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news
Bikes outside Pembroke College CambridgeCambridge cyclist who broke both arms in crash with another rider says all road users must show respect
A Cambridge man who broke both arms and a foot while riding his bike when another cyclist crashed into him in a hit and run incident has appealed for all road users to slow down and show consideration for one another.
Simon Lee, a former soldier who served in the Balkans and who later worked in private security for VIPs, also called for the local council to improve cycle infrastructure to make the roads safer for cyclists.
He told Cambridge News: “I’ve been shot at, stoned and set on fire, but I’ve never been injured like this.
“I said to him ‘What are you doing?’ He just looked at me, picked up his bike and off he went. It’s ridiculous.
“The only time I’ve ever been injured was when I was knocked off my bike by a car or cyclist. I survived Bosnia, but not cycling in Cambridge.”
He did not report the incident, which happened on Friday 17 October near the city’s new CB1 development, to the police.
“What are they going to do? Even if they found him, he’d only got a telling off. I don’t see much point in that.
He added: “Just slow down if you’re in a car or on a bike, slow down and have some respect for each other.
“If I was an older person, it could have killed me. At least have the decency to stop and apologise.”
Mr Lee, chairman of Cambridge City Conservatives, also called on the local council to take action to improve cycle infrastructure in the city.
“We’ve got so many bright minds in Cambridge, for goodness sake get together and sort out the traffic problems,” he said. “The council should listen more to the cycling community in Cambridge.
“We need proper cycle lanes, we need proper junctions and we need action now. Nobody does anything about it - it’s always these piecemeal non-events.”
Recent incidents in which cyclists have been injured in Cambridge include one at the city’s new ‘continental’ roundabout in which a 12 year old boy was knocked off his bike.
His mother said the roundabout, aimed at making cyclists safer, actually made the situation more dangerous.
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.
Latest Comments
- Geordiepeddeler 4 hours 24 min ago
Cycling infrastructure does not force drivers to break the law, drivers are the reason they break the law, no one else.
- chrisonabike 4 hours 37 min ago
Ah but taking pictures of things to defy the man (avoid a fine) is righteous. Taking pictures of people to grass on them to the cops (perhaps...
- ktache 6 hours 27 min ago
But getting paid for it is the very definition of professional....
- ktache 6 hours 35 min ago
Never had a Shimano QR fail on me. They just work. And the top end ones look good too....
- Backladder 7 hours 22 min ago
If you're only looking at the guy in front of you then you're going to crash whatever brakes you have, you need to look beyond them to anticipate...
- jaysa 7 hours 47 min ago
As a woman, this works great for me! My chain broke once, and a kind guy stopped with a chain breaker and sorted it all out for me. We stopped at a...
- andystow 8 hours 38 min ago
Same. I also have gone through a bunch of their tyres, and only the extralight disappointed (torn sidewall) but the standards are fantastic....
- chrisonabike 10 hours 36 min ago
Indeed - but it's no more inconsistent than our current road design - very often UK high streets are "for shopping" and also a busy through route....
- mike the bike 12 hours 6 min ago
If you ask the world's leading economic commentators how many people have been rescued from abject poverty by capitalism the average answer would...
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11 comments
Well, we don't know that the other chap was a prat, just that from the side put forward by Mr Lee, he sounds like an absolute chump!
As for the them and us brigade... I'm not sure where or how the brigade are supposed to get involved here...
Its akin to two car drivers running in to each other... teh anti-cyclist brigade would struggle to invoke cycling hatred over that one too I suspect.
I hope Mr Lee gets well soon and is not too deterred from the bike. As I always say... you are very unlucky to have a serious accident on the bike, but once you have had one, you are statistically unlikely to have another.
Simon Lee seems like a decent bloke and I hope he gets well soon.
The other cyclist is clearly a prat, and like car drivers who do the same everyday to bike riders.
It's not the mode of transport that is the issue in most of these cases. It's the human involvement. The selfishness and lack of concern is apparent because of the individual and not the vehicle.
It is an offence to not stop and provide your details when you cause an accident. All road users, including cyclists must comply with the road traffic act. With 2 broken bones the person would be looking at 7-8 points on their license and a fine.
To those who say the cyclist doesn't have a license, the points will go on and if they ever apply it will arrive with the points.
No.
No it won't.
It would be like having your gym membership revoked because you were late bringing back a library book.
Can I just point out that leaving the scene of an accident on a bicycle is not an offence, although the person who did just that is obviously a heartless sod.
Breaking someone's arms and a foot surely is though.
"He did not report the incident, which happened on Friday 17 October near the city’s new CB1 development, to the police.
“What are they going to do? Even if they found him, he’d only got a telling off. I don’t see much point in that."
This is a major problem. No wonder councils and the gummint think all is fine on our roads - most bike injuries/collisions go unreported. Hospitals are pretty useless at returning stats too.
How are we to secure extra funding at council, county and national levels, if injuries/crashes like this aren't reported? His treatment and rehab will cost tens of thousands. Could be a perfect justification for the council to maybe spend a few grand redesigning wherever it happened.
"I survived Bosnia, but not cycling in Cambridge.”
Well, technically he survived cycling in Cambridge too, unless he is speaking from beyond the grave.
If the perpetrator had been driving a car you would have all been leaping up and down, a crime has been committed why so quiet?
Agree, amazing how the us against them brigade remains quiet on this one. The victim should have reported this hit and run. just goes to show that people's actions and the behaviour is the problem not their chosen mode of transport. How you can leave someone behind who must have been in serious distress after suffering multiple fractures is beyond me.
The headline is a little misleading, isn't it? Given he goes on to say:
“The council should listen more to the cycling community in Cambridge.
“We need proper cycle lanes, we need proper junctions and we need action now. Nobody does anything about it - it’s always these piecemeal non-events.”