Gerard Griffiths has asked what is being done to protect pedestrians in Central London
A son whose 81-year-old mother died after being hit by a cyclist in a Central London park has said that bike speed limits must be introduced to protect pedestrians. Gerard Griffiths lost his mum after she was struck down by a cyclist while at Regent’s Park in June 2022.
Following the collision, Mrs Griffiths suffered bleeding in her brain and sustained several fractures, before dying 59 days later. The cyclist was not prosecuted and a tribunal found a verdict of “accidental cycling collision death”.
Mr Griffiths asked Westminster City Council on Thursday (June 18) to bring in bike speed limits and other measures to protect pedestrians against cyclists riding at speed or in a reckless manner.
“Westminster has always been a leader in local council innovation – introducing speed limits for cyclists will act as a deterrent and change the behaviour of those who choose to ignore the rules. Although national limits don’t apply councils can set limits for all vehicles including bikes,” he told a full meeting of Westminster City Council.
“This is personal for me; my 81-year-old mother was killed by a cyclist travelling at 29 miles an hour. At a slower speed, this tragedy may have been avoided. The cyclist said he had zero reaction time.”
Mr Griffiths went on to point out that other European countries had already brought in measures to protect pedestrians from cyclists. The Netherlands recently began a two-week-long trial of a 12mph speed limit for cyclists in Houten, near Utrecht.
Finishing his emotive speech, Mr Griffiths asked the Westminster Full Council: “Will Westminster lead the way on cycle speed limits and what will you do to protect pedestrians?”
British cyclists have no legal obligation to adhere to the same speed limits as motorists. Some areas do have local bylaws which restrict the speed of cyclists, such as on Hampstead Heath and Richmond Park.
Councillor Tim Mitchell, Cabinet Member for City Management, told Mr Griffiths there was no legislation to govern speed limits for bikes or e-bikes. He said that failing to stop at a red light was a criminal offence for which the police could take action.
“I absolutely agree that cyclists speeding, riding on pavements and ignoring red lights pose a real danger to pedestrians and other road users. We all should ensure that we observe the highway code, be we pedestrians, cyclists or drivers of motor vehicles,” he said in response to Mr Griffiths.
He said that councils had no power to enforce red light offences but that it worked alongside the police. The Cabinet Member said that the council was working with Lime Bikes to enforce action at hotspots across the city. Cllr Mitchell also said how sorry he was to hear about the death of Mrs Griffiths.
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