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Cyclist 'nearly killed' by fixed-wheel bicycle demands crackdown

Badly injured: Colin Marr, 77, says the law on brakeless bikes needs to be implemented
Badly injured: Colin Marr, 77, says the law on brakeless bikes needs to be implemented

A cyclist “nearly killed” when he was struck by a fixed-wheel bicycle joined calls for a crackdown today.

Colin Marr, 77, who was hit by a rider on a bike without a front brake, says the “law is not being implemented” to get illegal bikes off the roads.

This week, Charlie Alliston was jailed for 18 months for “wanton and furious driving” after hitting pedestrian Kim Briggs while on an Olympic-style track bike in Old Street. It had no front brake and was illegal to ride on the road.

Mrs Briggs, 44, died after the crash in February 2016. Alliston, 20, of Bermondsey, was cleared of her manslaughter at the Old Bailey. After the sentencing Mrs Briggs’s widower Matthew demanded a crackdown on those who flout the law. He has called for new laws, including causing death by dangerous cycling.

Mr Marr, of Muswell Hill, said: “The situation that killed Kim Briggs need not have arisen had police implemented the law as far as cycling without brakes goes. The law doesn’t need to be changed — it just needs to be implemented.” Under UK law, a standard bike must have two braking systems to be deemed legal for use on a public road. A “fixie” has a rear wheel that cannot turn independently of the pedals but it must still have a front brake if the saddle is over 63.5cm high.

Mr Marr was hit by the cyclist riding a “fixie” in 2013 at a green light on a cyclist crossing in Seven Sisters Road in Finsbury Park. He was knocked off his bike and spent 10 days in hospital. His left shoulder was reconstructed and fitted with a metal plate. He said: “He could have killed me. Riding a brakeless, you can control it to slow down but you can’t stop. It’s crazy for people to cycle like that on public roads.”

Mr Briggs, from Lewisham, is calling on bike retailers via his @briggscampaign on Twitter to “responsibly advertise” fixed-wheel bikes. The father of two said: “I’m calling all the retailers who advertise these bikes, and in my view many retailers advertise them irresponsibly, to change their ways. If they can have a front brake fitted then they should be advertised with one in the photo. If they can’t, like a pure velodrome bike, then I’m asking them to state in their wording that these bikes are not legal for road use.”