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news
Cyclists in Richmond Park with London skyline (copyright Simon MacMichael)“If we want to promote cycling, we have got to be responsible”: Cyclist calls for hit-and-run “MAMIL” to be “named and shamed” following head-on collision which left him unconscious
A cyclist who was left unconscious following a head-on collision with a hit-and-run rider in Richmond Park has appealed to the man to turn himself in, describing his decision to flee the scene as “particularly disappointing because we cyclists are a sociable tribe”.
Adam Kelliher was treated in hospital for concussion, a cracked rib, and cuts to his hands after being struck by the cyclist while riding with a friend in the southwest London park on Bank Holiday Monday.
Following the incident, Kelliher’s wife Cathra also called for the rider to be “named and shamed” and argued that people on bikes “have got to be responsible” if cycling is to be promoted to a wider audience.
> Machete-wielding bikejacker who attacked pro cyclist in Richmond Park sentenced to 12 months
The 61-year-old cyclist, a life science entrepreneur and former BBC cameraman who also owns Taransay, the UK’s largest island without a permanent population and the setting for BBC reality series Castaway, said the rider appeared to be distracted by his bike computer and had crossed over to the wrong side of the three-metre-wide path when the collision occurred.
“He seemed to me to be a normal MAMIL,” Kelliher, who says he only remembers “glimpses” of the incident, told the Times.
“He seemed to be concentrating on his timing and keeping up his speed. He hit me head-on. I am quite a big guy and I was knocked off my bike and on to my back. My helmet was smashed like an egg.”
> Cyclists blast proposals to introduce 10mph speed limit on Richmond Park hill
The stricken cyclist, who was left unconscious in the crash, was helped by neighbour and riding partner Philip Weston and several passers-by, including three members of the emergency services.
“Philip was busy helping me and when he looked up the other rider had gone,” the father-of-four said.
“It is particularly disappointing that he fled because we cyclists are a sociable tribe. All he would have seen is that someone was pretty seriously injured. He made a second error of judgment by fleeing the scene.
“The paramedics said if I wasn’t wearing a helmet I would have been taken away in a helicopter or probably a hearse.”
> Cyclists in Richmond Park face crackdown for ‘speeding’ – even though limits do not apply to them
Kelliher’s wife Cathra also called for the hit-and-run rider, described as white and wearing black and white cycling kit, to be “named and shamed” following his actions in Richmond Park.
“If we want to promote cycling and this wonderful sport, we have got to be responsible,” she said.
“The danger is from a few irresponsible people and they have to be aware of their consequences. This guy should be named and shamed because next time it could be somebody like a five-year-old child and they might not survive.”
As well as owning Taransay, the Wimbledon-based Kellihers also own the Borve Lodge Estate on the Isle of Harris. After joining the BBC from the Times, where he worked as a foreign correspondent, Kelliher was shot in an ambush in Croatia in 1995, which saw reporter John Schofield killed.
> Cyclist breaks pelvis in Richmond Park crash with off-lead dog
Monday’s collision comes less than a year since The Royal Parks – which manages several parks in the capital, including Hyde Park, Green Park, and St James’s Park – warned bike riders who do not observe speed limits in the parks under its management that they will be subjected to a crackdown, including fines and even prosecution, for recklessly endangering others.
Despite cyclists technically not having to adhere to speed limits on roads in the park, as bicycles are not required by law to be fitted with a speedometer, the agency said in August 2022 that they were nevertheless expected to observe those limits on the “park, road, or path in question,” and could be fined if they were believed to “intentionally or recklessly interfere with the safety, comfort, or convenience of other visitors”.
In April, we reported that plans to introduce a 10mph speed limit on a section of Richmond Park were criticised by local cyclists, who argued that people on bikes will be unable to comply with the proposed restriction while riding downhill.
According to the Richmond Parks Cyclists organisation, which aims to represent all types of cyclists and para-cyclists who use the London park, a meeting of the Safer Parks Police Panel revealed that The Royal Parks is intending to introduce a 10mph speed restriction on the road between Broomfield Hill car park and Robin Hood Gate roundabout.
The cyclists’ group, which said it was not consulted on the new measure, criticised the change, set to be implemented on a sweeping, hilly section of the park which currently features a 20mph limit.
“It seems unlikely that many cyclists will be able to comply with this restriction descending the hill, even if they try to,” Richmond Parks Cyclist said. “Speed differentials are likely to increase and the road is likely to become more hazardous.”
After obtaining a PhD, lecturing, and hosting a history podcast at Queen’s University Belfast, Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.
Latest Comments
- chrisonabike 3 min 17 sec ago
Or ... we could just fix it so people have their own spaces, and it's really clear where there's a cycle path and it's easy to cross it....
- Another_MAMIL 1 hour 6 min ago
We should be grateful to MAMILs for reducing the tax burden needed for the NHS....
- Rendel Harris 1 hour 29 min ago
Far be it from me to tell you your business, but if you want to promote your product sneakily on a website without paying for advertising then...
- bensynnock 1 hour 57 min ago
Even a slow cyclist can seem fast to somebody who is standing still and not expecting to see a bike.
