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Safety measures made at two paths in Norwich after cyclist’s death

Review conducted by city and county councils in response to coroner's findings...

Safety measures have been implemented at two footpaths in Norwich following the death of a cyclist in May this year when he crashed down a flight of stairs.

Warren Dowling, aged 32, died from head injuries sustained in the incident which happened shortly after midnight on 28 May while cycling home on The Loke.

Earlier this month, a coroner’s inquest heard that the path was poorly lit and overgrown, and that Mr Dowling would not have been able to see the steps as he rode towards them.

The inquest was told that staggered barriers had since been erected at that location to prevent a similar incident in future.

Coroner Yvonne Blake, who recorded a narrative verdict, told Norwich City Council and Norfolk County Council to assess safety at similar locations elsewhere in the city.

BBC News reports that four locations were inspected in “dark conditions” between 4.30pm and 5.45pm on 13 December to "assess the level of cyclist/pedestrian risk."

The review found that a path from Burges Road to Mile Cross Road was well-lit but foliage could hinder visibility in the summer, and needed to be monitored.

The installation of two bollards at the location to stop cyclists from arriving at the steps “at speed” was recommended.

A staggered barrier was found to deter people from cycling along a path running from Heathgate to Mousehold Street, though the review added that foliage needed to be cut back "to improve illumination of the steps.”

The other two locations reviewed were paths running from Soleme Road to Drayton Road, and from Burges Road to  Drayton Road.

They were both assessed to be well-lit and to have adequate measures to discourage people from cycling too quickly.

At the inquest at Norwich Coroner’s Court earlier this month, Ms Blake said that while local authorities could not be expected to "babysit everyone on a bike or urge them to slow down and wear a helmet", it was "not within the bounds of possibility that this could happen again."

Referring to the barriers installed at the Loke following his son’s death, Patrick Dowling said: "My son would be alive today if proper measures had been put in place to identify the steps, like the staggered barriers that are there now," which were installed after Mr Dowling’s death.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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4 comments

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janusz0 | 5 years ago
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When I bought my first mountain bike, I immediately rode from the shop to the coast.  There I rode straight down a flight of steps to the beach.  If the Santa Monica (California)  local authority took the same action as Norwich, I would have missed out on that long anticipated pleasure.  I wish that the Norwich steps could be made plainly visible, maybe with solar powered pavement warning lights, but without needing the barriers.  More sensibly, replacement with a long ramp could make progress easier, if less exciting, for both pedestrians and cyclists.

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Hirsute replied to janusz0 | 5 years ago
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janusz0 wrote:

When I bought my first mountain bike, I immediately rode from the shop to the coast.  There I rode straight down a flight of steps to the beach.  If the Santa Monica (California)  local authority took the same action as Norwich, I would have missed out on that long anticipated pleasure.  I wish that the Norwich steps could be made plainly visible, maybe with solar powered pavement warning lights, but without needing the barriers.  More sensibly, replacement with a long ramp could make progress easier, if less exciting, for both pedestrians and cyclists.

I didn't think yanks did sarcasm.

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Hirsute | 5 years ago
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Seems like bollards have been installed even though the description is a footpath. Perhaps cyclists should simply not treat footpaths as a cycle route.
Does anyone know for sure the bloke was actually cycling at the time of the accident and not simply walking/carrying the bike down the steps?

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burtthebike | 5 years ago
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So, yet again, sensible measures are only being implemented after someone has died, when the risks were easily identifiable and should have been picked up by the most basic safety audit.   Begs the question why either the original safety audit didn't identify the hazards, or no safety audit was done.  I note that the original reports said this was a footpath which had frequent use by cyclists, but this report just calls it a path, which could be shared use, so there is some doubt about its status.

This is so often the case with cycling "facilities" that they were designed badly, and either no safety audit was ever done, or it failed to identify clear risks, that alarm bells should be ringing with the local authorities which put these things in.  If the cyclepath has such blatant hazards which are clearly the responsibility of the authority which installed it, then they should be liable.  There should be clear, reasonable and enforceable criteria for cycle facilities, not the utter mayhem that exists, with local authorities able to pick and choose which guidance they want to follow, if they follow any at all.

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