Marie
November 25th 10, 05:57 PM
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/transport-news/Time-to-put-the-brakes.6638070.jp
After a blind OAP is run down by a bike, Mark McLaughlin wonders if
cyclists are becoming a menace
....
It is not hard to imagine the views of blind pensioner Sandy Elliot on
the worst two-wheeled offenders after he was left bruised and bleeding
on a footpath by a hit-and-run cyclist.
Another cyclist stopped to help the 67-year-old retired baker after
his accident beside Ferry Road, but he still suffered haemorrhaging
behind his eye and a suspected fractured eye socket because one rider
wasn't looking where he was going.
His case is far from an isolated incident. Other pedestrians have
suffered series injuries recently, including David Hickling, 65, who
suffered a dislocated shoulder, fractured arm, facial fractures and a
dislocated jaw after being hit by a cyclist on Bruntsfield Links, and
a 57-year-old man who suffered head injuries after a head-on collision
with a young cyclist on the Forth Road Bridge.
Besides those more serious incidents, tales abound of near-misses and
abusive behaviour by cyclists in otherwise tranquil spots like the
Union Canal towpath and Hermitage woods.
The majority of cycling accidents in Edinburgh of course involve bikes
and cars - with the cyclist obviously coming out of it the worst.
But the experience of Mr Elliot and others shows that cyclists are not
always the innocent victim of reckless driving and their own failings
can cause serious injury or distress.
After a blind OAP is run down by a bike, Mark McLaughlin wonders if
cyclists are becoming a menace
....
It is not hard to imagine the views of blind pensioner Sandy Elliot on
the worst two-wheeled offenders after he was left bruised and bleeding
on a footpath by a hit-and-run cyclist.
Another cyclist stopped to help the 67-year-old retired baker after
his accident beside Ferry Road, but he still suffered haemorrhaging
behind his eye and a suspected fractured eye socket because one rider
wasn't looking where he was going.
His case is far from an isolated incident. Other pedestrians have
suffered series injuries recently, including David Hickling, 65, who
suffered a dislocated shoulder, fractured arm, facial fractures and a
dislocated jaw after being hit by a cyclist on Bruntsfield Links, and
a 57-year-old man who suffered head injuries after a head-on collision
with a young cyclist on the Forth Road Bridge.
Besides those more serious incidents, tales abound of near-misses and
abusive behaviour by cyclists in otherwise tranquil spots like the
Union Canal towpath and Hermitage woods.
The majority of cycling accidents in Edinburgh of course involve bikes
and cars - with the cyclist obviously coming out of it the worst.
But the experience of Mr Elliot and others shows that cyclists are not
always the innocent victim of reckless driving and their own failings
can cause serious injury or distress.