- JMcL_Ireland 3 hours 32 min ago
I absolutely stand by my criticism of Elite (note: I'm not criticising the volunteer marshals). They charge an arm and a leg for these events but...
- Destroyer666 3 hours 46 min ago
There's a lot of good stuff here, but shoe reviews are still lagging on average when comparing to for example bike or tire reviews. Specs relating...
- galibiervelo 4 hours 19 min ago
Loved the Bastion in the flesh but Lemond's bike has the soul. Nice event and met some friends and contacts but like the magazine, it does promote...
- chrisonabike 5 hours 11 min ago
Awaiting the next feckless driver asking the judge to delay the start of the sentence because "they owe a few more cyclists a proper goodbye"....
- Hirsute 6 hours 29 min ago
All in the article - road tax.
- chrisonabike 7 hours 43 min ago
Ah, but: in UK, if a motorist drives into you (or simply parks in a cycle lane, forcing you out into the path of another motorist) then the council...
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39 comments
A pity that the comments are dominated by irrelevant complaints about the victim's ownership of an island and the inevitable anti-helmet "contribution".
By the law of averages, there should be paramedics with high-level qualifications in biomechanical impact assessments pronouncing that a helmet [would have] made f***-all difference.
Where are they?
I'm assuming that your invention of the paramedic having a Phd in biomechanical impact assessments is deep irony.
Firstly, I hope that Adam recovers well. I do remember the incident with John Schofield, but I had forgotten the name of his cameraman.
As for the individual who crashed into him, he is clearly an entitled, self centred arse without an ounce of humanity, and regardless of what sport he chooses to engage in, he is not part of the same "tribe" as me.
I think there is a wider point here, that this kind of incident can be held up by the media as evidence of cyclists being a menace, but when there is a hit and run involving somebody driving a car there are no generalisations made about all other drivers.
Sounds like Mr Kelliher is an entitled, self centred arse who has the affront to own an island that should belong to the people of Scotland, not some self-serving individual.
Well, at least it's not owned by Uri Geller
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-65750701
I wouldn't mind except all my spoons have gone missing and my forks are wonky.
Is there anything stopping the "people of Scotland" from clubbing together and buying it off him, if that's what they want? If he bought it from a previous owner in a freely-entered transaction, how is that the "people of Scotland's" business?
And even if you don't believe in private property rights, how does any of that mean it's in any way excusable to crash into him and leave him lying injured while you ride off?
Why should the people of Scotland buy back what is rightfully theirs?
Read about the clearances and how the UK government of the day sold the land to private individuals namely the aristocracy.
See also the enclosures in England and Wales and the land seizures in Ireland, the common people of every country in the UK have been royally ripped off by royalty and the aristocracy for many centuries.
Not strictly true, the customary rights of clan chiefs and warlords were converted into legal property rights over the land which was then often sold on to fund the Edinburgh or London high life. I doubt a returned Stuart monarchy of England and Scotland would have dealt the highland clan folk any better an outcome. They were in the way of a good profit from the sheep.
It was my understanding that most of Scotland is owned by private individuals...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-47963208
While there have been some notable "community buy-outs" (Eigg, Gigha...) they're notable because they're rare. IIRC a greater percentage of people in Scotland than e.g. England are living on someone else's land - and most is controlled by very few people.
https://whoownsscotland.org.uk/
Probably of the "my other bike is an Porsche Cayenne" variety of bicyclist.
I cycle and I don't think I am sociable.
Am I not a cyclist, or maybe I am sociable and I don't know it?
But I shouldn't fool anyone, I have stereotypes too. For me lycra cyclists is indeed a very different tribe than jeans cyclists.
If it's not on camera, it didn't happen.
How someone else rides their bike has got f'k all to do with me unless they are an actual acquaintence of mine and riding with me. Even then, they might choose to ride like a dick and there's not a lot I can do about that except choose to discontinue my ride with them. But I do want to attend the next cyclist AGM if someone could forward the invite.
Tomorrow night in the village hall. Bring cake.
Not that marble cake though, it always gets left uneaten
I will happily eat the marble cake, but I am planning to bring vegan mung bean flapjacks this time.
I'll give those a try, got to be better than dry marble cake
Are the MAMILs invited this time? They were all so unsociable last time.
I'll batch bake some Victoria Sponges.
Anyone up for a Spicy Curry? Oh - sweet - right, a Grim Donut?
The problem as I see it is that we are not in control of what other people think of us. You and I may not wish to be lumped together, I hate riding in groups for example but when I'm out on the road I am percived as one of those 'lane hogging, tax dodging lycra twats' (the last bit may be true!).
We may not be in charge of what others think of us, but the media is. If we are continually portrayed as anti-social, lycra clad law-breaking hooligans by the press, that's how many people will see us. If the media suddenly changed tack and started describing us rather more accurately as socially concerned, healthy, financially aware citizens, many people would view us differently.
The media certainly contribute as do our actions. I agree it would be much better if we were portrayed more accurately.
If someone wants to promote cycling I'd suggest not using lazy MAMIL tropes, or any divisive cycling tropes for that matter, which only serve to sow discord.
Oi, there is nothing wrong with us lazy MAMILs thank you very much!
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