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Protesters against “reckless” cyclists block Hackney street

Residents of Blackstone Estate want cycle path put in London Fields so cyclists don't pass in front of their homes...

Protesters against “reckless” cyclists – including a mother who says her son was left with a facial scar after he was knocked over by someone on a bike who immediately rode off – have blocked a street in the London Borough of Hackney.

Residents of the Blackstone Estate, which borders London Fields, are calling on the local council to put a bike lane in the park itself to avoid conflict between cyclists and pedestrians outside their homes, reports the Hackney Gazette.

The newspaper reports that yesterday morning, some of the people living on the estate, holding placards, put up fences on London Fields West Side, meaning that cyclists either had to make a diversion or dismount to get through.

They also asked passers-by – whom the Hackney Gazette described as “confused” – to sign a petition campaigning for a cycle path to be installed so that people can ride through the park itself – although as we have previously reported here on road.cc, there have been concerns about people riding too fast there, leading the council to install speed monitors.

One resident said: “Children come out here on their way to school and they can hear a car but they can't hear a bike. Kids have fallen down and been injured badly.”

Another, Jacqueline Hoilett, spoke of how her son had been knocked over by a cyclist who rode off afterwards.

She said: “He literally just stepped onto the path and the bike just hit him and he went flying over the handlebars and fell in the middle of the tarmac. The cyclist was an adult man and just cycled off. He has a scar on his head now.

“I understand bikes are good for the environment, but the council aren't thinking about the crossover between the environment and people's immediate safety,” she added.

According to the Hackney Gazette’s report, the council has proposed putting shrubs and flowerbeds outside the houses, but the protesters do not think that will resolve the situation.

Cyclists trying to make their way through acknowledged that while there may be a problem at the location, targeting them wasn’t the solution.

One said: “This is a public highway, and there's no sign to say it's not. There's clearly a lot of issues here with regard to what this space actually is, but lone cyclists really aren't the problem. What you're doing here is segregating yourselves.”

Another, Andy Wilkinson, said: “I can see their perspective and it is a really busy area. There needs to be a bit of infrastructure here that helps both sides, but cyclists are generally really considerate people.”

In 2017, we reported how parents of children at London Fields Primary School, which lies across the park, had different concerns – calling for cars to be banned at the time students arrive at the school and leave it, due to air pollution.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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45 comments

Avatar
leaway2 replied to Sriracha | 5 years ago
3 likes
Sriracha wrote:

Let's be clear here, it is residents, not the bogeymen motorists, who are complaining about cyclists. There comes a point where cyclists should listen and try to understand the other person's point of view.

I think you've wandered into the wrong forum, mate  3

Avatar
leaway2 replied to Sriracha | 5 years ago
2 likes
Sriracha wrote:

Let's be clear here, it is residents, not the bogeymen motorists, who are complaining about cyclists. There comes a point where cyclists should listen and try to understand the other person's point of view.

I think you've wandered into the wrong forum, mate  3

Avatar
brooksby replied to leaway2 | 5 years ago
19 likes

leaway2 wrote:
Sriracha wrote:

Let's be clear here, it is residents, not the bogeymen motorists, who are complaining about cyclists. There comes a point where cyclists should listen and try to understand the other person's point of view.

I think you've wandered into the wrong forum, mate  3

I think you clicked 'post' too many times, mate  3

Avatar
brooksby replied to Sriracha | 5 years ago
11 likes

Sriracha wrote:

Let's be clear here, it is residents, not the bogeymen motorists, who are complaining about cyclists. There comes a point where cyclists should listen and try to understand the other person's point of view.

I missed the bit where they're petitioning for the road to be closed to all vehicles for the safety of their children...  Oh, right, just want the pesky cyclists banned, then... 

Avatar
Legs_Eleven_Wor... replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
3 likes

brooksby wrote:

Sriracha wrote:

Let's be clear here, it is residents, not the bogeymen motorists, who are complaining about cyclists. There comes a point where cyclists should listen and try to understand the other person's point of view.

I missed the bit where they're petitioning for the road to be closed to all vehicles for the safety of their children...  Oh, right, just want the pesky cyclists banned, then... 

The crass stupidity of the masses makes me despair.

The World Health Organisation reported 1.35 million people killed by vehicle operators in 2016 (Global status report on road safety 2018 WHO/NMH/NVI/18.20), the majority by use of excess speed, intoxication and 'distraction' caused by the use of mobile devices.

But these thick c**ts want bikes banned.

Any other human activity which resulted in the death of 3,699 deaths every single day, would be a public health emergency in every country on earth.   But it's vehicles and their operators, so well... LOOK, A CYCLIST ISN'T WEARING HI-VIZ!!!!!

Avatar
burtthebike replied to Legs_Eleven_Worcester | 5 years ago
3 likes

Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Sriracha wrote:

Let's be clear here, it is residents, not the bogeymen motorists, who are complaining about cyclists. There comes a point where cyclists should listen and try to understand the other person's point of view.

I missed the bit where they're petitioning for the road to be closed to all vehicles for the safety of their children...  Oh, right, just want the pesky cyclists banned, then... 

The crass stupidity of the masses makes me despair.

The World Health Organisation reported 1.35 million people killed by vehicle operators in 2016 (Global status report on road safety 2018 WHO/NMH/NVI/18.20), the majority by use of excess speed, intoxication and 'distraction' caused by the use of mobile devices.

