Cyclist campaigners call for action over Mare Street ‘collision hotspot’

Mare Street: the scene of the accident on Saturday morning. CCTV image: Metropolitan Police

Mare Street: the scene of the collision. CCTV image: Metropolitan Police

Cycling campaigners have demanded urgent action following a serious collision on Mare Street which left a young woman hospitalised.

The 20-year-old cyclist suffered head injuries after being hit by a car earlier this month.

Charity the Hackney Cycling Campaign has called for the council to tackle what it has described as a “collision hotspot” at the north end of Mare Street.

“While we do not know the circumstances of the collision, we believe that this is a dangerous junction which needs urgent remedial action,” said Jono Kenyon of the Hackney Cycling Campaign.

“For years there have been clusters of cyclist collisions in this area, which should have indicated a need for change.”

A recent Hackney Cycling Campaign survey identified the north end of Mare Street close to the Town Hall as a “collision hotspot”.

“Hackney Cycling has flagged up problems about this area, including the very hostile conditions for people accessing the Narrow Way from the south, turning right across a busy road with poor visibility.

“We recently indicated to the council that we want to see progress made on plans we have seen,” said Kenyon.

“This collision hotspot, within yards of the Town Hall, needs urgent attention if Hackney is to become a truly safe and attractive borough for cycling.

“Without changes to hostile environments like this junction, we will continue to see terrible incidents like this.”

The Narrow Way was cleared of cars and buses to make it a special route for cyclists and pedestrians two years ago, but at either end of this now quiet street are busy and polluted main roads.

Hackney is often regarded as London’s cycling capital. A greater proportion of people cycle on its roads than in any other local authority area in London.

The council has set an ambitious target of more than doubling existing levels of cycling in Hackney by 2025 but acknowledges that collision rates currently put many people off using this greener form of transport.

Last year there were 249 casualties involving cyclists in the borough – including two fatalities, on Homerton Road and Amhurst Park.

The injured cyclist’s condition is now not thought to be life threatening or life changing, the Metropolitan Police last week confirmed.

The collision happened in the early hours on 15 October and the woman was originally thought to have been badly hurt, but she is now understood to be on her way to making a complete recovery.

The driver stopped at the scene, was not arrested and is helping police with their inquiries.

Councillor Feryal Demirci, the politician in charge of Hackney Council’s cycling strategy, said: “We are relieved to hear that the cyclist involved in the collision on Mare Street is due to make a full recovery.

“We are committed to improving road safety in the borough, including redesigning this junction as part of the Narrow Way improvements.”

4 Comments

  1. Dilesh patel on Tuesday 25 October 2016 at 03:01

    I have worked in the area for over 12 years and the closing of the narrow way to vehicles is great. The main problem is the fact that cyclists DON’T stop when exiting the narrow way. They do not look before going onto the main road and do not follow the road markings. Cyclists DO NOT ride safely in the area. If they only stopped before joining the main traffic there would be less accidents and safety concerns. I see most of the cyclists that exit the bottom narrow way just fly out without showing down in front of the bus garage exit where bus enter and exit and also cyclists speed over the zebra crossing (when people are crossing on it) without showing down there as well. Cyclists seem to think they are untouchable so no consideration is needed for other road users. Shame really that the blame goes to others and not the cyclist.



  2. simon on Wednesday 26 October 2016 at 00:54

    The real problem with this junction is for cyclists trying to turn into the Narroway coming up from Mare Street where they have to wait in the middle of the traffic on a corner. This is where the accident in the article happened.

    ps. Some cyclists may not stop when exiting the narroway others do – dont generalise!



  3. Isabel Medina on Monday 31 October 2016 at 11:58

    I am a cautious cyclist and I feel quite uneasy at that junction. There should be a segregated cycle route both ways of Mare Street. The other alternative route through Church Well Path is currently undergoing roadworks and the access to Morning Lane is closed to cyclists for the time being and cyclists are currently struggling to cycle across the obstacles (The plastic fences and the “cyclists dismount” signs on display). This is one of the best cycle routes in Hackney (as it is a quiet route) but it is very difficult to use it at the moment. Isabel



  4. Andreas on Thursday 3 November 2016 at 12:55

    Interesting, did you contact the police since you clearly witnessed the accident and could help them in clearing up matters?



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