A London cyclist who broke both elbows and his jaw after hitting a plastic divider is suing Enfield Council. In February 2025, Greg Simmons, a screenwriter from Edmonton, was pulling out to pass a stationary bus when his wheel hit the divider, catapulting him over his handlebars and onto the road.

“I looked to pull around a bus and the next minute I was flying through the air over my handlebars. It was just a split second but felt like it lasted for ages and I remember thinking ‘this isn’t going to be good,’” said Simmons.

And it wasn’t good. Simmons attended A&E, where it was found that he’d broken both elbows, and a later X-ray revealed a hairline fracture to his jaw. Doctors have told him he’s suffered 20% muscle loss in his left arm, and he’s still unable to fully straighten it 18 months after the incident – though he has now returned to cycling.

“My left arm is not the same as it was and I don’t think it ever will be,” Simmons told ITV.

“I’ll never have the same strength that I did but I won’t let that affect my life.”

Simmons is currently pursuing a legal case against Enfield Council. However, the local authority is refusing to admit liability, stating that the divider was not defective as it was never designed to have a pole or reflectors.

“The divider is so dangerous without a wand. It’s the same colour as the road and has no reflectors, making it almost impossible to spot when travelling at speed, especially when coupled with other dividers that do have wands,” said Simmons.

“I am lucky that there wasn’t any traffic as I could have been killed. This could happen to somebody else who may not be as lucky.”

Solicitor Osbornes Law is now pursuing a personal injury claim for Simmons, having successfully represented Richard Lander, who suffered a similar incident with a comparable lane divider in Croydon.

> Croydon cyclist breaks wrist after hitting base of cycle lane wand removed by council

“My client suffered serious injuries through no fault of his own because of a safety measure that the council installed,” said Megan Lambert, a specialist personal injury lawyer at Osbornes Law. “He has suffered considerable harm and distress, which has been compounded by the council denying liability. I would urge them to reconsider their position and settle this matter as soon as possible.”

Lane dividers have been a common feature of UK streets since the days of the Covid-19 pandemic, and this writer very nearly had an accident like Simmons’ thanks to a similar wandless divider in Bath, although its smaller size may have helped negate a full-on OTB incident.

Whether Enfield Council will pay up is still in question — bigger dividers seem to be designed purely to keep motorists out of cycle lanes without any forethought on how they’ll affect cyclists. However, they also make cyclists feel safer and reinforce cycle lanes without the council having to dig up roads.