Cyclist who broke six ribs on CS6 says it is not obvious white line is a raised kerb

A cyclist who broke six ribs after a crash on London’s Cycle Superhighway 6 (CS6) says it is not obvious that the lane dividers on a recently opened stretch are actually raised.

The London Evening Standard reports that Max Hotopf fell after hitting the painted 10cm high ridge that separates cyclists from vehicles in Farringdon Road, just north of the Clerkenwell Road junction.

Transport for London (TfL) said the accident was the first involving the raised white line to be reported to them.

Hotopf said: “I have been cycling on London’s roads for 40 years so I am very experienced. It looked like a normal white line. There was nothing to suggest it was raised. I hit it and went flying and now I have these injuries.

“This is badly thought out and TfL need to come up with some answers. They need to put up warning signs. It’s so easy not to spot the danger.”

This stretch of the cycle superhighway opened last month and campaigners had suggested the vertical-sided kerbs could prove dangerous.

Farringdon Road. Not sure these upstands are a good idea traffic side. No floating bus stop sadly  pic.twitter.com/zUIOkZnJQH

— The Euro Highwayman (@RantyHighwayman) May 11, 2018

Hotopf added: “It’s only a matter of time before someone else is seriously hurt. They need to sort it out — the cycle lane is supposed to keep riders safe, not injure them.”

TfL has launched an investigation and said: “Safety is our top priority and we always closely monitor new cycle lanes.”