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A cyclist who broke his elbows and jaw after being thrown from his bike by a feature meant to improve road safety is suing the council.
Greg Simmons was catapulted into the road when he hit a lane divider in Edmonton. The screenwriter described hitting a large bit of plastic which he says was hard to see.
The 36-year-old has never fully recovered from his serious injuries. The council denies the safety measure is defective but Greg fears what happened to him could happen to someone else.
“I was cycling down Hertford Road and I had to oveertake a bus that had pulled in front of me into a bus stop,” Greg told ITV News London.
He added: “So I pulled out inti the road but I hit a divider which is almost invisible without a bollard.
“I went over the handlebars, I landed in the road, broke both my elbows and my jaw.
“I got lucky because it’s a busy road and I could have been hit by a car.”
Not all the divers have bollards Credit: ITV News
Greg claims the way the council has designed the cycle lane makes it dangerous.
He said: “Most of the dividers have bollards, but this one didn’t – it doesn’t have a safety bollard, it doesn’t have reflectors, it doesn’t have any paint.
“It’s very difficult to spot that as you travel at speed.”
Greg is currently fighting a legal case against Enfield Council which is refusing to admit liability. The council said it could not comment while legal proceedings were ongoing.
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Greg’s solicitor, Sam Collard, from Osbournes Law said: “From a common sense point of view it seems this is a hazard.
“The point of if is to keep cyclists safe but it seems to have done the opposite.
“Hopefully the council will have a change of heart and engage with us.”
Greg’s crash happened 18 months ago and while he is back on his bike he is not fully recovered.
“My left arm is not the same as it was and I don’t think it ever will be,” Greg said.
“It has lost 20 per cent muscle according to my doctor and can’t fully straighten.
“It took me a while to get back on the bike but have done now, thankfully.
“I’ll never have the same strength that I did but I won’t let that affect my life,” he explained.
Greg hopes his legal fight means no one else gets injured.
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