But these thick c**ts want bikes banned.

Any other human activity which resulted in the death of 3,699 deaths every single day, would be a public health emergency in every country on earth.   But it's vehicles and their operators, so well... LOOK, A CYCLIST ISN'T WEARING HI-VIZ!!!!!

And don't forget the number of children made ill by the pollution from cars.  But let's ban cyclists.

Avatar
TriTaxMan replied to Sriracha | 5 years ago
11 likes

Sriracha wrote:

Let's be clear here, it is residents, not the bogeymen motorists, who are complaining about cyclists. There comes a point where cyclists should listen and try to understand the other person's point of view.

Yes  lets understand the residents point of view. 

They don't want cyclists there because a few of their children have been injured because they could not be bothered to teach their children to Stop Look and Listen.  Because it is easier to blame cyclists rather than take responsibility for their own failings.

I can't wait for them to protest to stop electric cars going down their street because one of their children steps out in front of one.  Because I bet it will be the drivers fault not the childs fault.

As a cyclist there is only so much you can do to avoid accidents.  There may be some of the incidents that are the fault of the cyclists but equally some the fault of the people walking in front of them.  I can pretty much guarantee that at least once on every commute to work that I will have someone (most likely a teenager preoccupied on their phone) will walk out on the road in front of me on a 300m section of quiet one way road..... because they simply don't look.... they just listen

Avatar
rjfrussell replied to Sriracha | 5 years ago
1 like

Sriracha wrote:

Let's be clear here, it is residents, not the bogeymen motorists, who are complaining about cyclists. There comes a point where cyclists should listen and try to understand the other person's point of view.

 

I agree entirely with this, and disagree entirely with the tone and content of most of the posts.

 

We DO rely on our hearing as well as sight for our road safety.  In that respect (but obviousy not in many other respects) cyclists do present a greater, or at least different risk to pedestrians.

Children do pay less attention than adults.

If adults do not hear any cars, they may be less concerned about little Mohammed or Jane stepping off the pavement.

I don't think it is a helpful approach, to, in effect, put all the blame on the pedestrians/ children.  All road users need to cooperate to maximise the safety of all.

Avatar
arowland replied to Sriracha | 5 years ago
5 likes

Sriracha wrote:

Let's be clear here, it is residents, not the bogeymen motorists, who are complaining about cyclists. There comes a point where cyclists should listen and try to understand the other person's point of view.

I agree; but there is another point of view too. I know I keep banging on about it here, but what about road design?

Looking at the photo, it appears that the pavement on the right stops after a short distance. From then on, the properties give directly onto the road. Anyone emerging from a gate will step right into the way of any vehicles on the road. There is a pavement on the opposite side of the road, and parking is permitted on the opposite side so that traffic is forced over to the right-hand side as we look at it, i.e. close to those entrances.

The solution seems obvious: move the pavement to the other side of the road so that pedestrians step out of their properties onto a pavement where there will be no wheeled traffic of any description.  Take away the pavement on the other side and move the parking bays into the same space -- they can probably be fitted in between the existing lampposts, keeping the cost of the project fairly low.

Sensible design versus thoughtless design -- and as always, the people involved blame each other rather than the planner.

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brooksby | 5 years ago
0 likes

Duplicate post - sorry 

Avatar
brooksby | 5 years ago
4 likes

Quote:

a petition campaigning for a cycle path to be installed so that people can ride through the park itself

Except that as soon as the council proposes to do that, these Very Same People will - I have no doubt - start protesting that that's dangerous, too ("Oh, won't somebody think of the children?"

Avatar
brooksby | 5 years ago
11 likes

Quote:

some of the people living on the estate, holding placards, put up fences on London Fields West Side, meaning that cyclists either had to make a diversion or dismount to get through.

I trust the Met came and had a stern word with these people who were stopping other people from making lawful use of the highway...

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Rick_Rude | 5 years ago
6 likes

I wonder how many of those same pedestrians forget all about road safety in their cars?

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jh27 | 5 years ago
13 likes

'“Children come out here on their way to school and they can hear a car but they can't hear a bike. Kids have fallen down and been injured badly.”'

I wonder are there a lot of blind children in the area, going around injuring cyclists?

 

'She said: “He literally just stepped onto the path and the bike just hit him and he went flying over the handlebars and fell in the middle of the tarmac. The cyclist was an adult man and just cycled off. He has a scar on his head now.'

 

I don't see much path on the photo, mainly a road, is she saying her child stepped into the road without looking and knocked someone off their bike?  Her child apparently landed 'in the middle of the tarmac' which suggests he ran into the road. Also who went over the handlebars, I can't imagine an collision where a 7y/o pedestrian colliding with a bicycle would go over the handle bars.

 

They definitely need some improvements there to protect cyclists from under-supervised children.

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zanf replied to jh27 | 5 years ago
15 likes

jh27 wrote:

'“Children come out here on their way to school and they can hear a car but they can't hear a bike. Kids have fallen down and been injured badly.”'

I wonder are there a lot of blind children in the area, going around injuring cyclists?

If they teach their kids to cross the road only by listening then they are in for a nasty surprise with the increasing numbers of electric cars!

Parents: its called "The Green Cross Code". Be responsible parents and f'king teach your kids it!

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