Cyclist dies trying to avoid an accident, say police
Saturday 30th April 2011, 2:30PM BST.
Flowers left at the scene of yesterday morning’s fatal cycle accident. (1129959)
A 37-YEAR-OLD cyclist who died following an accident at North Beach early yesterday morning has been named as Ian Davison.
Police said that Mr Davison, a self-employed plumber who lived in St Sampson’s, sustained severe head injuries while trying to avoid a crash.
The incident occurred at around 2.20am on Friday. Mr Davison was taken to hospital but later died.
Traffic sergeant John Tostevin said Mr Davison was cycling across the road from the North Beach toilets towards the cycle path, heading north towards Salerie Corner.
He came off his bike after braking heavily to avoid a potential collision with a car entering North Beach.
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It would have been prudent for the developers of North Beach to have incorporated pedestrian underpasses.
This has been a dangerous hotspot from day one. It’s a straight stretch of road that has been used as a mini sprint, mainly by kevs slingshotting off the roundabout, since the car park opened. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner.
Hundreds have been prosecuted for speeding there in the past.
In the interests of pedestrian safety it would be sensible to future proof it.
An underpass crossing the opposite side, into town, would minimise further risk. It would help keep traffic flowing more freely at peak times too.
Huge ever increasing demands has been placed on this part of town for the last few decades.
Planners need to start seeing the bigger picture. Pedestrian safety should be at the forefront of their decisions.
The system works but it’s ill thought out & dangerously scrappy. As this fatality proves.
It’s a shame an avoidable unfortunate event like this is needed before common sense is put into practice.
Will it take another before preventative measures are introduced?
Budgets are tight at the moment but nevertheless it’s something that should have been considered at the start of the development.
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Paul
You are right in what you say.
Just a couple of nights ago i watched a car come from the grange at a crazy speed and straight into the to north beach, treating the roundabout as if it were a straight road. Even a speed bump would help?.
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My condolences first and foremost go to the family of Ian Davison.
As Paul points out, the area to which both pedestrians and cyclists are expected to cross has always been dangerous. As a regular cyclist from the bridge to the top of the grange, I have always dreaded the junction of the end of the cycle path to the entrance of the roundabout. I have in the past tried to dismount the cycle path to stream into the traffic further back, but as the pavement is so high you have to be virtually at the roundabout and cut across lanes which is way too dangerous, or exit the cycle path right back at the Salerie to safely get into the right hand lane for the St Julians Ave turn off. I am now terrified at the prospect of being the next statistic and today went up Rouge rue to avoid the area.
Please please someone do something about this junction before someone else has another accident, I am a middle aged adult and feel I am a responsible rider, but with the inconsiderate drivers I see on an almost daily basis I am surprised there arent more fatalities.
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The whole so-called “cycle path” and the pavement cyclists use to get onto it is a death-trap, with accidents waiting to happen. I’ve stopped using it after several near-misses with pedestrians and cars crossing my path – I always use the road instead.
The path crosses the Kev-run Paul mentions, the busy North beach car park entrance and exits, goes straight through bus-stops (God knows who is supposed to have priority here!), and at one hilarious-if-it-weren’t-so-scary point it narrows to about four feet (including the pedestrian path!) and skirts a low wall overlooking the rocks of Bellegrave bay. Any collision could easily lead to someone (pedestrian or cyclist) falling headfirst down onto the rocks or into the sea.
And the whole thing is open to cyclists going both ways, as well as the herds of commuting pedestrians, bus passengers alighting, and drunk late night returnees.
Anyone who uses the “cycle path” thinking they’ll be safer than on the road is a fool.
Accident research shows that cyclists are approximately 3x to 12x more at risk of having a collision when meeting crossing traffic at junctions on “cycle paths” than when they cycle (as they should) on the road (http://www.cyclecraft.co.uk/digest/research.html).
Please, Environment Department, shut the thing down before anyone else gets killed.
It’s not the cyclist’s failure to wear a helmet that got him killed (if he’d been a pedestrian or a jogger on the same route he’d probably have met just the same fate, and I don’t see anyone saying they should wear helmets). It’s poor design.
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All pedestrian crossings are difficult with traffic lights crossings being a bit easier perhaps. I have experienced this particular crossing as a pedestrian, cylist and parent with a push chair dozens of times and it’s not ideal, but no worse than many others. This was a tragic accident, but has occured on many crossings and junctions elsewhere. I knew Ian through his trade and found him a very friendly, helpful and professional person. I can’t begin to imagine how difficult a time this must be for his family.
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Scoob
That’s the point though. Pedestrian crossings shouldn’t be difficult or hazardous to the user.
In an ideal world the blind should be able to cross confidently & safely with the onus being placed on vehicle users.
This particular area is exceptionally poorly designed.
The layout couldn’t be any worse for pedestrians. Danger, especially where this fatality happened, is only obvious a split second or so before the point of no return.
This is the case when vehicles happen to be travelling at the legal speed limit or lower.
The kevs, who happen to be in love with the sound of their souped up engines & turbo waste gates opening & closing, have little regard for much other than their cars & image.
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James
Your link is invalid due to the brackets & full stop.
For those that are wanting it:
http://www.cyclecraft.co.uk/digest/research.html
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I’ve noticed the police turn a blind-eye to Kev-related activity on more than one occasion. I remember when I was about 15 or 16 myself and a couple of friends were playing about on our bikes on the ledge at the bottom of North Beach one summer evening. We used to get regular hassle as we were often mistaken for trouble-makers as we’d often be out late, although this wasn’t the case. Sure enough a police car came down and we were faced with the usual questions. Whilst this was happening a huge group of Kevs who’d congregated around the middle of the car park began setting off fireworks. When we suggested that the police perhaps more adequately deploy their resources and deal with them rather than a few kids on bikes they pretended not to know what we meant and left both us and the Kevs to it. The only explanation I can think of was that they were genuinely scared of dealing with such a large group of rowdy lads.
