New photos show cyclist killed by truck in Dublin had no way out

This is the spot where the fatal crash took place, the steel barriers meaning the cyclist had nowhere to go. From this angle it really looks like a death trap.

 

A couple of weeks ago Donna Fox from Balbriggan in north Co Dublin became the latest cyclist to die on the Republic's roads.

Donna was hit by the truck on Sheriff St Upper close to the International Financial Services Centre.

The collision occurred at the junction of Seville Place and Sheriff St Upper on September 6th while Donna, a keen cyclist who had ridden sportives, was on her way to work that morning.

Cycling activist Mike McKillen has since gone back to the spot and taken some photos as well as formulating his thoughts on his impressions of the junction.

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The image above - posted by Mike on his Facebook page - is very striking in that it captures how trapped a cyclist would be at the junction if a truck was turning left and they were on its inside, as we believe Donna was.

 

The crash scene with bike still in place. On the far right of the photo one of the barriers has been bent back, most likely hit by a vehicle and demonstrating how tight the corner is and how little space there often is between vehicles and cyclists at such junctions.

 

Mike writes of his visit to the scene: “As Donna Fox was being buried in Balbriggan, I visited the site of the impact between a truck and her while she was riding to work. I spoke to the resident at the apex of the bend who provided comfort to her as she lay felled on the ground.

“It is clear to me that Donna was failed by the road authority and those who collectively manage traffic in Dublin City Council.

"From understanding traffic dynamics it is my considered view her demise was wholly avoidable.

"She was going about her business as a citizen using her bicycle in a shared space but as a cyclist the city owes her a higher duty-of-care because she was so vulnerable in traffic.

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“No protection from a steel-box, seat-belt or air-bag is accorded to her or the rest of us who chose to cycle rather than take a trip by car.

“The steel railings played a part in ensuring that she had no run-out space. Why does the Council still erect these death-traps?

“While there, I reflected on the two young schoolboys whose lives were snuffed out in the past two weeks while cycling to school; the very active travel we need to encourage if we are to raise healthy children and combat the obesity epidemic.

“How many parents will now permit their children to continue cycling to school after those unnecessary fatalities?

“This week the government announced the stalling of a number of projects across the city designed to make cycling safer for its citizens.

"Our new Minister for Transport Shane Ross TD has made no public pronouncements about active/sustainable travel since coming into office. This is no longer acceptable."

The Dublin Cycling Campaign has held a vigil for Donna at the spot where she died, so we've included some photos below of the floral tributes for her there.