Archway

It is very sad to hear of the death of another cyclist on Monday 5th of August on Archway Road near Langdon Park Road.  This is a north facing view of part of that road near where the accident happened.

Google Street View facing north shows single line traffic southward bound toward Archway.

I think the picture from Google Street View demonstrates clearly the dangers that cyclists face on this stretch of road. The inside lane southbound is for parked cars, there is one traffic lane southbound, one northbound and a bus lane northbound. 

• There is little room for a lorry travelling south to pass parked cars.  There would be no room for a lorry plus cyclist where there were also parked cars.  Passing a cyclist in this situation demands care and patience.  The Google Street View shows this very clearly. 
• The bus lane on the opposite side of the road clearly affords cyclists much safer passage but southbound there are the two major hazards of parked cars and a busy main road confined to a single lane southbound.  Cyclists are extremely exposed in these situations and other road users often do not appreciate the risks or are too impatient to get past.
• There is no knowing what the traffic conditions where like at the time of the accident.  I avoid major roads like the plague but in this case there are no obvious alternative routes in the area with a tangle of many small roads serving residential areas.

Dr Clive Richards, retired GP and cyclist of many years experience will be very sadly missed and was clearly not just another lycra clad hothead.  I am very sorry to hear this very sad news.