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Family of 82-year-old cyclist killed on proposed route of CS4 want answersEvelyn Street (via StreetView)

Family of 82-year-old cyclist killed on proposed route of CS4 want answers

Peter Harris was hit by a car while using a zebra crossing
by Alex Bowden
Sat, Oct 06, 2018 12:45
6

The family of 82-year-old Peter Harris, who was hit by a car in Deptford while riding to the shops last Saturday, have demanded answers on the circumstances of his death.

The fatal collision occurred at around 10.15am at the junction of Evelyn Street, Bestwood Street and Lower Road, close to Surrey Quays shopping centre.

The London Evening Standard reports that he was hit while using a zebra crossing in a 20mph zone on a three-mile round trip from his home to a supermarket.

“He was on the zebra crossing. He wasn’t in the road riding along, he was actually on the crossing,” said his daughter. “That’s the heartbreaking thing about it. He did nothing wrong. It should never have happened.”

The driver stopped at the scene. There were no arrests.

Harris cycled daily, according to his daughter. “He was very fit and of very sound mind. He still rode a bike because he was still fit enough to do that. We’ve all said he would’ve lived at least another 10 years because he was so strong.

“I don’t know any other 82-year-old that rides a bike and is as independent as he was. He did sit-ups every day to keep himself fit. There was nothing wrong with him at all. He just went out that morning to the shop, as he had many a time, and on that last crossing it happened.”

The collision occurred on the proposed route of Cycle Superhighway 4 (CS4), which will run from Greenwich to Tower Bridge.

The plans are still being considered almost a year after Mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) held a public consultation for the route.

Peter Harris
CS4
deptford
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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6 comments

Avatar
a1white | 6 years ago
5 likes

This is an awful road. Traffic gets bunched up, drivers get frustrated and heavily accelerate whenever they have a chance. The 20mph speed limit is a joke, it's the usual case of 90%+ of motorists ignoring it. There is one of the those illuminated SLOW DOWN signs futher down approacing Greenwich. Every car lights it up.

On thursday night, I was cycing back home, a bit further along on Deptford Creek bridge, there were some road works on one side of the road so all traffic was being diverted to the other side of the road on one singe narrow carriageway. As I made my way to the narrowist part of the road (with a transit van in front of me), I heard a car accelerating hard behind, for a few metres, and then squealing his tyres just behind me as he broke hard to avoid hitting me. As the road widened, and I moved into the bus lane, he accelerated again, ineviatably braking hard when he reached the back of the Transit.  Further along, on trafalgar road, when he had finally caught me up, he appeared to be racing the van. Complete idiots along this road. No wonder 3 cyclists have been killed along here this year. CS4 (all the way to Woolwich) is needed now, not in 3-5 years time.

Avatar
Mark_1973_ | 6 years ago
4 likes

From (bad) experience, driver just has to say that he didn't see the cyclist until he heard the thump on his car. Try using that defence next time you get caught by a speed or traffic signal camera!

Avatar
brooksby | 6 years ago
11 likes

So: man killed on a zebra crossing, when it's *his* priority...? In what world is that anyone's fault except the motorist? At the very least, isn't "killing someone on a zebra crossing" just a teensy bit careless??

Avatar
Pushing50 | 6 years ago
11 likes

No charges? I am struggling to understand what the driver did right. 20mph speed limit so he must have been within that. The time was 10:15 am, so must have had good visibility. Pedestrian/cyclist already on zebra crossing which is highly visible going by the photo, so must have been vigilant of persons crossing. If he still hit and killed someone then he must have done something wrong and has questions to answer. Am I missing something?

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Hirsute | 6 years ago
10 likes

There were no arrests unlike the bloke on his bike in Dalston who had a woman run into him near a pelican crossing.

I guess it doesn't fit the ES agenda to probe any further.

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BehindTheBikesheds replied to Hirsute | 6 years ago
11 likes

hirsute wrote:

There were no arrests unlike the bloke on his bike in Dalston who had a woman run into him near a pelican crossing.

I guess it doesn't fit the ES agenda to probe any further.

quite, the difference in approach to people on bikes from both sides of the coin as victim and alleged perpetrator is shockingly different comparative to motorists. Judges often come out  with the 'momentary lapse' excuse, ever heard of that for a cyclist who is in collision with x, nope, not ever.

4 people killed whilst driver texting behind the wheel of an HGV and gets 10 years, 4 cyclists killed and driver gets £180 fine for bald tyres and a chief inspector defending the driver in a public statement by spouting abject lies at the scene regarding speed.

Legal lights, no charges, visible for over half a minute, no punishment because of pathetic jury/judge, wrong side of the road and kill someone, not guilty, person runs out into your path whilst doing barely above jogging speed, manslaughter charges! It's a fucking disgrace the way the so called justice system discriminates against people on bikes at both ends and applies the law differently.

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