An injured cyclist has sued a London council after breaking both his elbows and jaw when he hit a bike lane barrier and ‘could have been killed.’
Greg Simmons, 36, was riding around a bus in a cycle lane in Edmonton, north London, in February last year when he hit a plastic lane divider and was catapulted from his bike.
Most dividers are meant to have poles on them which alert cyclists to the road safety measure but the one Mr Simmons hit on Hertford Road did not, his lawyers said.
A screenwriter from Edmonton, Mr Simmons is still unable to straighten his left arm a year after the crash and is now taking legal action against Enfield Council through Osborne Law.
Recalling the moment he was thrown from his bike, Mr Simmons, said: ‘I looked to pull around a bus and the next minute I was flying through the air over my handlebars.
‘It was just a split second but felt like it lasted for ages and I remember thinking “this isn’t going to be good”.
‘I had hit a large piece of plastic on the side of the cycle lane which had no reason being there.
‘The council said it ‘wasn’t defective’ as it wasn’t meant to have poles in it, so why have it there it there in the first place as it is extremely dangerous for cyclists.
Mr Simmons, pictured on a walk, was thrown from his bike after he hit a cycle lane divider in February last year
The 36-year-old screenwriter from Edmonton hit a cycle lane divider that did not have poles, his lawyers said
Mr Simmons, pictured on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, broke both his elbows and jaw in the crash
‘I am lucky that there wasn’t any traffic as I could have been killed.’
Mr Simmons said that an accident of this nature ‘could happen to someone else who may not be as lucky.’
He continued: ‘The divider is so dangerous without a wand. It’s the same colour as the road and has no reflectors, making it almost impossible to spot when travelling at speed, especially when coupled with other dividers that do have wands.’
‘The safety measures are really inconsistent. They need to change that to stop this happening to someone else.’
Megan Lambert, a specialist personal injury lawyer from Osborne Law, said: ‘My client suffered serious injuries through no fault of his own because of a safety measure that the council installed.
‘He has suffered considerable harm and distress, which has been compounded by the council denying liability.
‘I would urge them to reconsider their position and settle this matter as soon as possible.’
An Enfield Council spokesman said: ‘As the cyclist is taking legal action against Enfield Council, we are unable to comment at this time.’
Richard Lander sued Croydon Council after shattering his wrist following an accident involving a road ‘safety measure’
Pictured: Doctors installed metal plates in Mr Lander’s wrist, but the father still says he is in pain and doesn’t know when or if he’ll be able to cycle again
A 63-year-old father-of-two also crashed his bike after hitting a similar black road ‘safety measure’.
Richard Lander was cycling down a busy road in Croydon, south London, when he came out of the cycle lane to overtake a bus which had pulled into a stop at around 4:45pm on November 3 2023.
Mr Lander said he did not see the divider’s black base on Brighton Road and was launched over the handlebars, hitting the ground so hard he broke his wrist.
After doctors put a metal plate in his arm, the IT project manager said he was still in constant pain and did not know whether he would be able to cycle again.
He has since complained to Croydon Council about the road safety measures and has instructed lawyers to take legal action in a bid to highlight the issue and get the council to make changes.
