Lack of safety at fatal bicycle accident site “worrying”

The son of an elderly woman who died after being hit by a cyclist has told an inquest into her death that he was “frustrated” and “angry” that safety measures had not been improved following the accident.

Polly Friedhoff, 81, died two weeks after a collision with a cyclist on the Thames towpath near Iffley Lock, Oxford, in November 2022.

Cyclist Edward Bressan, 56, was acquitted of charges of causing bodily harm by wanton or negligent driving at a trial in July.

An inquest into Ms Friedhoff's death concluded on Thursday that it was an accident. Oxfordshire coroner Darren Salter told the court it was a “very sad case”.

Writing his verdict, Mr Salter said although it was a “relatively slow impact”, it “nevertheless resulted in Ms Friedhoff suffering serious injuries”.

Mr Bressan told the inquest that after noticing his presence, Ms Friedhoff “panicked” and ran into him – before colliding with his left-hand handlebars.

He was traveling at a “walking pace” when he collided with her, an eyewitness said in a statement.

Mr Bressan said Mr Friedhoff then tried to regain her balance before “falling on his face”.

“I was desperately hoping that she would regain her balance, but then there was a sudden moment where she just collapsed.”

He then expressed his “sincere condolences” to Ms. Friedhoff’s family, adding that it was a “tragic accident.”

Responding to Mr Bressan's statement, Ms Friedhoff's son Jolyon said he had “sympathy” for the cyclist, adding: “It is clear to me that you had no ill intentions.”

Mr Friedhoff also raised concerns about traffic measures on the route, saying: “When you talk to people in this area they are very concerned about it.”

He said he also rode his bike in the area and often saw pedestrians “crouching in the bushes” while trying to avoid bikes.

“Pedestrians are often viewed as a strange danger,” he said.

Mr Bressan also raised questions about security measures on the “crowded” path.

The court heard that although there were “No Cycling” signs along the route, they were not particularly visible and were rarely acknowledged.

Mr Friedhoff said: “We all know it's kind of ridiculous – it's too narrow for pedestrians, let alone cyclists.”

He said that in order to change behavior in the area, cyclists “need to know that someone died here.”

“It is frustrating and worrying that no solutions have been found,” he added.

The land is owned by the Environment Agency (EA) while the footpath is managed by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC).

As part of his ruling, Mr Salter said he would prepare an Regulation 28 report to try to prevent future deaths – which would focus on how EA and OCC could improve safety in the region.

In a statement read out at the inquest, Ms Friedhoff's other son Andrew said news of his “wonderful” mother's accident had come as a “terrible shock”.

“Her death has left a big hole for us,” he said.

“Although the accident was a shock, it was terribly inevitable – as I walked so often.”

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