Councillor in cycle collision

The Northgate gyratory has been called a ‘death trap’ after a councillor was knocked off her bike while in the cycle lane.

The Northgate gyratory has been called a ‘death trap’ after a councillor was hit by a car, sparking a call for safer cycling provisions in the city.

City and district councillor Clare Apel has called for measures to make the Northgate gyratory safe after she was knocked off her bike while in the cycle lane last week.

Now she, and others, are calling for safer provisions for cyclists throughout the city.

Two days after the incident, Clare’s muscles went into spasm and she was taken to A and E in what she described as agonising pain.

“The pain keeps me awake at night, it’s very strange. The pain was absolutely diabolical.

“[Secretary of State for

Transport] Grant Shapps has come out with all these policies, ‘we have got to do more for cycling’, well the first thing they have got to do is make places cycle friendly – at the moment it is not feasible.

“Something has got to be done about it, I have been saying it is a death trap for ages. It is such a dangerous road – I will never cycle around it again.

“They should know that we are all affected by it. It makes you feel so vulnerable.”

Mayor Richard Plowman has also had problems with the area and was knocked off his bike three years ago, thankfully only suffering a bruised shoulder, but the experience has kept him off his bicycle ever since.

“I was cycling near Oaklands Way when I got knocked off my bike. It is quite difficult because people don’t seem to see you coming round on the cycle lane.

“This is what we have been talking about, making cycling safe.

“When I wrote my last open letter I got together with the chairman of the Chichester Cycle Forum, Ian Swann, and we are working on a scheme – possibly a training scheme.

“A lot of new people are getting onto bikes for the first time and we want to make sure they are safe to do that. We have got to work really hard to make it safe. Post Covid-19 we need to make sure it is safe for cyclists and that is part of the neighbourhood plan.”

Mr Plowman said one scheme the city council is looking at is a safe cycle lane from Spitalfield Lane through to the railway station.

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