stopped and came cycling back and noticed the driver had tried to hold the doors together with a coat hanger. Obviously that hadn't worked, they'd been flung open, and because of the speed at which the driver had been going they scooped up a parked car and flung it along the road.”
Mr Ranger said police were called and a member of the group stayed at the scene in Narrow Street while the rest of the party carried on to the Isle of Dogs.
The driver was interviewed under caution but not arrested. He was released after being reported for two motoring offences, driving without due care and attention and keeping a vehicle in a dangerous condition.
Mr Johnson was today launching his £115 million “cycle revolution” with plans for properly-marked “Cycle Super Highways” on key routes in central London.
He said: “This incident reinforces the need for us to make London's roads safer for cyclists, which I am determined to do and to make London the best city for cyclists in Europe.
“If that had been a Super Highway' the driver would have been aware there would be cyclists and it wasn't safe to be catapulting cars about.
“Cycle Super Highways, which are part of our record investment in cycling, will play a central role in this, providing demarcated routes for cyclists that lorry drivers and others will be aware of.”
Reader views (38)
This article is not about irritating people riding on pavements, it's about a close escape from death.
- Richard, London
"I was verbally abused again this morning by a piece of lycra-clad low-life riding on the pavement."
If you listen to George from London - Peter - then apparently she was cycling on the road !
- Keith Price, Luton, England
Why, oh why do the police continue to do absolutely nothing about the arrogant boors who cycle on pavements and ignroe red lights? Come on Mayor's office and met Police, we know you read these sites - answer the question. I was verbally abused again this morning by a piece of lycra-clad low-life riding on the pavement.
I agree fully with others writing here: it absolutely must stop. Simple really: heavy fines.
- Peter, Greenwich, UK
Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx, Cycles Out Of London, London & any other anti-cyclist nazis: The main risk to cyclists is from drivers with attitudes like yours. Bikes will always be on londons road, so move on & whinge about somethings else.
- Dom, London
"cyclists CAN ride two abreast without being considered as causing an obstruction. Again, its legal."
You mean there are TWO Borises who cycle on the pavements of London ? It is so hypocritical for a mayor who is responsible for all the aspects of safety on London's roads to continue to run red lights and cycle on the pavements. No wonder Boris has tols us he is going
- Keith Price, Luton, England
And let's not forget the safety of pedestrians which is treated in a cavalier manner by all too many cyclists who seem to have an arrogant notion of their own entitlement.
Riding through red lights, on pavements weaving between walkers, flat out on pavements, turning corners with a total disregard for people crossing. And so on.
You know what you do. Stop it.
- Mike Newland, London, England
Keith Price
Not deluded, sorry. I just know what the legal definition of a footpath is, and it is only confined to footpaths next to roadways - its in the Road Traffic Act if you care to look it up. BTW, I'm also a pedestrian more frequently than I am a driver, or a cyclists.
And while we're pointing out the niceties of the Road Traffic Acts, and the Highway Code, cyclists CAN ride two abreast without being considered as causing an obstruction. Again, its legal.
- George, London
Boris says "If that had been a 'Super Highway' the driver would have been aware there would be cyclists and it wasn't safe to be catapulting cars about."
Whilst I am strongly in favour of bike lanes - and not just in London - I think that this driver's complete disregard for safety (securing his back doors with a coat hanger!) means he would probably be very unlikely to take extra care around cyclists. But I'm glad that none of these cyclists was hurt.
- Ruth Fitch, Kettering
Good job it didn't hit Boris - imagine the damage that would do to a lorry!!
- D.W., London
"All Boris did was ride along a footway that wasn't a pavement. "
er.....you are seriously deluded, mad George
- Keith Price, Luton, England
How does this story manage to bring out such bicycle facism? From both sides.. That he was on his bike was incidental - a pedestrian would have suffered the same close call.
In his own style, Boris played down the event and then used the publicity to plug his plans. He didn't really believe some paint would have saved him, he was just plugging his plan with his own style of humor!
I think there should be comprehension tests before comments are allowed..
That's right George, you can also park on those bits without being liable for a parking fine (though they will still give ticket!)
- John Garde, Central London
Cyclists used to ride one behind each other and therefore both be more safer and take up less roadspace. But now they think (with Boris as mayor) they own the road and can take up as much roadspace as possible and when an incident occurs its always the Lorry and more particulary Artic Bus fault.
What a pity a police officer did not arrest this group of cyclists for the cycling equivelent of dangerous driving.
As Boris was there this is the Mayoral equivelent to the expenses scandal with one law for him and his cronies and one law for the rest of us.
Never mind next year there will be up to 30,000 more vehicles in west london so he better avoid the area!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
If this incident proves anything surely it is that speed bumps don't slow speeding lorries down at all, but do cause dangerous lorries to break open. The cycling angle to this story is completely irrelevant, it's equally incredibly lucky that pedestrians or other motorists weren't injured, not just cyclists. Need to find another way to slow speeding and dangerous motorists down - speed bumps are clearly more danger than they're worth.
- Ian, London
Strangely enough, I did Goggle for 'Boris Johnson cycling on pavement', only to discover that, erm, he didn't. Legally, a pavement is only the bit that runs alongside (ie, parallel to) the roadway. Anything else is fair game, unless specifically banned and signposted (so paths in parks, 'pedestrian bridges', Leicester Square (the north end) are not 'footpaths'). All he did was ride along a footway that wasn't a pavement.
