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Lincoln cyclist was not paying "sufficient" attention at time of fatal crashBroken bike (CC licensed image by garryknight, www.flickr.com)

Lincoln cyclist was not paying "sufficient" attention at time of fatal crash

Bus driver admitted he did not indicate
by Alex Bowden
Fri, Apr 29, 2016 17:24
8

A coroner has concluded that the death of a Lincoln cyclist in March last year was a ‘tragic accident’. The Lincolnite reports that rugby coach Michael Beard was crushed by a turning bus after losing control of his bike. Several onlookers said that Beard went over the handlebars after braking hard.

Beard, 31, worked at Lincoln Christ's Hospital School and was on his way to a rugby tournament. An inquest at the Lincoln Cathedral Centre heard that he had been cycling on the Wragby Road cycle and footpath heading north-east when he collided with a bus at the junction with Ruskin Avenue.

The bus driver, Mark Lyon, had stopped at a red light while heading in the same direction as Beard.  He said he checked his mirrors before pulling away but then heard a thud and realised his wheels had gone over something. He admitted he did not use his indicators, but said he had been in the left-turn lane.

A student on the bus said that Beard “jammed the brakes and went over the handlebars. The bus driver carried on and the back wheel went over him.”

Evidence from Lincolnshire Police said Beard's speed was not excessive and estimated it to have been between 12mph and 15mph. A collision investigation officer said Beard was not paying "sufficient" attention at the junction at the time of the collision.

Coroner Paul Smith described it as a "tragic incident" that was over "in a matter of seconds," adding: "I was touched by the volume of floral tributes left at the scene. He was clearly a young man who meant a great deal to a large number of people."

Michael Beard
Lincoln
cyclist fatality
Alex Bowden

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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8 comments

Avatar
Eric D | 8 years ago
0 likes

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/using-the-road-159-to-203

Rule 161

Mirrors. All mirrors should be used effectively throughout your journey. You should 

  • use your mirrors frequently so that you always know what is behind and to each side of you
  • use them in good time before you signal or change direction or speed
  • be aware that mirrors do not cover all areas and there will be blind spots. You will need to look round and check.

Rule 170

Take extra care at junctions. You should

  • watch out for cyclists, motorcyclists, powered wheelchairs/mobility scooters and pedestrians as they are not always easy to see
  • watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way

  • not assume, when waiting at a junction, that a vehicle coming from the right and signalling left will actually turn. Wait and make sure

Turning left
Rule 182

Use your mirrors and give a left-turn signal well before you turn left. Do not overtake just before you turn left and watch out for traffic coming up on your left before you make the turn, especially if driving a large vehicle. Cyclists, motorcyclists and other road users in particular may be hidden from your view.

No 'YOU MUST' - no laws quoted - advisory only.

Nowhere are the comments in the local paper supported:

  • You dont have to indicate if that lane is only going one way! 
  • If you read the Highway Code he didnt need to indicate, and if you do it tells the road uses behind that when you get round the junction you are either stopping or making another left turn

Butty wrote:

​Going North he wouldn't have had a crossing signal across that junction like there is going South.

I'm not quite sure what the purpose of the bike crossing lights are on where he would have crossed over Ruskin Ave. They don't seem to be angled at any direction in particular.

Even the main lights are weird - https://goo.gl/maps/mtR2vhEnbEE2
Those lights aren't aimed at drivers turning right into the side-road, or anyone else !

The 'Green light but give way to oncoming' conflict is dangerous - surprises foreigners - needs green arrow filter light ?

But Toucans are new and 'smart' - sensors and variable timings.
Can additional sensors detect pedestrians/cyclists crossing the side-road (or about to) ?

Avatar
atgni | 8 years ago
1 like

Shared path is off the road - it's on the path behind a 1m wide grass strip!  Crossing is mid-junction.  Nothing can have happened 'as the bus pulled away'.

Plus the eyewitness got out of a car to run over and to ask him to stop!

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.239694,-0.5193303,3a,75y,48.4h,76.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgRrJQBcj03LIQNyoj5bUVA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Avatar
Butty replied to atgni | 8 years ago
0 likes

atgni wrote:

Shared path is off the road - it's on the path behind a 1m wide grass strip!  Crossing is mid-junction.  Nothing can have happened 'as the bus pulled away'.

Plus the eyewitness got out of a car to run over and to ask him to stop!

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.239694,-0.5193303,3a,75y,48.4h,76.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgRrJQBcj03LIQNyoj5bUVA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Going North he wouldn't have had a crossing signal across that junction like there is going South.

I'm not quite sure what the purpose of the bike crossing lights are on where he would have crossed over Ruskin Ave. They don't seem to be angled at any direction in particular.

Avatar
atgni | 8 years ago
0 likes

Quotes from The Lincolnite link in the article above.

Sound like it was not just the deceased that 'was not paying "sufficient" attention at the junction at the time of the collision'.

No winners here whatever.

Avatar
1961BikiE | 8 years ago
0 likes

Surely this is speculation? Or was he a witness? What were his comments about the drivers inability to indicate or to the reported witness statements that contradict the drivers reported reaction to the collision. A collision investigation officer said Beard was not paying "sufficient" attention at the junction at the time of the collision. - See more at: http://road.cc/content/news/188105-lincoln-cyclist-was-not-paying-suffic...

Avatar
1961BikiE | 8 years ago
0 likes

Jeebus!

Avatar
atgni | 8 years ago
2 likes

An eyewitness said“I ran out and asked him to stop, I didn’t know if he was aware he’d hit anyone.”

"passengers started shouting ‘you’ve just killed somebody!"

Doesn't quite stack up with - He said he checked his mirrors before pulling away but then heard a thud and realised his wheels had gone over something.

Avatar
wycombewheeler | 8 years ago
3 likes

Sounds like flawed infrastructure, if the cycle lane continues on and the lane on the right of it is for turning left only.

The bus driver may know the lane is for turning left only, but once the bus is covering the dire toon arrow unfamiliar cyclists will not know that.

Another reason for using the road rather than cycle lane, then you do not have to give way to vehicles turning left across your path. Vehicles with drivers to lazy to use the indicator.

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