Motorist ‘mounts pavement’ and ‘drives towards’ Sheffield die-in …
An angry motorist allegedly drove towards protestors who were lying in the road at the weekend as part of a ‘die-in’ demonstration in honour of a Sheffield cyclist who was killed.
The event was organised in memory of Dr. Adrian Lane on Saturday (March 25) who was killed after being hit by a car at a notoriously dangerous junction at Ringinglow Road and Common Lane.
Dozens of protesters lay down in the road to raise awareness of a campaign for protecting cycling infrastructure and improving road safety measures following the death of the rider in September last year.
A driver in the area, apparently frustrated by being held up a queue as a result of the demonstration, allegedly accelerated past traffic, mounted the grass verge before mounting the pavement. According to protestors, there were fellow demonstrators lying down in the road ahead – some of who were children – which the vehicle hurtled towards.
Footage on social media shows a man outside a Volkswagen car arguing with cyclists telling them they have “no right to do this.” One woman can be heard shouting “let him through, let’s get rid of him.”
A Twitter user by the name of @llamasteve posted the clip which he described as “unpleasant”. Further footage has since been uploads from another user of the moment the seemingly same car on the wrong side of the road before the driver decides to bypass traffic and mount the grass verge.
Speaking to YorkshireLive, he said: “The driver accelerated past the queuing traffic that was being held up by the protest, went past the barriers, up onto a grass verge and then towards the protestors who were lying in the road. People stood up to stop him carrying on because he couldn’t have proceeded without driving over people (including children) at which point he got out of the car – and you can see the confrontation in the video.
“As soon as the protest was complete (at the end of the song Shine On You Crazy Diamond), the organisers guided him out of the protest – but then a driver on the other side blocked his way, so he was forced to wait until the road was cleared and traffic was moving.”
The Lane Campaign and Cycle Sheffield have been asking Sheffield Council to make improvements to the junction which was the site of the protest. According to campaigners, the junction is very wide which means cyclists can take it at speed.
Members believe that if it was boxed off, people would have to slow down, and it would leave room for the addition of a cycle lane. They are also asking for the trees on the corner to be felled to improve visibility.
To find out more, please visit the Lane Campaign website.[2]
References
- ^ Leeds student police officer, 21, takes his own life as family claim he was bullied by West Yorkshire Police colleagues (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ Lane Campaign website. (www.thelanecampaign.co.uk)
References
- ^ Leeds student police officer, 21, takes his own life as family claim he was bullied by West Yorkshire Police colleagues (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ Lane Campaign website. (www.thelanecampaign.co.uk)
References
- ^ Leeds student police officer, 21, takes his own life as family claim he was bullied by West Yorkshire Police colleagues (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ Lane Campaign website. (www.thelanecampaign.co.uk)