Slippery paint makes £200m cycling lanes even more dangerous
A CORONER has demanded an urgent investigation into the safety of cycle lane blue paint after linking two deaths to slippery surfaces.
Transport for London (TfL) has been warned there is a risk of future deaths if it fails to take action over low-grip surfaces.
Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox raised fears over the blue paint after motorcyclist Milan Dokic skidded in wet weather and crashed into a bollard, suffering fatal injuries.
The father of one, 49, came off his motorbike in the rain on the cycle superhighway 8 lane in Battersea Park Road, south London, in March last year.
It opened in 2011 as one of the first superhighways introduced by former London Mayor Boris Johnson. TfL has set aside £200million over ten years for the highways as part of its £900million ‘Vision for Cycling’. The blue lanes run alongside normal road surfaces for motorised traffic.
In her report to TfL, Dr Wilcox wrote: ‘The CCTV clearly shows the motorcycle losing grip and sliding along the road.
‘Sadly, Mr Dokic came off and hit a bollard, sustaining injuries that led to his death at the scene.’ Although he was on a motorbike, the tool hire manager, originally from Serbia, had crossed into the cycle lane to undertake a van.
The coroner demanded the review following a pre-inquest hearing at Westminster coroner’s court last month. The full inquest is due in the summer.
Dr Wilcox said she was also due to hear evidence in another inquest in Battersea ‘where low grip on the [superhighway] may have played a part’. A collision investigator said the painted surface had a skid resistance lower than a conventional road.
The hearing also heard that some cyclists had complained of a lack of grip on parts of the superhighway, which runs between Westminster and Wandsworth. The coroner highlighted six areas of concern, which she said were ‘ too urgent to wait until the full hearing of the evidence to be addressed.’
Mr Dokic’s friend David Dacres said: ‘I would support any investigation into making things safer. It could save lives.’
TfL was last night unable to say how many miles had the lower-grip surface.
Leon Daniels, the body’s managing director of surface transport, said: ‘Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Milan Dokic. We’re preparing our response to the coroner and carefully considering the issues raised.’