A Royal Victoria Infirmary consultant who suffered injuries after falling off her bike on Forsyth Road this month has put the blame on the cycle path which she says “disappears”.

The accident happened on Tuesday 1st December when Julie Whittaker was cycling to work. She is recovering from the fall, but still suffering some concussion symptoms.

Whittaker told JesmondLocal she believes she was lucky as her injuries could have been worse and that wearing a cycling helmet probably saved her life. A 2016 study suggested bicycle helmets reduce the risk of serious head injury by 70%.

“Many people like me are desperate to choose active travel but they are apprehensive because of safety, and this is with good reason,” she said.

“The main, outstanding issue is road safety, and this is a big one in my opinion. Cycling is just a practical alternative to a car for me. I have invested in a Cargo bike to be able to collect and drop-off my kids, bring school bags, bring shopping, and the electric bike lets me do all this whilst in my fancy work clothes.”

Hundreds of cyclists are injured or killed on our region each year. According to statistics published by the Chronicle last year, 1,681 cyclests were hurt or killed in the north east between 2015 and 2017.

In response to news of Whittaker’s accident, the Liberal Democrats in Newcastle called for safer cycle schemes:

Ed Smith, a spokesperson for cycling and pedestrian safety campaign SPACEforJesmond, said that while the west side of Forsyth Road is part of the council’s strategic cycle network, “it is not ideal for cycling because of high levels of motor traffic, particularly at peak times. A protected cycleway on this road would bring this route up to a standard for all ages and abilities to cycle on.”

According to Smith, this was recommended as part of the Streets for People plans, where Jesmond was allocated £1m of ring-fenced funding in 2015 for improving active travel. However half of that money is still unspent, said Smith. “New cycle routes should feel safe and comfortable even for beginner cyclists, and we believe the current layout does not match the government’s five core design principles for cycle infrastructure. 

“We wish Julie a speedy recovery.”