A COUNCILLOR is urging drivers to be more aware after he and seven other cyclists were almost knocked off their bikes.
Nathan Ley, who represents Abingdon North on Oxfordshire County Council, was cycling from Appleford towards Sutton Courtenay on Sunday (26) with members of Abingdon Cycling Club.
The eight cyclists, who were riding in two by four formation, had already been riding for about three and a half hours when a black Mercedes on the opposite side of the road “sped up towards them” at about midday.
READ MORE: Lorry driver stuck on road after car parked on bend
“We had a car coming towards us which wasn't really an issue,” said Dr Ley. “But it decided to cross the central white line in the middle of the road and sped up driving towards us and we couldn't believe it was happening.
“It then grazed literally centimetres away from us and it could have easily been a collision leading to severe injury or death of multiple people.
“To the group, that it was it felt like the driver was trying to achieve. Maybe they were looking at their phone or there was a glare but it’s not really an excuse.”
The cyclists all had front and rear cameras so we able to capture footage of the incident which has since been handing over to the police.
No one was injured and they were able to carry on riding but a few of the cyclists were a bit “shaken up”.
READ MORE: Boxing coach sets up youth club to help children's developement
Dr Ley is now urging drivers to be more aware and careful as it may put others off cycling which the council are trying to encourage people to do for the benefit of the environment.
“As a county councillor, I'm keen on cycling not just being confident groups but for casual cyclists who are going to work or go into the shop.
“But this sort of behaviour is not going to convince people to swap that car journey out for a bike trip.
“We're in a world where there's already too many cars on our roads than our transport network, community and environment can tolerate.
“I wouldn't want to tarnish everyone with the same brush. Most of us who ride, we also drive cars as well, so we know that most drivers are sensible and conscientious.
“But just please adhere to the speed limits, treat pedestrians and cyclists as vulnerable road users, because drivers are inside a massive heavy metal box which are known for injuring people.
READ MORE: E-Scooter trial in Oxford will continue until November
“It only takes is one bad egg to ruin an entire family forever. In situations like this the punishment must match the magnitude of the offence”
-
Read more from this author
This story was written by Gee Harland, she joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.
Gee covers Wallingford and Didcot.
Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland
A message from our Editor
Thank you for reading this story and supporting the Oxford Mail.
If you like what we do please consider getting a subscription for the Oxford Mail and in return we’ll give you unrestricted access with less adverts across our website from the latest news, investigations, features, and sport.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok for more.
You can also join the conversation in our Facebook groups: stay ahead of traffic alerts here, keep up to date with the latest from court here, share your favourite memories of Oxford here, get your daily dose of celebrity news here and take some time out with news that will make you smile.
If you’ve got a story for our reporters, send us your news here. You can also list an event for free here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel