TWO cyclists hit in Leeds today!

[Dadam]

Woodhouse Lane: Cyclist hit by HGV in Leeds - full police statement
Thankfully, the article suggests he wasn't too badly injured.

And a much more serious one on Kirkstall Road: Leeds cyclist suffers 'life-threatening injuries' after being hit by van - full police statement

Subheadlines on both though. Nothing about the victim or their condition but "The road was blocked for an hour" and "The crash was reported at 8.50 am and the road was [closed] in both directions.". Shows the priorities! Disgraceful!

 

[wiggydiggy]

I heard about the Kirkstall Road one on travel news, they didn't mention the reason for closure. Would be interested in knowing exactly where the incidents were, both roads have had improvements including segregated sections but both still have parts that are dangerous as bicycles are not prioritised where there is no room for them.

 

[Dadam]

WY Police are asking for dashcam footage
Edit: can't seem to share the FB post. You'd think Meta would want to make it easy to get a link to share stuff on other platforms. Not so it seems.
Post copied here

Police investigating a road traffic collision on Kirkstall Road, Leeds, in which a cyclist was seriously injured are appealing for any witnesses or dashcam footage.
The collision happened at 8.45am this morning (Tuesday) and involved a pedal cycle and a white Ford Transit van.
The van was travelling in the direction of Kirkstall when the collision occurred at the junction adjacent to the Shell petrol station.
The cyclist, a man in his 30s, was taken to hospital with injuries which were described as life-threatening, and he remains in a critical condition.
Officers from the Road Policing Unit are investigating and would like to hear from anyone who saw the collision or may have any relevant CCTV or dashcam footage.
You can contact West Yorkshire Police online at https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/LiveChat or by calling 101 quoting reference 13250488272.

According to the post above the Kirkstall Road one was near the Shell station, which I guess will be the big junction with Viaduct Road.

 

[wiggydiggy]

WY Police are asking for dashcam footage
Edit: can't seem to share the FB post. You'd think Meta would want to make it easy to get a link to share stuff on other platforms. Not so it seems.
Post copied here


According to the post above the Kirkstall Road one was near the Shell station, which I guess will be the big junction with Viaduct Road.

I've just read the same on Leeds Live, it does say next to the petrol station: https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/leeds-news/leeds-a65-kirkstall-road-live-32349190

 

[classic33]

https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk...sses-following-collision-kirkstall-road-leeds

 

[mjr]

Edit: can't seem to share the FB post. You'd think Meta would want to make it easy to get a link to share stuff on other platforms. Not so it seems.

It's getting more and more difficult to share in or out. Meta want to keep their users inside their walled garden as long as possible, just like how the actual search results on Google have drifted further and further down the page in the hope you won't leave their advertisers unwatched. It's annoying so many bits of government work for them now. At least the police usually post things on their own websites too, as in this case.

I hope the investigations find answers and the injured recover well.

So, local experts, are those locations which have been updated recently, or ones yet to do?

 

[wiggydiggy]

So, local experts, are those locations which have been updated recently, or ones yet to do?

Not recently but it has had improvements, for most of Kirkstall road it's either a bike lane marked with lines, a bus lane which we can use but cars and vans cannot and some segregated sections.

The petrol station junction is a painted cycle lane in between 2 lanes of traffic, probably the most dangerous part of the road. Immediately outside the petrol station after crossing through the junction it's a bus lane again.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rtRd2nXpzjwSjj5BA?g_st=ac

 

[Dadam]

Not recently but it has had improvements, for most of Kirkstall road it's either a bike lane marked with lines, a bus lane which we can use but cars and vans cannot and some segregated sections.

The petrol station junction is a painted cycle lane in between 2 lanes of traffic, probably the most dangerous part of the road. Immediately outside the petrol station after crossing through the junction it's a bus lane again.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rtRd2nXpzjwSjj5BA?g_st=ac

Those are the worst! I only use them to filter if both lanes are full of queuing traffic. Otherwise I take the appropriate lane for the direction I'm heading.

 

[Dadam]

I commuted in yesterday as well, though my route goes nowhere near either of those roads. I was in the office when I read those articles and did feel a stab of apprehension for the commute home. Thankfully it was fine and in fact I had the most chilled and uneventful commutes in some time.

 

[Saracenlad]

Not recently but it has had improvements, for most of Kirkstall road it's either a bike lane marked with lines, a bus lane which we can use but cars and vans cannot and some segregated sections.

The petrol station junction is a painted cycle lane in between 2 lanes of traffic, probably the most dangerous part of the road. Immediately outside the petrol station after crossing through the junction it's a bus lane again.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rtRd2nXpzjwSjj5BA?g_st=ac



View attachment 785026

That looks like a nightmare. How does any cyclist cope with that?

 

[presta]

That looks like a nightmare. How does any cyclist cope with that?

By not using the cycle lane, in my case. Cycling in between two lanes of moving traffic is madness, you're just making yourself the filling in a lorry sandwich. It's asking for trouble. Motorists don't care whether there's enough room to pass or not, so if there isn't you'll just get crushed whilst the drivers are more preoccupied with looking for hazards that are a threat to themselves. If I'm at a multi-lane junction, cycle lane or not, I use the same lane that I would in the car. And I get in the centre of it.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Those are the worst! I only use them to filter if both lanes are full of queuing traffic. Otherwise I take the appropriate lane for the direction I'm heading.

That looks like a nightmare. How does any cyclist cope with that?

As Dadam said, use the lane. Only exception is it the traffic is queuing which it frequently is.

I used to do this route daily, that was before these specific improvements. To be honest Kirkstall Road is a nightmare for any traffic, motorised or otherwise. It's got far busier in the last 10 years. I left around 2013 and it was already horrible.

The canal at least has been improved a lot, it's not quick but at least it off the road.

 

[Solocle]

As Dadam said, use the lane. Only exception is it the traffic is queuing which it frequently is.

I used to do this route daily, that was before these specific improvements. To be honest Kirkstall Road is a nightmare for any traffic, motorised or otherwise. It's got far busier in the last 10 years. I left around 2013 and it was already horrible.

The canal at least has been improved a lot, it's not quick but at least it off the road.

I cycled that route frequently for a month when I was doing an internship in Horsforth (2018). Not particularly nice, but way faster to get to the City Centre than the canal path.

Last time I cycled there was doing LEJOG in 2021, and I was semi-forced into being a King Salmon...

 

[wiggydiggy]

I started on the canal, before it had any improvements, but upgraded to the road especially when I was commuting in work clothes (it's only 3 miles to city centre from my old flat).

 

[Dadam]

I saw what looked like the aftermath of ANOTHER collision last night! This time on Gelderd Road. I was driving my car and there were several vehicles including an ambulance parked up and cars having to give way alternately to clear the restriction. I saw a man being tended by paramedics next to a bicycle on the ground. Thankfully he looked like he was sitting up, conscious and talking to the medics.

Location was about here and time about 5:40pm