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news
broken bike.jpgHandwritten sign pleading for drivers to slow down for cyclists put up at spot where rider was killed
A handwritten sign has been put up on a Romsley road where a cyclist was recently killed. Ross Fawthrop crashed on Bromsgrove Road near the Swallows Nest pub on June 15 after two cars collided.
Halesowen News reports that despite paramedics arriving on the scene within eight minutes, Fawthrop could not be saved having sustained ‘significant’ injuries.
A plank of wood has now been put up beneath a 30mph sign, reading: “Cyclist killed here. Father of two. Please, please, please slow down for cyclists. This could be your dad, son or brother out on a bike ride. It is so frightening being passed by cars too close and too fast. We have young families. RIP."
The sign also features a diagram indicating that motorists should leave 1.5m when passing a cyclist.
Sign erected where cyclist was killed last week on Bromsgrove Rd, Romsley pic.twitter.com/ICCEi7cpy7
— Rich (@rich22222) July 2, 2017
Jon Fraser, head of highways at Worcestershire County Council, said: "We were not aware of this sign, but, together with the local councillor for Romsley, we will be considering road safety issues and meeting with the parish council.”
No arrests have been made following Fawthrop’s death and West Mercia Police is still appealing for witnesses.
Officers are particularly interested in speaking to anyone who saw the manner in which a silver Vauxhall Corsa and silver Ford Transit were being driven in the area at around 7.40am that day.
Anyone with information can contact police on 101, quoting incident number 99s of June 15.
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.
Latest Comments
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15 comments
I didn't think it was possible to convict two drivers for killing one person... or at least that's the reasoning I've read as to why the low-sun deaths, where mutliple drivers have hit the same cyclist and killed them, could not be prosecuted as they couldn't prove which driver delivered the fatal contact!?!
That Chelsea junction, I drive through it each way every day, absolute nightmare to drive across with the way so many d!ck drivers in London behave. The video was on here before, and I said then that I'm convinced the truck driver deliberately aimed to knock the cyclist into the kerb, the road is massively wide there and there is absolutely no need to aim at the left kerb. He may well have been avoiding hitting a car trying to get in front of the truck, but he's chosen to drive dangerously to avoid a collision with a car but caused a far more dangerous collision in the process, wouldn't have been difficult to accelerate a little slower or maybe apply the brakes when things got dicey.
Many cyclists have been conditioned to stay far to the left, you should filter up the middle there, but who would choose to filter between a massive truck and a string of angry London drivers trying to get in front of the truck... hence they all choose the empty left lane.
The road is plenty wide enough for cycle lanes in both directions, full of deep puddles last night though. Desperately needs ASL boxes, motorbikes/scooters all illegally jumping the queue really don't help the situation. The traffic speed is never enough to outpace bikes anyway, even when it's quiet.
To get back to the original story, my sympathies to the victims, and I appreciate that they feel the sign's message is powerful and effective, but it probably isn't.
It is far too long, difficult to read even at walking pace and will be ignored by 99.9% of drivers.
Far more effective would be a dummy camera and signs.
The cyclist who was hit was in the hgv blind spot the whole time, from where he was sat at the lights to impact. If the driver uses that route a lot, he could reasonably expect cyclists to go straight ahead from that position, but imagine it was his first time. Once everybody starts moving, the faster cyclists get ahead, the hgv driver will be fully aware the cyclists have carried straight ahead, but now when he is looking in his mirrors, he will be able to see the camera cyclist hanging back, with the other cyclists ahead. The hit cyclist is nowhere to be seen. Its the type of situation I dread, it could have turned out a lot worse.
I think the driver could have moved off a bit more cautiously, he seemed to be accelerating quite hard, don't know if that's just the footage.
When I'm sat at lights, I spend my time staring at my ns mirrors, waiting for the off chance a cyclist comes next to me so I'm aware straight away that somebody is there.
I love my job, best job in the world, lot more interesting than when I was stuck in an office, but it's so scary how a moment's inattention from either myself or another road user ( not just cyclists, car drivers are mental ) could result in a fatality and me in prison. Hgv drivers need to respect what we are driving and drive accordingly, but other road users need to do the same, and be aware of limitations we have with regards visibility.
