‘Getting on a bike fills me with fear’
Collision victim says the authorities are doing far too little to ensure that riders are kept safe
Friday, 18th August 2023 — By Tom Foot
AN experienced cyclist who had life-saving hospital surgery after being hit by a transit van warned of “a dereliction of duty” among politicians and officials who are failing to follow through with a full package of cycling safety measures.
Richard Paul, from Tufnell Park, sustained injuries in Parkhurst Road, at the junction with Holloway Road, that developed into the “silent killer” sepsis.
The 53-year-old was struck from behind after waiting in a queue of traffic at the junction that has no stop box, cycle lane or cycle lights.
After a month in hospital and being signed-off work for weeks, the lifelong cyclist said the experience –
more than a year ago – had left him too fearful to get back in the saddle on Camden roads.
He is also furious about being “fobbed off” by Sir Keir Starmer’s office after approaching the MP for Holborn and St Pancras about the need for changes at the junction.
He said: “People do get killed on the road if there are insufficient road safety measures. This is life and death.
“I know there is always an element of risk in what we do as cyclists. But there is also an element of dereliction of duty on behalf of council and road officials who are just not doing enough. They can gripe and say it’s about funding. But even that is a false economy. People on bikes are healthier, the air quality is better, the spend on the NHS is less. Surely it’s a net positive.
“God knows how much I cost the NHS from the amazing doctors and specialists who really should have been seeing someone else. I had to take time off work. My students suffered.”
He added: “The govern- ment has done some positives in promoting cycling but what’s the point in then putting people on roads with inadequate road safety? It’s being done piecemeal, with political soundbites, and that means we are not getting the benefits and we won’t unless the whole package is done.”
Mr Paul, who teaches science to special needs children, grew up in Tufnell Park and went to William Ellis School. With a science and IT background, he has developed a method for getting through to children with Aspergers that he said had been very successful in helping struggling young people off the “education scrap heap”.
Speaking about the layout at the junction where he was hit in March last year he said: “This is a major junction but there is no stop box, no bus lane for me to be in, that finishes 200 yards before the lights – I don’t understand why.
“I was being assertive. I was positioned a third of the way into the traffic lane. I had my high-vis on. The bike had been MOT’d a few days before. The lights were on. Then I felt this almighty jolt from behind. When I looked behind me there was a van. I was pumped up with adrenalin. I used a lot of Anglo Saxon language!”
Now he is trying to get back in the saddle with a programme of treatment used to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Mr Paul said: “The thought of getting on a bike fills me with paralysis and fear. I used to be a very experienced cyclist. It has had a lasting impact. It’s not just a great way of getting around. You keep yourself fit. It’s good for the environment. It’s enjoyable.
“The thing I can’t get out of my head was how near-death it was. If the infection permeates through the major organs then it’s lights-out. To go through that and then be met by such intransigence
from these political people is appalling really. If various officials can’t be bothered to look into it then there is a public interest there.
“First I was stood-up, then I was just sent a load of minutes from council meetings on road safety. I emailed back saying I was appalled with the response – did they not realise I nearly died on the road?”
The police investigated at the time but the van was found to have “cloned” number plates and so no driver could be prosecuted.
Transport for London say they are planning to make changes to the danger junction under the “C50” cycle route consultation between Camden and Tottenham Hale.
Under the changes, the traffic lights at Parkhurst Road and Holloway Road junction will be phased to enable cyclists to cross the junction into Seven Sisters Road, separated from traffic turning right from Parkhurst Road into Holloway Road, to reduce the risk of collisions.