On Thursday morning, a tragic incident occurred on Battersea Bridge in south London, resulting in the loss of a cyclist’s life. The collision involved a lorry, and emergency responders from the London Fire Brigade and Metropolitan Police swiftly arrived at the scene before 8am.
Regrettably, the absence of dedicated cycle lanes on the bridge has been highlighted. The collision claimed the life of a woman cyclist, and she was pronounced deceased at the site of the accident.
The driver of the lorry failed to halt at the scene, but law enforcement authorities have successfully located and identified the individual. Ongoing investigations are being conducted by the authorities to gather more information.
Efforts are being made by the police to notify the family of the deceased woman, and this process is currently underway.
The Metropolitan Police have implemented cordons to secure the area, resulting in the closure of Battersea Bridge at both of its ends. This situation has led to significant traffic disruptions, with reported impacts reaching as far as Clapham Junction. It’s important to note that the nearby Wandsworth Bridge is also presently closed due to repair work.
Witness Richard Ollington told the Standard: “A lady had fallen off her bike, she was on the floor.
“The bike had been ruined, the front wheel was bent and… it was clear that the situation wasn’t good.”
At the scene, two compassionate men, who happened to be in a white van, promptly came to the aid of the fallen woman in the northbound lane before the arrival of emergency services, as recounted by Mr. Ollington.
Expressing concern for public safety, Mr. Ollington labeled Battersea Bridge as hazardous and reiterated his plea for the installation of dedicated cycle lanes.
A tragic incident occurred in Fitzrovia in May, where a man in his twenties lost his life following a collision with a lorry.
Transport for London (TfL) released data in May indicating a decrease in cycling-related fatalities in London, with seven recorded in 2022 compared to ten in 2021.
Nonetheless, it is crucial to note that the overall count of cyclists either killed or seriously injured remains significantly higher—39 percent—compared to the baseline established from 2005 to 2009, which TfL employs to gauge its road safety efforts.
Between November and January 2023, TfL conducted a public consultation to gather input on proposals aimed at enhancing safety within the Battersea Bridge vicinity.
In a subsequent development in June, TfL unveiled intentions to enhance safety measures at the northern terminus of the bridge. These improvements are slated to commence either during the upcoming winter of this year or in 2024.
In the consultation report, TfL said: “Unfortunately, due to the physical constraints of this listed structure, it is not possible to provide cycle lanes on Battersea Bridge.
“The priority is to ensure cyclists can safely navigate the junctions as this is where collisions are most likely to occur.”
The implementation of safety enhancements follows the tragic incident involving the loss of Jack Ryan’s life on Battersea Bridge in January 2021.
Jack Ryan, a 29-year-old marketing manager, tragically lost his life in what is believed to have been a collision with a Range Rover near the northern section of the bridge while he was engaged in jogging.