A cyclist from West Yorkshire has been awarded more than £2,000 in compensation after he hit a pothole and the impact threw him from his bike.
Peter Lodge, 52, of Hebden Bridge, suffered cuts and scratches in the accident, which happened when his front wheel fell into a hole which had developed around a metal water valve cover installed by Yorkshire Water.
Mr Lodge used free legal advice offered by CTC, the UK’s national cyclists' organisation, to launch a successful claim against the water company. He's now calling for other potholes near his home to be fixed.
“Unfortunately, the condition of the road between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden presents a serious threat to cyclists as it's full of potholes and is badly surfaced," he said. "While this is obviously unpleasant for drivers, cyclists not only risk having a nasty fall but could then easily be hit by a car. I hate to think what might have happened if I'd been thrown off my bike just an hour earlier during the rush hour".
Mr Lodge is urging other cyclists to report dangerous potholes using the CTC’s Fill That Hole website and iPhone app. “Potholes present a disproportionate threat to cyclists, with maintenance defects accounting for around 12 percent of the injury claims we deal with through our legal service," said Roger Geffen, the organisation's campaigns and policy director.
"All it takes is a click on a map and a brief description of the defect, and it goes straight to the maintenance department of whichever council is responsible for the road in question. They then have a legal obligation to fix any defects reported to them which are likely to cause injury.”
