Lewisham fatality

bigmat

Apparently a cyclist, a man in his early 30s, was killed on Loampit Vale yesterdqy morning. The driver of a red Audi is in custody after initially failing to stop. Did I miss a thread on this. RIP fella, I hope to god it was nobody I know...

Gallywomack

Mentioned it on the SCR thread. Came through about 20 mins later to find everything cordoned off - I didn't want to look too closely at the scene but you had the sense something nasty had happened.

Bit of a sickener, that junction can be dicey what with drivers changing lanes a lot - I guess because they're coming off the roundabout they don't necessarily end up in the right lane. The guy driving off doesn't sound good at all, glad he was found.

Headhuunter

I only pass through that way at weekends when I'm on the way to Lewisham to do a bit of shopping. That roundabout is not exactly cyclist friendly, drivers often pull out in front of you in their desperation to "get out", I've had to brake hard a couple of times. A couple of weeks ago I pulled out into the roundabout and a motorist already on the roundabout literally accelerated at me blasting his horn and swearing out of the window... Previously he'd been going much more slowly, it was as if he took offence at me being able to pull out onto "his" roundabout... the downhill stretch on the way to the roundabout is a bit dicey sometimes as well, esp outside the shops, you have to move across to the right into fast moving traffic and I'm always wondering if some idiot will pull out in front of me from in front of the shops, or open their car door or something...

Headhuunter

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/10504 ... _accident/

Gallywomack

Headhuunter,

It seems as if the collision happened around the lights outside Lewisham station, on Loampit Vale. The whole area is a bit rubbish really, the roundabout is dicey as you say (although often so busy that nothing is really moving, which makes it easier to negotiate). People struggle with lane selection all over, on my way home I am coming from Loampit Vale and turning right up Molesworth St (past the back of Lewisham Centre), I find cars are often in the right-hand lane but actually going straight on over the roundabout, and of course many of them don't signal so the first you know of it is when they cut across your path.

Going the other way towards where this fatality occurred, drivers are often switching lanes, sometimes suddenly as they realise they are going to get stuck behind a queue of vehicles waiting to turn right. As I say, I think they turn off the roundabout in whatever lane they can, then have to switch to either go straight on or turn right. It's a bit of a mess.

bigmat

Where exactly was the accident? Was it going north up Loampit Vale, between Lewisham Station and turn-off for Brookmill Road? That's usually pretty congested in the morning, would be interested to know what actually happened. I was planning to ride in that way yesterday but the left turn off the big roundabout was blocked so I headed straight on and over the roundabout - wondered at the time what was going on, it appeared to be the section I described that was cordoned off and then Brookmill Road was closed at the North end when I went past there as well.

Benjo74

I also came through Lewisham yesterday to find it cordoned off on Loampit Vale. It looked to me as though the accident hadn't actually happened at the roundabout, it was further down the road, at the lights by the big Mothercare store, where you can turn onto Cycle Route 21 as it runs up the side of the DLR track towards Deptford Bridge. Not that this makes any difference to the tragic outcome. I pass through this way every day, as do many others, and it is just another reminder of how alert we always have to be.

Stay safe everyone. Thoughts are with the family and friends of the cyclist.

Gallywomack

Mat,

That cordon was for the accident, yes. As Benjo says, seemed to be at the lights by Mothercare etc (ie junction of Loampit Vale/Thurston Rd). This is mainly going on where the bike is lying in that picture in the News Shopper.

bigmat

I can see where it must have happened now. Appears to have been pretty early (before 8) so likely traffic moving more freely / faster. Harrowing when something like this happens on roads you know so well - there but for the grace of god and all that.

RIP and condolensces to friends and family.

Koncordski

It gets worse, he was married with two young kids.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/w ... 75885.html