“They wouldn’t walk onto a road, but a cycle track?” Cyclist badly injured trying to avoid pedestrian calls for greater protection on newly installed bike lane previously slammed as “hare-brained” by opponents

A cyclist who suffered multiple serious injuries after crashing while trying to avoid a pedestrian who stepped in front of him on a new cycle path has called for greater safety and protective measures to be installed on the seafront infrastructure, arguing that while people “wouldn’t walk onto a road”, the “will walk on the cycle track” because “it doesn’t have the same threat”.

The newly installed two-way protected cycle lane in Tynemouth, where 66-year-old Garry Thompson hit his head on a kerb after being catapulted over the handlebars in July, has proved a source of contention for much of the past year.

Last October, Conservative councillors in North Tyneside branded the active travel route “disastrous” and “hare-brained”, claiming the coastal path will lead to an increase in congestion and collisions, and “prioritise a small handful of cyclists over thousands of commuters”.

And earlier this year, a family-friendly Kidical Mass cycling event was briefly re-routed due to concerns from organisers that the lack of progress on the construction of the infrastructure would endanger young cyclists and increase the risk of “conflict” with the path’s other users, though the council later ensured that the ride could go ahead by coning off parts of the road where the lane wasn’t finished.

However, the council has responded to calls for better protection between cyclists and pedestrians using the route by affirming that the lane’s design adheres to national design standards, while other cyclists have described the differentiation between the footpath and cycleway as “pretty much gold standard”.

> Delays to new bike lane spark safety fears family cycle event could lead to “conflict with pedestrians” – but council ensures ride can go ahead

Construction work began last October on the two-way, segregated path in North Tyneside, which stretches for eight kilometres along the seafront between the North Shields Fish Quay and St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay, making permanent a popular pop-up scheme that was implemented in 2020 as part of social distancing measures.

North Tyneside Council says the revised scheme, which is expected to be finished by 2025, will provide “separate space for cyclists and other users of sustainable travel, while maintaining a two-way route along the seafront” for motor traffic, with the exception of a new 600-metre-long one-way system in Tynemouth.

The local authority also claimed that the protected walking and cycling route will create a “safe space” for families riding bikes, as well as improving air quality, boosting tourism, and “improving people’s enjoyment of an already beautiful space”.

> “Hare-brained” segregated bike path will “prioritise a small handful of cyclists over thousands of commuters” and increase collisions, councillors claim

However, as noted above, the lane has already been subject of several complaints, and this week cyclist Garry Thompson told the Chronicle that the infrastructure’s layout was responsible for a crash which left him in hospital for five days.

The 66-year-old was enjoying a leisurely cycle along the new route on 28 July, when a pedestrian stepped out in front of him near the Gibraltar Rock pub in Tynemouth. Trying to avoid a collision, Thompson was flung over his handlebars, crashing head-first into the lane’s kerb.

“I ended up with five staples in my head, a broken collarbone, and eight fractured ribs,” he told the local newspaper.

“I was probably doing four miles an hour because it’s uphill and there is nothing to stop pedestrians coming onto the cycle lane.

“It’s all well and good putting signs up but people will walk on the cycle track. They wouldn’t walk onto a road, but a cycle track? It doesn’t have the same threat.”

He continued: “Really there needs to be something on the part of the road from the Grand Hotel up, where they have got about 57 car parking spaces, where people are getting out, and crossing the road and the cycle track with their surfboards and their kids.

“It doesn’t really work. I do think it needs addressing before either a kid or an older person gets hurt.”

However, not all local cyclists agree with Thompson’s verdict on the safety standard of North Tyneside’s new flagship cycling infrastructure.

Sharing photos of the lane on social media, Gaz wrote: “I don’t think the infra is at fault. It’s pretty much gold standard. You couldn’t ask for much more. Height and colour separation are all as good as you could expect.

“He said he was only doing 4mph, which I believe as it is a short uphill. Pedestrians also have a personal responsibility not to randomly step into the path of anyone else. Cyclists, be alert, especially on cycleways with new or changed layouts.”

“That looks like the gold standard of clear visual and physical difference, complete with centre lines to reinforce where the cycle track is,” agreed Kev.

Responding to Thompson’s crash, North Tyneside Council’s head of highways and transportation, Paul Watson, also defended the infrastructure’s layout.

“I was very concerned to learn about the incident involving Mr Thompson, and I wish him a full recovery,” Watson said.

“The new seafront route was designed with safety as our top priority. It adheres to national design standards and provides clearly marked, separate spaces for cyclists and pedestrians, with different coloured surfaces, and signage.”

> "It would be sacrilege to take up the grass verges," claims local, as cycle lane plan with "enormous benefits for the community" met with vocal opposition

He continued: “The route includes a range of pedestrian safety improvements, including several new zebra crossings and a buffer zone where people can safely wait to cross the cycle lane after parking on the street.

“While these changes may take time to get used to, we urge all cyclists, pedestrians and drivers to take care and be aware of their surroundings, just as they would on any road. We are committed to maintaining high safety standards and ensuring that our seafront route works for all users.”