EXCLUSIVE London’s cycle lane hell: Girl, 16, is left crying after being clipped by a double-decker bus that struggled to squeeze through road narrowed by TfL to make way for a new bike path
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A 16-year-old girl was left crying on the pavement after she was run over by a double-decker bus on a road that was ‘narrowed’ by TfL to create a new cycle lane.
Emergency services were called just after 5pm on November 17 to reports of a collision between a bus and a person on Brentford High Street, west London – where TfL has kept roadworks to build a cycle path for several months.
Footage filmed by a local shows the girl crying out in pain with roadworks visible in the background.
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The local told MailOnline: ‘Roadworks have been ongoing here for many months to narrow the road and build a cycle lane.
‘The roads are being made much more dangerous and these kind of accidents are becoming commonplace. Meanwhile the cycle lane is completely empty.’
BEFORE: A Google view shows the area before roadworks were put up in the area in Brentford, London
AFTER: Photographs show the roadworks coming onto the road where the 16-year-old girl and bus collided
The local added: ‘It is a continuation of the cycle lane work which has already destroyed Chiswick High Rd making it much more unsafe, causing many more accidents, collisions and making traffic unbearable. It appears that TFL have gone completely crazy.’
Horrifying footage posted by the local who witnessed the collision shows the girl weeping in pain on the floor of the road next to a stationary double-decker bus.
She is surrounded by members of the public as one person assures her an ambulance is on the way, while another insists she needs to stay lying on the ground.
Roadworks can be seen on the left-hand side of the bus while a sign states the pedestrian crossing is not in use.
A postman told MailOnline the roadworks are making his life ‘stressful’ as they often make him late for deliveries.
‘It’s very inconvenient, especially the time. I tend to stay out longer than I would want to. It’s affecting the time in terms of delivery,’ he said.
‘For me it’s very tricky because basically they are working on the pavements, so if I have to deliver items to a block of flats or set of houses on one side of the road, because of the pavements I just have to cross onto the other side and then cross back onto the road again just to deliver the letter which is kind of an inconvenience.’
Helen Cansick, TfL’s Head of Healthy Streets Investment, said: ‘Safety is our number one priority and our thoughts are with the woman involved in this collision. Our work with Hounslow and Hammersmith and Fulham Councils along the Cycleway 9 route is enabling thousands of people to walk and cycle safely and providing sustainable and affordable travel options.
Emergency services attended the scene on November 17 and the girl was taken to hospital
The local claims traffic delays are about 20 minutes off peak and around 45 minutes to an hour at peak times
Police attended the scene and the area was cordoned off after a bus and girl collided last month
The woman is surrounded by members of the public as one person assures her an ambulance is on the way
Roadworks can be seen on the left-hand side of the double-decker bus
‘We monitor all new cycle routes closely and there is no indication from those who witnessed the incident that the works or new cycleway played any part. We will continue to work with boroughs along the route to ensure that the new route is safe for everyone travelling in the area, and will respond to any requests for information concerning this incident.’
The Met Police told MailOnline: ‘Police were called at 17:17hrs on Friday, 17 November to reports of a collision involving a bus and a pedestrian in High Street, Brentford.
‘Officers attended along with paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance.
‘The pedestrian, a 16-year-old girl, was taken to hospital where her injuries were assessed as not life-threatening or life-changing. The driver of the bus stopped at the scene.’
A spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service told MailOnline: ‘We were called on 17 November at 5:17pm to reports of a road traffic collision between a pedestrian and a bus on Brentford High Street, TW8.
‘We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, a medic in a fast-response car, and an advanced paramedic.
‘We treated a person at the scene before taking them to a major trauma centre.’
It comes as Mr Khan’s TfL sparked backlash last week after officials began work to remove Millbank’s palm tree roundabout to make way for cycle lanes, MailOnline can reveal.
The beloved tree is considered a London landmark and sat proudly in the middle of a roundabout on the north side of Lambeth Bridge, near Westminster.
The palm tree has now been lifted and is being relocated to Churchill Gardens in Westminster, in an eco-move that TfL insists will make the roundabout safer for cyclists.
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