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Driver abandons car and flees after killing cyclist on London’s Quietway 1

Police launch manhunt after motorist left cyclist to die on road in Deptford

The Metropolitan Police have launched a manhunt for a motorist who killed a cyclist on a road in Deptford designated a Quietway by Transport for London who abandoned his vehicle after the fatal crash and fled from the scene.

Scotland Yard said that officers were called to the scene of the collision at the junction of Childers Street and Rolt Street, SE8 yesterday afternoon at 4.14pm.

The victim, a man aged in his 50s, was found to have critical injuries, but died at the scene.

The vehicle involved, a silver Mercedes B-Class, was found abandoned at the scene and police said they are making “concerted efforts” to trace the motorist.

The fatal collision took place on the route of Quietway 1, which runs from Deptford to Greenwich, roughly parallel with the route of the proposed Cycle Superhighway 4.

That section of the route lies within the London Borough of Lewisham which did not allow the originally planned filtering on it - ie the use of bollards and kerbing etc to prevent the routes being used as rat runs by drivers -  due to objections from local residents.

Simon Munk, infrastructure campaigner at the London Cycling Campaign, told road.cc that the fact there was no filtering allowed on that part of the route was “a failing of everyone involved.”

He said: “We obviously don't know the details yet. But it is worrying this tragic loss of another life happened on one of the notoriously weakest points on Quietway 1.

“And that reflects poorly on everyone involved in this Quietway – the council, local residents, some of whom opposed the filter at consultation, TfL and City Hall for accepting the scheme without filtering etc.”

He added: “It is long overdue that the quality bar for Quietways was raised such that only routes that actually are quiet enough for a far wider range of people to ride on move forward.”

The latest fatality comes after two cyclists were killed in the neighbouring Royal Borough of Greenwich last month in collisions involving HGVs, both on the A206 road which runs eastwards from Greenwich town centre towards Woolwich.

Oliver Speke, aged 46, was killed on Romney Road, died in hospital on 11 May two days after he was struck by a lorry outside the Old Royal Naval College, while Edgaras Cepura, aged 37, was killed in a collision with an HGV at the notorious roundabout where Woolwich Road meets the Blackwall Tunnel approach road.

The campaign group Stop Killing Cyclists will be holding a vigil and die-in outside Greenwich Council’s offices at Woolwich Town Hall, Wellington Street, London SE18 this Thursday, meeting at 5.30pm for a 6pm start.

> Stop Killing Cyclists to hold Greenwich vigil and die-in after two fatalities

The group’s co-organiser Alex Raha said: “Greenwich Council is delaying the extension of the protected cycle-highway CS4 by up to eight years to Woolwich and failed to install segregated cycle lanes in the Woolwich town centre project, even though original designs considered them.

“Historically, they have been one of the most anti-cycling councils in London. This must now urgently change.”

Yesterday’s incident in Deptford is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) at Catford Garage and police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the crash, or who has information, to contact them.

Officers at the SCIU can be reached on 020 8285 1574 or the non-emergency number 101, quoting CAD5060/3June. Alternatively, information can be given, anonymously, to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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11 comments

Avatar
RoubaixCube | 5 years ago
2 likes

Curious as to if the driver was ever caught and charged 

Avatar
zero_trooper replied to RoubaixCube | 5 years ago
4 likes

RoubaixCube wrote:

Curious as to if the driver was ever caught and charged 

 

I'll give you caught....

 

http://news.met.police.uk/news/man-arrested-after-cyclist-dies-following...

Avatar
srchar | 5 years ago
1 like

It's not just the quietways.  I'm amazed we've got this far into the year without a death or serious injury on the Pitfield Street cycle superhighway.  The standard of driving is abysmal.  The number of bikes using CS1 in peak hours is absolutely huge; there's no way it's safe to mix in motor vehicles with them and I see near misses every day, usually caused by an impatient driver pulling out of a side road into oncoming traffic, then trying to "merge" with the bikes, or a plain old left hook.

I've contacted the Mayor's office and TfL about it numerous times, but am yet to receive a reply.  My conclusion is that they DGAF.

Of course, the Met always seem to be able to spare a ton of bodies for RLJ campaigns.  I won't hold my breath for a similar deployment to be made in order to educate crap drivers.

Avatar
Metaphor | 5 years ago
0 likes

The sad price to pay for democracy.

Avatar
Leviathan replied to Metaphor | 5 years ago
3 likes

Democratic Cyclists' Republic of Oxford wrote:

The sad price to pay for democracy.

Give the meme a rest for once mate. Dead people aren't funny.

Avatar
Metaphor replied to Leviathan | 5 years ago
0 likes

Leviathan wrote:

Democratic Cyclists' Republic of Oxford wrote:

The sad price to pay for democracy.

Give the meme a rest for once mate. Dead people aren't funny.

My profile name is a joke, but my above post was actually an unconnected serious point. In democracies you end up pandering to the lowest denominators (i.e. people who winge about a bollard, people who have a thing about banana regulations, etc.)

Avatar
Canyonaro | 5 years ago
1 like

Quote:

“Historically, they have been one of the most anti-cycling councils in London. This must now urgently change.”

The comment that Greenwhich are anti-cycling can also be evidenced by the Thames Path - this should be an iconic cycle route but consider the poor infrastructure in the 2 mile strech:

1) In front of Morden Wharf

2) Between the power station and park row

3) Bothwick St and Watergate St

 

Quote:

 “It is long overdue that the quality bar for Quietways was raised"

concur

Avatar
Henry Dalton | 5 years ago
1 like

So sad to read this. I ride this route every day. 

Junction of Abinger Grove and Childers Street also needs to be improved.

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a1white | 5 years ago
1 like

This is my route, I cycle on it everyday. Childers road os one of the worst sections of Q1, where it should really be one of the quietest. Lewisham have recently made Rolt street,which a lot of the rat runners would have used, a one way filter. This is where the collision took place. Andrew Gilligan sums up why this was an accident waiting to happen.

https://twitter.com/mragilligan/status/1003351124043358208

 

Avatar
MattSparkes | 5 years ago
4 likes

So sad. I rode Q1 to work today, as I normally do. Had a brand new 2018 Audi A3 drive straight at me on a narrow part with cars on both sides. Driver had a hood up and looked 16. Deptford can be a dodgy place to cycle at times.

Avatar
don simon fbpe | 5 years ago
9 likes

RIP brother.

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