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Why are cyclists crashing at the same point on Putney Embankment?Rotherwood Road - Putney Embankment (via StreetView).jpg

Why are cyclists crashing at the same point on Putney Embankment?

Is the surface being affected by river water?
by Alex Bowden
Tue, Jun 20, 2017 11:18
11

A cyclist who was seriously injured as a result of a fall on Putney Embankment has asked whether anyone else has had a similar experience. They believe that the turn into Rotherwood Road has a reputation for being a spot where those on bikes are likely to fall.

Writing in our forum, southwestcyclist said: “In August 2015 I fell off my bicycle whilst turning right into Rotherwood Road on the Putney embankment next to the Vesta Rowing Club and was hospitalised with multiple fractures to my leg and ankle.

“A second cyclist fell at almost exactly the same spot whilst I was being attended to by the police pending arrival of an ambulance, and the same morning whilst I was cycling to work I saw a cyclist getting up and limping after having fallen at the very same spot.

“I recently met another cyclist who told me that she had also fallen from her bicycle at the same spot in February 2017 and that someone from the boathouse had kindly come to her assistance and told her that lots of cyclists had fallen there.”

Southwestcyclist asked if anyone knew why the road was slippery in this particular area. Other users suggested several possible causes.

There was a suggestion from dinosaurJR that the Vesta and Thames rowing clubs, which are both based on this corner, might be taking boats in and out of the water a lot at this point, so the road might often be wet.

Univ2293 said: “The tide regularly washes up over the road at Putney Embankment.  All the houses are built higher up and the boathouses have flood doors to stop it coming in. I presume silt/algae must be left when the road clears.”

The road is also slightly off camber, according to dottigirl.

If anyone else has had issues at this spot, please let us know in the comments below.

Putney Embankment
London
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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11 comments

Avatar
Pub bike | 7 years ago
0 likes

Same thing happens on Festing Road (aka Festive Road of Mr. Ben fame).  There are lots of trees just a bit further along the embankment so leaves and twigs are usually strewn on the road making it particularly hazardous in wet weather or after a spring tide as water pools adjacent to Leaders Gardens. 

If the back wheel steps out pedal harder and hang on!

Avatar
Tass Whitby | 7 years ago
1 like

Try asking the local authority? I asked the council about a strangely slippery bit of road in Bath a few years ago (where Midford Road joins Wellsway, if anyone's interested) and it turned out the contractor had used 'the wrong type of tarmac' or something, and it had to be relaid.

Avatar
LWaB | 7 years ago
4 likes

There are minimum skid resistance values required for British roads. Skid resistance (Polished Stone Value) drops over time and it might be that this road now has an excessively slippery surface. Testing skid resistance is pretty easy; it is just a case of getting somebody to do it.

Avatar
psling | 7 years ago
0 likes

Also looks a prime spot for reversing twin axle boat trailers, scrubbing off rubber on to a dry surface which is then wetted by rain or river.

Guess how they create skid pans....

Avatar
STATO | 7 years ago
1 like

Turing onto an upslope at an acute angle, recipe for a crash. Your going from sensible lean angle for your turn radius and speed to excessive lean angle. The front wheel will just push out and drop you to the ground.

Avatar
MarkiMark | 7 years ago
1 like

Don't want to play down any injuries but...

This reminds me of riding into Sheffield from High Bradfield following Tour stage along with loads of people who'd cycled up there to look. For some bizarre reason as we joined the tram route into Sheffield there were bodies strewn over the road as a result of having their wheels fall into the tram track. D'oh!

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... | 7 years ago
0 likes

Hmmm. Normally I'm inclined to the view that the road should be made safe for the cyclist rather than the reverse, but having many times been amused at seeing exactly the kind of thing shown in flathunt's link (and on one occasion nervously cycled through flood water) I think maybe this case is a hopeless one and different rules apply.

Edit - maybe add warning signs or road markings?

Avatar
flathunt | 7 years ago
1 like

Quite...

 

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/putney-high-tide-facebook-group-se...

Avatar
BigManLittleHair | 7 years ago
2 likes

So you cycle along a road that is next to a river. The road is well known to flood at high high tides. In the photos you can see boat houses, trailers and jettys to launch boats, basically the comings and goings of a well used and loved bit of riverside.

If a cyclist has an issue here, imo, it's the cyclists fault. It's our job to read the road and conditions and consequently ride appropriately.

Blame game being kicked into action by the cyclist? I'm sorry about his serious sounding injuries but hey, it's the embankment and is one of the most used bits of recreaction riverside space in London, other routes are available or you slow down...

Avatar
kamoshika replied to BigManLittleHair | 7 years ago
4 likes

BigManLittleHair wrote:

So you cycle along a road that is next to a river. The road is well known to flood at high high tides. In the photos you can see boat houses, trailers and jettys to launch boats, basically the comings and goings of a well used and loved bit of riverside.

If a cyclist has an issue here, imo, it's the cyclists fault. It's our job to read the road and conditions and consequently ride appropriately.

Blame game being kicked into action by the cyclist? I'm sorry about his serious sounding injuries but hey, it's the embankment and is one of the most used bits of recreaction riverside space in London, other routes are available or you slow down...

To be fair, they just seem to be trying to understand if lots of people are coming off here and why, presumably with a view to helping other people avoid getting injured, rather than trying to apportion blame. You're right, it's the responsibility of the cyclist to read the road conditions, and ride accordingly, but if lots of people are falling off here, then perhaps whatever is causing that isn't obvious. Maybe by understanding the cause something could be done (different type of tarmac or whatever) or warning signs put up. Seems reasonable to me.

Avatar
bsknight replied to BigManLittleHair | 7 years ago
2 likes

BigManLittleHair wrote:

So you cycle along a road that is next to a river. The road is well known to flood at high high tides. In the photos you can see boat houses, trailers and jettys to launch boats, basically the comings and goings of a well used and loved bit of riverside.

If a cyclist has an issue here, imo, it's the cyclists fault. It's our job to read the road and conditions and consequently ride appropriately.

Blame game being kicked into action by the cyclist? I'm sorry about his serious sounding injuries but hey, it's the embankment and is one of the most used bits of recreaction riverside space in London, other routes are available or you slow down...

I think this is someone just trying to find out if there is a particular issue here, and, if so, what it is. Nobody seems to be shouting for ¨something to be done to protect the cyclist¨

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