Cycling is dangerous

On my route via the lee navigation canal, opposite Springfield Marina, I witnessed a cycle accident.

One cyclist coming off the bridge went headlong into another cycling on the towpath in front of me. The cyclist on the towpath must have been going reasonably quickly as I was keeping pace with him at around 13mph.

Cue a tangle of legs, arms, wheels and dérailleurs. I helped one of the cyclists by lifting their bicycle up a bit to dis-entangle them.

A couple of minutes later and everyone was on their way again. The accident had caused some bruising to the body, a slight loss of dignity to the cyclists involved, and a frisson of excitement for those walking their dogs in Springfield Park.

I have been cycling around this route since 2007. It is the first accident involving cyclists. I have never seen a cyclist / pedestrian accident on this busy stretch of tow-path. Despite the stark warnings about IPOD zombie cyclists and pedestrians and tales of ASBO cyclists cutting down all those in their path, the actual statistics show few serious injuries or death between cyclists and pedestrians, even less between cyclists themselves. And many, many more between cars and cyclists and pedestrians.