What has no ASL or (seperated) infra got to do with anything. Either wait IN the centre of the lane if you arrive there first and IF an HGV pulls up behind you, move further forward so you increase chances of the driver seeing you if they haven't already. The excuse given by the YT poster as to why people break the rules was that vehicle traffic is slower here (forgetting that bicycles are vehicles), if that's so being ahead of the lorry is no big deal then
IF you arrive after the lorry then wait your fucking turn BEHIND instead of trying to bully your way in front MGIF style from the wrong lane. if a motor tried that bs from a left turn only lane and tried to squeeze out people on bikes they would be screaming blue murder.
what is the matter with people, stop being so impatient and not only putting yourself at risk but making it impossible for other road users.
the problem here isn't lack of infra, it isn't the lorry driver it's the plastic hat brigade who clearly think it makes them invincible and entitled to take the piss of the rules.
sorry but every single one of them taking off from the left lane and going ahead are ALL in the wrong and the thinking is just crazy!
So sorry for the family of Ross.
as for the London clip- jolly good advert for banning all commercial vehicles from London between the hours of 5 am and 10pm.
clearly need an ASL, plus a painted cycle lane on the other side of the lights would help. Blooming cheap as it's just a bit of paint. Then Chelsea could make loads of money by prosecuting everyone not on a bike entering the ASl, sorted!
Why are cyclists even on the roads with their push bikes. If you are so frightened get on the pavement. You don't even pay road tax, morons.
is what some motorists will say, and some more will think even if they don't say it. Looking in the Daily Mail for a sane response to road safety is well... there should be an elegant French phrase, like Wading in shit to find a diamond ring.
Patauger dans la merde pour trouver un anneau de diamant
needs work...
Why are these cretins (In the DM vido) in a left turn only lane and then cycle straight on, talk about making a rod for your own back ffs! Get into the correct fucking lane. IF the lorry was there first then stop doing a MGIF and fucking wait behind it! If you got there first then hold a central position well in front of the cab.
As for the article, yup, there is seemingly nothing that will stop drivers from overtaking closely no matter what 'initiatives' are rolled out, simply because the police for the most part don't actually give a fuck and niether does the 'justice' system.
that's a really horrible incident. It's on Cheyne Walk, Chelsea at the junction with Beaumont Street (?) heading east. It's very badly laid-out for cyclists. It needs an advance stop box, or whatever they're called.
I've cycled through it from the left turn lane any number of times, having to be careful and sometimes racing the motor traffic to get the lane going straight on.
Technically speaking the lorry driver may be right, but he must have known there was a bunch of cyclists there, and should have been more careful.
But either way, blaming the users for someone else's bad design doesn't achieve anything. This should be put in front of whoever is responsible for that bit of road, and they should be made to fix it.
p.s. It also shows how badly-designed lorries are for cities. They need fixing too
The cyclists were in the wrong lane and it wasn't a wise move. However the lorry driver could clearly see a group of cyclists was in the left lane, and a sensible driver would have hung back and checked that no more cyclists were coming before proceeding to cut into the group. In fact viewing the footage again, given that I have a feeling the driver decided to "teach the cyclists a lesson". The blindspots on these vehicles are unforgiveable and they shouldn't be on the road. If you're driving one you should be extremely careful and cautious. It isn't the responsibility of others to keep out of your blindspots (however sensible and advisable that might be) - the HGV is the one creating the danger so the driver should take responsibility for ensuring it is safe to move into a piece of road before they do.
If you walk down the road with a hammer, it isn't the responsibility of others to make sure they stay out of reach, it's your responsibility not to swing it at people. That said it may be best to steer clear of anyone carrying a hammer in the street... unfortunately there are a lot more HGVs than hammer wielders so it's a lot harder. 
How many cyclists should he have hung back for before continuing on his journey?
The LH turn lane may have been swarming with lemmings, all with no spacial awareness.
A good blast of the air horns may have helped clear space.
At least the lady cyclist had enough awareness to realise that it wasn't a good situation to be in and hung back to let the lorry clear the junction.
All of the ones he didn't want to be responsible for killing or maiming? Is it OK to run over one cyclist if you've already let nine live?
Errr..that's kinda why they're there, there is no ASL. Filtering on a bike or motorbike that way isn't exactly uncommon. Yeah, not ideal positioning and many of them wouldn't have been seen from the cab, but several *would* have come into view as they were all crossing the junction, so it's a bit bloody stupid of the driver to assume there aren't any others there.
Today in the Daily Mail (it will get onto raod.cc eventually), a lorry driver who made contact with a cyclist.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4668054/Cyclist-nearly-crushed-l...
If anyone ever does that to me, he'd better keep on driving, because if he doesn't, I will put him in the ground.
I ride that road - was out there Sunday, and judging by how close at least 50% of the vehicles that passed me going up the hill the sign made not one blind bit of difference.
RIP Ross.