On another occasion, a few years later, a friend and I had just returned to his car having been for a meal in town. A girl pulled into North beach in her car, loaded up with guys of a similar age. They got out and, unprovoked, began running around my friends car and jumping on and over the bonnet. We tried to drive away and one of them took it upon himself to punch through the front passenger window of the car. We drove to the police station and reported the incident where we were met with an extremely indifferent police officer who informed us there was essentially no evidence as the cameras were “pointing the wrong way” (he seemed to know this straight away…) and it was our word against theirs. He suggested we didn’t pursue charges as it would be more trouble than it’s worth…
So many people speed down the side of North Beach. For years I’ve been using the cycle path to get to work from the North of the island and it’s obvious that there should be far more enforcement of the speed limit in and around the car park. The problem is not just limited to evenings.
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I’ve always wondered at the legality (and safety) of the ‘courtesy crossings’for pedestrians
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Ray – I agree, sir. These so called “courtesy crossings” are far too ambiguous – and a crossing point on a road is the last place you want confusion.
They should all be either scrapped or converted back into zebra crossings where the rules of use are clear. I accept this won’t stop every accident but surely what’s needed is clarity?
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With a huge amount of wealth on this island it seems that kevs have greater access to more powerful cars, worth more and more money. Or alternatively they are driving cheap death traps in an innapropriate way. In England this problem has been dealt with in many city centres by having a car crusher and anyone driving double the speed limit or in an extreme manner gets their car crushed with everything in on the spot!
These are simply kids and it really shouldn’t be difficult to deal with!
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Uncle Grange why is it you feel that you need to bring Kevs into this accident, just because it happened at the North beach. Are you implying that it was a Kevers fault. This was a tragic accident that happened and i would like to point out that the so called Kevers who were in the car feel absolutely devasted by this. Sometimes the car drivers are’nt always to blame.
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I’d agree, Blue. Without having been there at the time, blaming it on the driver of a car is jumping to a conclusion. At times when I’ve driven a car into North Beach or out of the ferry terminal I’ve found it hard to be mindful enough of cyclists that might go past from either direction.
However, the general points do remain: cyclists are vulnerable to cars that drive incautiously, especially where cars cross the path of a cyclist, and the design of the “cycle path” and its approaches dramatically increases this vulnerability.
If you are a cyclist and you value your life, stay off the cycle path and ride on the road – be a part of the traffic flow and be noticed, rather than an unseen object in peripheral vision, an afterthought of road design.
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Big John – that’s the first I’ve heard of such a device being used in the UK, and I keep quite up to date with the UK motoring press.
This is a tragic accident and, yes, that crossing should be redesigned.
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Mark. Thats because its not true, Big John is mistaken. Possibly he is thinking of France? They can crush your vehicle over there.
My condolences to his family and friends.
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So called accidents are caused by one person making a mistake and a second person not making allowance for one.
Very few, if any, of us are faultless.
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@ Blue
I agree that this particular accident may not have been caused by the ‘Kevs’ who congregate in the middle of the car park and they should not be blamed for it.
However, whilst theweather has been hot Ihave been out walking in the early evenings and been appalled at the speed at which these ‘kevs’ drive around the car park and surrounding roads. they are effectively using them as a race track. Why dont the police do something about it?
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As a cyclist I regularly use this crossing and am surprised by the criticism of it. I don’t feel it is any more or less dangerous than any other crossing of a busy road. For pedestrians there is even an “island” in the middle to stand on so you don’t have to cross both lanes in one go – although the island is a bit too narrow to comfortably fit a bike. Provided caution is used I see no reason why this junction should not be considered safe.
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People are very quick to blame drivers. We don’t know the exact details of the accident, including the conduct of the cyclist. This was a tragic accident. Why not leave it at that until the facts come out? Its not fair for this mans family and friends to have to read the rabid opinions of a bunch of arm chair critics. Once the facts come out, if you really have to froth at the mouth and finger point, you will have some facts to back it up.
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Oh and btw da666, I was joking about riding through yesterday (as I’m sure Mr G’s comment was meant in jest). It just annoys the hell out of me these holier than thou, dogooding, police wannabees that think they have some divine right to nose poke into other peoples business and then whine, moan and complain because someone does something they disagree with.
Now go back to pruning your begonias.
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On another note, I’d just like to take this opportunity to post a note about Ian. I didn’t know him very well but he always had the time of day for everyone and never forgot a face. I’m sure lots of other people reading this met him or knew his face; he lived life to the full and was an inspiration. All my thoughts are with his friends and family.
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My thoughts go out to family and friend at this sad time. So young I did not know him at all not sure what he looked like but he sounded like a great guy RIP.
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I am a friend of the so called ‘kever’ and police have actually confirmed that the guy didn’t hit the car.
None of you were there at the time so i think you all need to stop blaming people for it.
My thoughts are with the family.
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@Aussie. Was your friend exceeding the speed limit?
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@Mel.
Well they had just got off the roundabout so no. The driver is very responsible and was actually picking a friend up at the time.
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Firstly my thoughts are with Ian’s family.
The fact of the matter remains that as per usual the roundabout and the area around it was constructed down to a price. If it had been built anywhere else in the world a pedestrian underpass enabling safe passage across and around the intersections would have been included.
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I find it strange that the Guernsey Press often get criticised for jumping to conclusions before all the facts come out.
Now look what’s happening above! As Aussie said, calm down before the facts come out.
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Fact remains: if you want to live, cycle on the road. Avoid the idiotically designed “cycle path” if at all possible.
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