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Bank Junction before it was closed to traffic other than buses and cyclists (licensed CC BY 2.0 by Ronnie Macdonald)Passers-by blocked road to protect cyclist after collision at Bank junction
Passers-by are reported to have formed a human chain to block the road after a cyclist was struck by a car at the notorious Bank junction in the City of London yesterday. The victim, a man in his forties, was taken to hospital with facial injuries. His condition was initially described as critical before later being downgraded.
The London Evening Standard reports that the collision took place shortly after 6pm.
A witness said:
“I looked around and saw the cyclist flying off his bike out of the corner of my eye. There was this gasp from the crowd then silence. His eyes were closed and he was bleeding from his mouth, just lying on the road. When he did open his eyes, he was completely out of it.
“People were standing in the road to protect his body from other cars. We were too scared to move him. One lady held his hand the whole time and was asking him loads of questions to keep him conscious but he couldn’t respond.”
Last June, Ying Tao was cycling to work when she was killed by a truck at Bank junction. Following a three-day inquest last month, law firm Leigh Day wrote to the City of London police asking them to review their decision not to prosecute the lorry driver involved.
Referring to that incident, the witness added: “That junction is always manic. I was there just after that poor lady was killed. Since then I have been so careful crossing. I’m surprised there haven’t been more accidents there, there are so many big construction trucks coming through around rush hour – it has to change.”
Another witness, Garreth Hayes, said: “Having five roads meeting at a single junction is a bad idea. Couple that with awful signposts, lights, and pedestrians all over the place and you just feel it’s going to keep happening.”
The driver stopped at the scene and is helping police with their investigation.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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12 comments
Ride here 10 times a week, every week, since about five years back. Not the worst of junctions (therea so many bad junctions to choose from!) But there's certainly room for improvement here, eapecially for cyclists heading east and west.
I thought I read they were going to close it to traffic at some point soon?
You're right: http://road.cc/content/news/169802-motor-traffic-other-buses-be-banned-l...
It's terrible that the pedestrians had to do that, to stop the victim being hit again. You'd think that the following motorists would see what was happening, but clearly traffic is just so heavy there...
Saw the same thing happen here circa 2 weeks ago, cyclist knocked down, blood streaming, pedestrians blocking the road until an ambulance could examine the guy, who remained dazed on the floor.
There's too much going on here for everyone to account for every danger all of the time....about time that this was sorted, before someone else dies!
Am i right in thinking that there are plans to restrict traffic soon?
Yes. Was due for the end of this year though I've not geard anything for a while:
(From Guardian Friday 20 November 2015)
London Bank junction to be transformed for cyclists, buses and pedestrians
The City of London Corporation, local authority of the Square Mile, is to close off the whole of the famous yet famously inhospitable Bank junction to all motor vehicles except buses, starting late next year. Chairman of Planning and Transportation Michael Welbank describes this complex of Mammon’s crossroads as “dysfunctional, dangerous, dirty, congested and polluting” and “completely inappropriate to form the heart of a modern city.”
If it works, the plan could set a standard for the rest of London to follow.
Like hsiaolc I go through the junction every day on the way to work. It is a nightmare: five roads feed in to one junction and each of those roads has at least one pedestrian crossing each within 50 years of the junctoin.
The junction itself has a line in the middle where vehicles stop if they cant exit the junciton before the lights change, they then try (when their lane is on red) and get across after their phase and before the next vehicles cross. Over 100,000 commuters use Bank/Monument every working day....that's like over half of wembly in the morning coming through it's 9 exits and then back in again in the evening.
Then you have something like a dozen bus routes coming through with multiple busses an hour each and all the constuction traffic that is servicing dozens of twenty story+ construction sites in the city who can't see pedestrians or cyclists next to their cabs....
In short it's chaos at rush hour...
This is a horrible junction, though contrary to hsiaolc I have never noticed large numbers of pedestrians trying to cross, certainly nothing to compare to ped's crossing Bishopsgate outside L'pool Street station.
My biggest fear at Bank are the black taxis that try to motor between Poultry and Cornhill while I am crossing from Threadneedle Street to Queen Victoria. This is an especial favourite outside of rush-hour.
If I am working mid's or lates (8AM or 10AM starts) I now detour along Lothbury and Bartholomew Lane to avoid it in the morning and use London Wall to avoid it on the way home. That I opt to negotiate the Museum of London roundabout rather than use Bank junction sums up exactly how bad it is.
I ride that junction nearly 4 days a week as part of my commute.
The only thing I find dangerous are the pedastrians. So many people rushing to work and cross roads without checking or wihtout care in the world of any lights.
Every time without fail I keep thinking I am going to be in an accident because of hitting a pedastrian. As for cars I don't find it dangerous since they are not moving very fast (they can't) and most f them are in stand still due to the so many traffic lights.
^Very much this - Cars and lorries are enought to worry about, but I'm constantly staggered by the utter stupidity shown by pedestrians as they thread through any gaps in traffic they see fit, nevermind crossing at an actual crossing even though the lights are green for traffic!
The best one is people who look, see something comig but step out anyway 'because I'm pedestrian, therefore I reign' Twats.
It's like The Walking Dead weaving in and out of stationery traffic (usually looking at their phones of course) the number of cyclists I see having to take evasive action on a daily basis winds me up no end.
But - Knock one down and the world comes to an end; How DARE that Cyclist / Car / Bus drive so recklessly, knocking us poor pedestrians down - you came out of nowhere!*
I think I need a lie down just thinking about this...
*Physically not possible
^Very much this - Cars and lorries are enought to worry about, but I'm constantly staggered by the utter stupidity shown by pedestrians as they thread through any gaps in traffic they see fit, nevermind crossing at an actual crossing even though the lights are green for traffic!
The best one is people who look, see something comig but step out anyway 'because I'm pedestrian, therefore I reign' Twats.
It's like The Walking Dead weaving in and out of stationery traffic (usually looking at their phones of course) the number of cyclists I see having to take evasive action on a daily basis winds me up no end.
But - Knock one down and the world comes to an end; How DARE that Cyclist / Car / Bus drive so recklessly, knocking us poor pedestrians down - you came out of nowhere!
[/quote]
Of course the big problem is that you appear to be unaware that pedestrians are under NO obligation to cross at a pedestrian crossing or wait for the signal to cross the road.
It is down to all users of wheeled transport to be aware of pedestrians.
Just read that back to yourself, replacing pedestrian with cyclist. Seem familiar?
Can't we all just think of other people once in a while? A bit of consideration by all road users would make everyone's life much more pleasant and the traffic flow so much better.
I've never seen cyclists acting the way pedestrians do
1) crossing the road while trying to read a book/map (not on the green man)
2) looking left instead of right when stepping off the kerb
3) checking for traffic with ears instead of eyes
3) on shared use paths a group of pedestrians will take the entire space