In another example of how someone seemingly has to be blamed for every accident solicitors representing a group of cyclists who have suffered injuries having fallen off their bikes in the vicinity of the tram tracks in Edinburgh have revealed that they are set to sue the City Council for damages. It is believed 60 cyclists are involved in the legal action and they have suffered a series of breaks, sprains and fractures having fallen off their bikes when coming in contact with the tracks.<\/p>\n
The solicitors representing the cyclists say that the Council are guilty of negligence due to the design of the tram tracks and warning signs. A test case is due to be heard by the Court of Session in November and if that is a success the floodgates are expected to be opened and lots of cyclists will bring action for their injuries. The Edinburgh Evening News report that up to \u00a310,000 per case could be awarded with a final bill of over \u00a3500,000 likely.<\/p>\n
The article also quotes Stewart White, an associate dealing with accident claims Thomson Solicitors, who says: \u201cWe\u2019re confident of proceeding and that a successful judgement will pave the way for settling the remainder. The council have repudiated liability in every case. The position has been that the tram tracks are there to be seen, and that\u2019s it. That\u2019s simply not good enough. The bottom line is that they have removed cycling provision and they have replaced it with the tram system, which is essentially a railway through the city centre. What\u2019s a cyclist supposed to do in that environment?\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile down on London Tramlink a major review has recently been started into ensuring that in all locations where trams and bikes come across each other is completely safe. At an inquest into the death of Roger de Klerk (who tragically died after falling off his bike when its wheels got stuck in the tram tracks close to East Croydon) last year coroner Selena Lynch was critical of the so-called confusing signage and layout of junctions and gave a warning that more cyclists could die if something wasn\u2019t done. She has now written to Croydon Council and they, along with TfL, are looking at all junctions and signage to ensure that the network remains as safe as possible for all road users.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In another example of how someone seemingly has to be blamed for every accident solicitors representing a group of cyclists who have suffered injuries having fallen off their bikes in the vicinity of the tram tracks in Edinburgh have revealed … Continue reading