- George, London
Phew! Close shave. Wouldn't be if these narrow streets were pedestrianised and lorries prevented from entering them. Johnson should learn from this experience and increase the congestion charge and extend its remit around London.
- Dhan Raj, basildon
I'm thinking of buying a Range Rover to deal with speed bumps.
- Simon, London
I think a far better suggestion would be to ban 'Sarah Bradshaw' from making any more comments on articles relating to cycling. She's like a stuck record, who obviously doesn't have anything better to do than take any opportunity she can to criticise cyclists. Yawn. On your bike, Sarah!
- Lesley, Hastings, UK
Boris, Hendy, Ranger et al would be a lot more useful to the vast majority of Londoners if they gave the same level of attention to sorting out the complete mess that TfL deliberately made of London's traffic under the previous car hating Mayor as they are to pandering to the loud but little cycling lobby.
- Captain Slow, London, UK
Time that "speed bumps" were done away with. The slowing down and accelerating of vehicles engines increases the CO/2 emissions from the vehicle and these obstructions cause a lot of damage to tyres, steering and suspension mechanisms.
- Albert Hall, hove england
Keith G Skelton says: "...ban all commercial traffic in London's inner city section throughout the day..."
I say ban the bloody bikes then they wouldn't be putting themselves at risk!!!
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx
An excellent local cycling blog, 'Crap Waltham Forest', makes the point that since nobody was hurt, this appalling event will not figure in the statistics. Something is very wrong if this is so.
- Mdj E10, london uk
Better luck next time!
- Mike, London England
Just another prove that London needs to ban cycles from roads, not welcome them like what the present and the previous Mayors have done.
What London needs is Amsterdam-style bike lanes which run alongside main roads but are completely segregated from vehicle traffic. Unfortunately, we don't have space for that and the more bicycles on the street, the more we will see near-misses, cyclists crushed to death by lorries, run over by cars etc...or make more cycle routes that do not meet vehicle traffic (not many at the moment!)
- Cycles Out Of London, London
"I dont remember Boris ever cycling on the pavement? I dont know where you get that from, Keith?"
Just type BORIS JOHNSON CYCLING ON THE PAVEMENT and see how many films and photographs there are. He looks hilarious just ignoring all the cycling rules that he makes Londoners abide by. So hypocritical.
- Keith Price, Luton, England
I did not know Ken had a HGV licence.
- Gary, Uk
Kimberley of London
Sorry to break it to you: Boris is the Mayor of London and not the new Messiah.
If you really think that he is the only one keeping us safe in these dangerous times (forget of course that the first and second world wars, the cold war, the Cuban missle crisis and the great depression ever happened) and that the police, armed forces, and all the myriad of other people and organsiations who perform vital roles in this respect do not matter, then it is time you had a visit from the men in flapping white coats. Don't worry, dear, they will look after you in a place of safety.
- William, London
Boris is nearly killed and says it proves we need some white paint splashed down to denote a new cycle lane! The man's an idiot, how can a cycle lane protect a cyclist? This highlights the same old same old problem that engineering will make the roads safer!
- Steve Bullard, Bow
He said the TfL cyclists greeted the incident with remarkable sang-froid,
adding: We immediately drew the obvious conclusion that we need
emphatically marked cycle lanes."
Wow, Boris must have some *really*, *really* magic white paint up his
sleeves if it's going to protect cyclists from cars being hurled across
the road.
- Michael Coleman, Barnes
I dont remember Boris ever cycling on the pavement? I dont know where you get that from, Keith?
- Djc, hampshire, england
I'm certainly not Boris's biggest fan, but I'm very glad to see that nobody from him and his team was injured in what could potentially have been a far worse accident.
Hopefully this brush with death may convince Boris and his team of the necessity for investment in *segregated* cycle lanes. We can but hope.
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall
Is Kimberely from London drunk
or just a PR person from CIty Hall.
- Jen London, London
Keith in Colombo - Ken is history Boris is our mayor now get over it.
- Mr S.Port, London
This must be the first time Boris has appeared cycling on the road and not on the pavement. He makes the roles of the road for London but can't manage to abide by them
- Keith Price, Luton, England
I was absolutely shocked when I saw the footage and hope Boris is well. If anything happened to our wonderful Mayor I would be absolutely gutted. If anything serious was to happen to him I'm not sure I would be able to cope, he is the only one who can keep us safe in these dangerous times.
- Kimberley, London
Keith in Colombo-
Boris will do exactly what Ken did- then claim it as his idea (with a couple of pointless tweaks).
- Fresh, London
time to re introduce what Ken Livingston did many years ago-ban all commercial traffic in London's inner city section throughout the day and reduce public transport costs -it worked amazingly well.
Additionally the lorry owner should have a case to answer !!
- Keith G Skelton, Colombo : Sri Lanka
Boris was nowhere near when the accident happened. As you can plainly see from the footage.
- John Smith, London , England
I note that the doors were thrown open as the driver went over a speed hump. I used to live on Narrow Street and vans and lorries used to wallop those speed humps at full tilt whilst those bumps knocked the stuffing out of the suspension and exhaust of our little fiesta doing 10mph. Yes those speed bumps really help road safety.
- David In London, London
